"Soundies," those 3-minute musical novelty films offered via juke-box-style video machines from the late '30s-mid '40s, are the topic of a new documentary on PBS...
http://www.soundiestv.com/It premiered on PBS last week (March
, and is offered thru the PBS network by syndication. Check your local PBS station(s) schedules for times.
"Soundies" have virtually no 3 Stooges connections... unless you were at the July 1990 Three Stooges Convention in Trevose, PA. A highlight of that weekend's Saturday night banquet entertainment was the screening of a 1940 "soundie" titled PICKLE PUSS, featuring Ethelreda Leopold (IN THE SWEET PIE & PIE, WEE WEE MONSIEUR, BACK TO THE WOODS, G.I. WANNA HOME). Ms. Leopold was the celebrity guest of that 1990 weekend, and she was pleasantly surprised with that screening, which she had never seen!
No... PICKLE PUSS is not part of this PBS documentary. But, Ms. Leopold can briefly be seen in a clip from another musical entry.
Fan Club members Frank Reighter and Paul Kreft are collectors of 16mm soundies, and their film collections have enhanced past Convention and Meeting screenings with "soundies" featuring William Frawley, Spike Jones and Mel Blanc. A Spike Jones clip, prominently featuring Blanc, IS in this PBS show.
The PBS documentary primarily focuses on musical performances, particularly Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Mel Torme, Louis Jordan, Doris Day, Kay Starr, etc. Regardless being OT to the Stooges, it's an interesting and entertaining film... highly recommended!
