Pete Smith

A dog accused of murdering sheep is brought to trial.

Short film covering a variety of topics that folks may have wondered about.

Life in mid-century America is humorously compared to life at the turn of the century. Subject covered are keeping accurate time, proposing marriage,...

This Pete Smith Specialty shows water-safety and life-saving techniques taught by the American Red Cross to advanced swimmers.

This Pete Smith Specialty offers a look at Marineland of Florida, featuring the various marine life on display there.

Highlights the fast-paced and dangerous world of professional auto racing.

Narrator Pete Smith talks about the different kinds of neighbors that can be pests, and how to deal with them.

An amusing short film that looks at human and animal babies.

A chef helps a housewife cook a duck dinner that will not give her husband indigestion.

An attempt to explain the economic cycle of inflation and unemployment.

Romance of Radium is a 1937 American short film directed by Jacques Tourneur, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. This short film tells the story of...

This short features professional bowler Andy Varipapa. He first shows the correct way to grip a bowling ball and the proper form for delivering the...

This comedy short contains a "Wotaphony" newsreel and a short film from Super-Stupid Pictures entitled "The Downfall of Thaddeus G. Blotto, Esq." As...

A Pete Smith Specialty short on saving an important dinner after the household's cook suddenly quits.

Pete Smith tells the story of 'Sparky', a German shepherd dog trained to lead his blind master, a country doctor who lost his sight in a fire, and...

The Green Bay Packers teach football tips.

A Pete Smith short that deals with the newly-created 3-D process.

This Pete Smith Specialty short showcases former heavyweight boxing champion Max Baer with various sparring partners in the ring. Slow motion is used...

This short looks at the sport of rock climbing. A team of three men ascend a rock wall on Southern California's Tahquitz Rock (also known as Lily...

An examination of the problem of the house guest who has overstayed is welcome, and how to get rid of him.

A tense businessman seeks to find a relaxing pastime but proves himself inept at golf, duck-hunting, and model plane building.

Swing High is a 1932 American Pre-Code short documentary film directed by Jack Cummings. In 1932, it was nominated for an Academy Award at the 5th...

Pete Smith special about billiard.

An exmination of the sport of championship diving.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are stopped by narrator Pete Smith for the purpose of showing the audience how much wood and wood by-products the...

A short film showing the Irish contact sport known as hurling, which is similar to, but much rougher than, American football.

The unusual talents of Johnny Price, a minor league baseball pitcher and trick artist, are showcased in this Pete Smith Specialty. Among other...

A little dog must learn to become friends with a big dog.

A man writes a check for $1,000 to cover a gambling debt. The problem is that he doesn't have enough money in his bank account to cover it. The check...

It's Thanksgiving. Newlywed husband Abner Poodlebean faces the turkey his wife has prepared: she wants him to carve it at the table in front of her...

Five years after he narrated STRIKES AND SPARES, Pete Smith returns to the subject of bowling with two pros: Andy Varipapa, who threw some trick...

A "Pete Smith Specialty" - a fairly serious look at radio hams in the usual jokey format. Shows aircraft using morse code.

Trader Hound, a dog who walks upright, wears human clothes, and speaks English, is in darkest Africa with a young sheik who is looking for adventure....

Fala was the famous Scotch Terrier owned by Franklin Delano Roosevelt during his last two presidential terms.

A "Pete Smith Specialty" short that looks at legendary movie stuntman Harry Woolman planning and rehearsing stunts for films.

Re-enactment of how the 726-carat Jonker diamond was discovered in South Africa in 1905 by the family of Jacobus Jonker; how it was sold to Harry...

The story of the short film from the beginning of the movies in the 1890s, when all movies were shorts, through the 1950s when short subjects...

Humorous look at fantasy gadgets like ketchup in a tube, tilting book shelves, etc.

This comedic short looks at human foibles that lead to major aggravations.

A comic short filled with fake news and a fake movie trailer made up of clips from silent movies.

This entry in the "whole show on one reel" series begins with a do-it-yourself overture for which the narrator asks the audience to hum any song they...

In this eighth installment in Pete Smith's Goofy Movies short films series, clips from silent films are given comedic narration.

Despite the school just having won an important basketball game, its students are more interested in one of its teachers, namely Charles C. Peterson,...

