August 1, 2000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:  Leslie Unger - (310) 247-3000

lunger@oscars.org

Beverly Hills, CA - A program of 14 recently restored Warner Bros. musical shorts will be presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Friday, August 18, at 7:30 p.m., in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Some of the shorts, which date from 1926 to 1945, were shot in Technicolor and several were originally made using the early Vitaphone sound-on-disc system.

Musical shorts were produced to play as part of a theatrical package before the feature attraction. These mini-movies, with an average running time of 10 or 20 minutes each, also served as a means for studios to test new talent in front of the cameras.

Following are the shorts to be screened:

• From 1926:
  Roy Smeck in "His Pastimes." This short premiered on the program with the first Vitaphone feature film, "Don Juan," starring John Barrymore.
• From 1929:
  Baby Rose Marie, "The Child Wonder."
  "Harlem Mania," with the Norman Thomas Quintette.
  "Lambchops," with George Burns and Gracie Allen.
  "The Opry House," with Lew Hearn and the Mound City Blowers.
• From 1933:
  "Smash Your Baggage," with Small's Paradise Entertainers.
• From 1934:
  "Good Morning Eve," one of the first live-action, three-strip Technicolor short subjects.
• From 1935:
  "An All Colored Vaudeville Show," with Adelaide Hall and the Nicholas Brothers.
• From 1937:
  Cab Calloway in "Hi De Ho."
• From 1938:
  "Out Where the Stars Begin," in Technicolor.
• From 1940:
  "All Girl Revue," with June Allyson.
• From 1941:
  "Gay Parisienne," featuring the Ballet Russe, in Technicolor.
• From 943:
  "Jammin' the Blues," with Lester Young.
• From 1945:
  "Borrah Minevitch & His Harmonica School."

Scheduled to attend the August 18 screenings is Rose Marie, who is featured in one of the titles from 1929. She is also known for her roles on "The Dick Van Dyke Show," "The Doris Day Show" and "Hollywood Squares" (the original version, from 1966 to 1982). Fayard Nicholas, the surviving member of the Nicholas Brothers, who are featured in "An All Colored Vaudeville Show," is also expected to attend.

Restoration work on the shorts in the program was completed by Turner Entertainment Company and Warner Bros. as part of their ongoing preservation program. The 1929 shorts were restored by the UCLA Film and Television Archive, with the sound re-recorded from Vitaphone discs.

Tickets for the Academy's presentation of classic Warner Bros. musical shorts are $5 for the general public, $3 for Academy members. They may be purchased in advance at the Academy during regular business hours, by mail, or on the night of the event when the doors open at 6:30 p.m. The Academy is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call 310-247-3600.