Movie Pests - Part Deux

My January 27 post was directed to all those who come to the movies and find it their ‘job’ to bother everyone else around them, knowlingly or otherwise.  Now, I already knew this was nothing new, but shortly after I blogged on this topic, I had a chance meeting with a wonderful movie short on this very subject on TCM.  “Movie Pests” is an 11-minute romp narrated and produced by “a Smith named Pete,” and premiered in July 1944. Smith starts out this laugh-out-loud, nod-in-agreement flick with the words that “this movie typifies all the pests who annoy you at the theatre.”  American movie attendance soared during World War II, so the pests to be found were at a premium, I’m sure!

Mr. Smith covers everyone from the couple who can not decide where to sit, the seat-changer, the “snake” (“psssttt!”), the “muncher,” plus many others.  These pests were attending the movies then, and as movie-going has evolved (or perhaps devolved), they have brought along some new friends for the modern era.  Never-the-less, they are here to stay and they appear to have no intentions of ever leaving.

According to IMDB trivia, this short film is included as an extra on the 2007 Warner Home Video dvd of “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo,” which is a wonderful 2 hour, 38 minute production in itself.  But , war films is another blog (or 2 or 3) all unto itself.

Until then, we’ll keep staying clear as best we can from today’s movie “pests” and perhaps we’ll see a updated adaptation of Pete Smith’s work some time in the near future. "Bye, now!"*

*(Pete Smith is closing "Movie Pests")