The first part of this short is a "Metrophony" newsreel. It contains actual newsreel footage with humorous commentary (e.g., a flotilla of gondolas...

A Pete Smith Specialty shorts series entry. Dave demonstrates a variety of household items and furniture which, while modern, is much more trouble...

This short looks at the following questions: How would you act as an expectant father? How many greeting cards are sold in the USA each year? Why do...

This entry in the series starts with a "Wotaphony Newsreel," which contains feature stories with humorous commentary. Then we see "Passions of Horse...

In this short, Pete Smith provides comedic narration over silent film footage.

A humorous history of the bicycle since 1819.

Another in the long series of "Pete Smith" shorts from M-G-M in which William Newell meets and falls in love with Sally Payne, and begins to budget...

A 3-D short subject in which the narrator goes to a creepy old house in search of his missing aunt. There he encounters the Frankenstein monster, a...

A satire on movie newsreels combines with humorous narration of silent screen footage in this one reel comedy short.

This "complete show on one reel" starts with Super-Stupid Picture's "The Heel of a Nation", in which the narrator tells a humorous story while the...

This comedic short presents a series of nonsensical news stories, in a "Wotaphony Newsreel". The reel's feature, "The Curse of an Aching Husband",...

Choreographer Dave Gould and his students demonstrate various tap dancing steps. Also featured are an adagio and Russian sword dancers.

Short comedic subject on the history of photography from the daguerrotype to modern amateur photographers.

In this Pete Smith Specialty short, a raccoon spends the night looking for food for his family. After his encounters with a skunk, a frog, and a...

This comedic Pete Smith Specialty short examines the folly of using "home remedies" for various ills.

A dog living in a junkyard learns that all stray dogs will be exterminated by 3 o'clock that afternoon, so sets off to find a master before the...

With Pete Smith providing dry off-screen commentary, we watch some serious fishing: a marlin caught near Catalina, a hammerhead shark caught then...

In this final entry in the Pete Smith Specialty series, Smith pays tribute to actor and stuntman Dave O'Brien, who took many falls and spills (and...

This Pete Smith Specialty short takes a humorous look at the inconsiderate pests whose annoying habits make enjoying a movie impossible.

In this Pete Smith Specialty short, a wife endures the trials of being married to a husband with traits that drive her crazy.

Modern meteorology and a hard-working government weather team put their science and organization to work as a cold front moves from Alaska toward the...

Questions and answers on various subjects, from Lady Godiva to the Panama Canal.

A series of questions testing one's knowledge of fun facts about horses and equestrian in general are asked. The questions deal with horse age and...

Wild bears that bother livestock are captured with ropes and shipped to zoos.

In this Pete Smith Speciality, the audience is asked a series of multiple-choice questions on various subjects.

This serious Pete Smith Specialty series entry encourages industry to hire people with disabilities to help with the war effort. As a boy, Ben Helwig...

In this Pete Smith Specialty, cameraman Charles T. Trego films water skiing champion Preston Petersen, as he and two unnamed female skiers perform...

This Pete Smith Specialty is a humorous look at a student's first flying lesson, in a propeller-driven biplane.

In this Pete Smith Specialty short, a husband endures the trials of being married to a wife with irritating traits.

In this comedic Pete Smith Specialty short, average housewife Mrs. George T. Hardnose's day is recalled.

In this Pete Smith Specialty short, a series of vignettes illustrate some ways that mothers-in-law irritate, and/or cause problems for, their...

This Pete Smith Specialty short shows, humorously, the disastrous results when people save their money in unsafe places.

In this Pete Smith Specialty short, we see how real-life investigator Jo Goggin used a motion picture surveillance camera to gather evidence and...

Harry Horseknuckle tries to figure out what to do with some strange and unwanted gifts.

A Pete Smith Specialty showcasing athletic stunts.

This Pete Smith Sports Champion short visits Southern California where it quickly moves from orange orchards to the mountain snow playground at Big...

A humorous look at some typical housework troubles that may arise. A Pete Smith Specialty short.

This Pete Smith Specialty short was produced in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor. Using humor, it shows what can happen when tools and...

In this comedic Pete Smith Specialty short film, a homeowner experiences a series of mishaps while taking a day off from the office.

