Released as part of a series of WB shorts under the collective title of "Technicolor Specials" (WB production number 2003) this short most likely holds the WB house record for a 20-minute film containing footage from the most different titles in their inventory. It's theme of a singing guided tour of the lot (and some of the footage) is from 1944's "Musical Movieland", the former title holder, and it contains clips from 1939's "Quiet, Please" and "Royal Rodeo"; "Sunday Roundup" from 1936 and 1940's "The Singing Dude." Pieces from "Out Where the Stars Begin" and "Swingtime in the Movies" may also be used, but it's hard to tell since they all tend to run together and show up in a lot of places during the 1940's Warner shorts. Its title of "Movieland Magic" is most apt considering the sleight-of-hand performed by the WB Shorts and Sales departments in once again selling the same film clips for the 3rd, 4th or more times.
Production
Frankensteined from at least seven different WB shorts.
Director
James V. Kern
Scotty Beckett
(archive footage)
Lucile Fairbanks
(archive footage)
Fritz Feld
(archive footage)
Dick Foran
(archive footage)
Kathryn Kane
(archive footage)
Jane Wyman
(archive footage)
Fuzzy Knight
(archive footage)
John Payne
(archive footage)
Anne Shirley
(archive footage)
Mel Tormé
Studio Tour Guide (uncredited)
Leo White
Makeup man (uncredited)
Larry Williams
(archive footage)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This holds the dubious WB record for most recycled titles crammed into 20 minutes. The 1944 'Musical Movieland' was already a clip show — this is a clip show OF a clip show.
In 1946, audiences paid theater prices for what was essentially studio B-roll. It's the original streaming content farm — quantity over everything.
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