In this Pete Smith Specialty short, a friendly do-gooder's good deeds backfire.

This short film highlights the odd 1930s fad of playing baseball while riding donkeys.

A humorous look at various circus and other acrobatic feats. One of the "Pete Smith Specialties" produced and narrated by "A Smith named Pete."

This short film focuses on a day in the life of a Hollywood talent scout assigned to cast animals.

Frank Morgan is hired to put together a movie using odds and ends from the MGM vaults. He does so by splicing together a string of completely...

An off-camera narrator takes us through various scenarios of "just suppose". First we watch what would happen if a private detective behaved at home...

In this Pete Smith Specialty comedic short, we see various ways a wife may unintentionally hold her husband back.

This Pete Smith Specialty comedic short details the troubles the average woman faces with maintaining beauty and fitness.

Pete Smith does his usual mocking observations while the overweight Maxine Gates goes through the trials and tribulations of losing weight. The agony...

The audience is asked questions about sports facts and records involving tennis, wrestling, swimming, golf, and cycling.

This short film showcases water sports activities such as sailboat racing and surfboard riding, including Christian Peterson doing a human surfboard...

A look at colorful (and mostly imported) birds, ranging in size from hummingbirds to storks.

A man looks at stacks of canisters of film on shelves. He pulls out a few to show real-life events caught on camera. He pulls out spools of film that...

The profession of capturing animals in action on celluloid is both an art and science. Some of the most exciting footage can be obtained in different...

This rare Technicolor entry in the Pete Smith Specialty series shows various events at a rodeo in Casper, Wyoming

In this Pete Smith Specialty short, answers are sought regarding some things people may have wondered about.

In this comedic Pete Smith Specialty short, women battle for bargains in a department store.

A boy trains his new golden retriever for duck retrieving competition, much to the chagrin of his first dog, a lovable but untrained mutt.

A short film where viewers are given 10 or 15 seconds to answer questions about the United States and its involvement in World War II.

In this Pete Smith Specialty short, a new father experiences the trials and tribulations of fatherhood.

This Sports Parade series entry follows the life of Dixie Dan, a harness racehorse, from birth through age three.

In this Pete Smith Specialty short, two lion cubs escape from the zoo and go on an adventure.

This Pete Smith Specialty short shows newsreel clips of people performing strange stunts. Among those featured are a motorcyclist driving through a...

This Pete Smith Specialty short provides a behind-the-scenes look at the Ice Capades practices with ice skating favorites of the time.

In this Pete Smith Specialty short, we take a music quiz, plus survey various unusual musical instruments.

In this short film, champion fisherman Ernie St. Claire tries to catch a large salmon in Oregon's Rogue River.

This short film takes a look through a microscope's lens at insect life.

This short film focuses on a group of lifeguards from a Southern California beach during the off season.

In this Pete Smith Specialty short, clips from several unidentified silent films are woven into a story, with humorous commentary by Smith.

After the audience is instructed how to use the 3-D glasses they received, demonstrations of three-dimensional films are presented. Various objects...

This Pete Smith Specialty short demonstrates the uses of micro- and macrophotography. We see extreme closeups of the mechanical workings of a tiny...

In this Pete Smith Specialty short, Dr. Harold E. Edgerton demonstrates stroboscopic photography, which he helped develop. This process allows us to...

This Pete Smith Specialty short focuses on the young men who have signed up for the U.S. Army. The film uses the analogy of the speed, accuracy, and...

La Fiesta de Santa Barbara is a 1935 American comedy short film directed by Louis Lewyn. It was nominated for an Academy Award at the 9th Academy...

This short film shows U.S. Marines in training at a number of unidentified bases, with a focus on hand-to-hand combat.

Demonstrates how accidents happen when proper safety devices are neglected.

A boogie-woogie piano introduces what purports to be a jitterbug lesson, starring prize winner Arthur Walsh, his partner, and then later various...

This Pete Smith Specialty short looks at the notion that a man chases a woman till he catches her. Who's really chasing whom?

This humorous short film shows various species of tropical fish at the Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco, California.

This short film presents an unusual Beverly Hills store called the Patio Shop, where trash is turned into art.

This short film focuses on how racehorses are trained.

Pete Smith narrates some of the most spectacular college football plays from the 1940 season.

Pete Smith would make a "Football Thrills of...." each year as part of his Pete Smith Specials. 1944 was in the midst of WW II and most of the...

The friendship between two orphans endures even though they grow up on opposite sides of the law and fall in love with the same woman.

This humorous short film shows how carelessness and accidents can harm the war effort, and steps on how to avoid them.

This Pete Smith Specialty showcases the Cristiani Family, a circus act. They mount and dismount moving horses and perform acrobatic feats while...

This MGM Oddity features the 1933 National Football League champion Chicago Bears. The team demonstrates various plays, which are shown first in real...

In this Sports Champions entry, power boat racers use specially designed outboard motor boats in a race on California's Salton Sea.

Two expert badminton players demonstrate how the best play the game, including some slick trick shots. Meanwhile, befuddled bungler Bellamy B....

This Sports Champions entry visits a rodeo and highlights the three main events: bronco busting, bull riding, and bull-dogging steers.

This "Pete Smith Specialty" features narrated clips of acrobats and stunt performers who earn their living in unusual and exciting ways.

This Pete Smith Specialty showcases a group called the Water Bugs. Its members devise new ways to experience thrills on the waters of California...

This humorous Pete Smith Specialty short looks around various studios on a film lot.

Filmmaker Pete Smith is very protective of the trophies and other mementos associated with his films that are located in his office at the studio,...

In this short, members of the California Water Bugs club demonstrate new ways to get thrills when water skiing.

This short film presents several athletes preparing for the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California.

In this Pete Smith Specialties short, two professional dancers beautifully demonstrate the rumba and conga while actors humorously display some...

This Pete Smith Specialty shows newsreel footage events that live up to the title. They include, among others, a diaper derby (the father who puts a...

How the game of ice hockey is played, demonstrated by the hockey team at Loyola University.

Shows how the game of football developed, and how its rules came to be.

Prudence Penny and Gwen Lee give more cooking tips in Technicolor

Beautiful women allow men to crack whips and throw horseshoes at their heads.

An examination of the role played by dogs over the years in scientific research.

An examination of the history of anesthesia, from ancient Egyptian times to contemporary times.

A review of the 1937 football season.

1938 short film starring Prudence Penny.

Pete Smith takes a humorous look at the wildlife that lives among the California redwoods.

A demonstration of trick shots by champion bowler Andy Varipapa.

A few different methods that are supposed to help with memorization are presented

A Pete Smith Specialty explaining the finer points of meat carving, shown by an expert.

Wartime housekeeping tips by a home-economics pro who comes to the aid of a bumbling, vertically challenged husband and his statuesque bride.

Tells the story of young Willie Mosconi. From growing up with his father's pool hall downstairs to his first US Championship.

The trials and tribulations of a husband as his pregnant wife gets closer to the delivery date.

After their mother remarries, two brothers cause chaos at their Aunt's home.

Under Pete's Smith's narration, this one-reeler tells the story of the training of three new recruits in the Canadian Northwest Mounted. When they...

The annual compendium of highlights from last season's major intercollegiate gridiron classics.

A "Pete Smith Specialty". Three sea lions gatecrash the kitchen of a beach house, steal some goodies, then go on to cause chaos at the party.

A Pete Smith Specialty. A documentary that explains the answers to questions about Portuguese man-of-war fish and the Rosetta Stone, among others.

A Pete Smith Specialty. The annual compendium of highlights from last season's major intercollegiate gridiron classics. Reliving past games of...

A Pete Smith Specialty. Chef Prudence Penny gives hints on cooking.

A Pete Smith Specialty. The annual compendium of highlights from last season's major intercollegiate gridiron classics.

A Pete Smith Specialty. The annual compendium of highlights from last season's major intercollegiate gridiron classics.

A Pete Smith Specialty. The annual compendium of highlights from last season's major intercollegiate gridiron classics.

The second "Pete Smith Special" dealing with Fala, the pet dog of the late-President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who died long before the release of this...

A Pete Smith Specialty. Classic high spots from last year's football landmarks.

A Pete Smith Specialty. The annual compendium of highlights from last season's major intercollegiate gridiron classics.

A Pete Smith Specialty.

In this "Pete Smith Specialty Short," advice is given on how to deal with certain common pests.