Carnival Day

I would never recommend this short on plot, but it is a not to be missed item when it comes to color. This film must be one of the earliest uses of Technicolor around and they use it beautifully. The images are crisp, clear and almost jump off the screen. The scenes of Peggy, the flower girl, and Bobby, the jockey, are gorgeous. The only film of this era that had colors as well executed was, in my opinion "The Adventuresof Robin Hood" two years later. It's only 16 min. long and worth every minute of it. The cinematographer, William V. Skall, was later nominated for eight Academy Awards (four in a row 1940-43) and won for "Joan of Arc" (1943).

This sweet, entertaining film is a multi-cultural, highly enjoyable musical. It unselfconsciously brings to life an integrated small society, of the folks who come together on "Carnival Day". While it's not presented as a social commentary, the film is about a community that seems as if it was never prejudiced: each person is very important to the others, folks are folks & deeply friends, and there is no awareness of race, age, class, or national origin. We see: a dark-haired, dark-skinned jockey sing his heart-filled song (Irish Rose/Rose in her Hair) to his pale, red-haired love (she works in a booth), while 2 bad guys in dark suits try to fix the race (OK these characters were stereotypes); two very talented, excited, African American kids do a COMPLETE, complex tap dance, looking right into the camera for you; a sparkling, old, Italian man in his carnival attire, who knows everyone, provides the segues; and yes--the color (and orchestration) is not only astounding...it's 3 years ahead of Gone with the Wind!

I'm hoping to find a print to make my own.

It's hard to believe that the Technicolor captured in CARNIVAL DAY, made in 1936, was as beautiful as anything that came years later. In fact, it appears to be a Vitaphone short from Warner Bros. that was produced solely to test the Technicolor cameras for authentic color and flesh tones. It succeeds brilliantly, making it possible for the studio to go ahead with plans to film THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD in color the following year ('37) for release in '38.

No real plot here, just an abundance of carnival sights and sounds with Italian character actor HENRY ARMETTA as a man peddling colorful balloons and sampling some of the hot dogs and other goodies between sales pitches. It's he who thwarts two bad guys who are trying to fix the race by puncturing his balloons and making them sound like gunfire. That's about it, for a plot.

But the viewer will be entranced by the spectacular color shots including the Arabian white horses on parade with thoroughbreds and grand champions; Angora goats; bulls and cows; stablemen including a black boy who tap dances Bill Robinson style; and side shows including fire eaters. Meanwhile, there's a singing segment where the jockey tenor sings a love song to a pretty girl while the camera captures the full beauty of roses in bloom.

After Armetta foils the crooks, there's a race to the finish that the jockey wins, of course.

A short subject worth watching for the color alone.

This is the fairgrounds at Pomona, California. There are various characters going about their day. There is some dancing, some music, some jokes, and Technicolor fun. It may be a fictional day, but I like the general realism of the place. I can almost smell the peanuts. Most importantly, this is a showcase for Technicolor. The colors are bright. Tony is carry around balloons of every colors for a reason. That one blue balloon is doing some heavy lifting. It's all about showcasing the different colors in this process. The skin tone is a bit too red, but that's something that they need to learn.

"Carnival Day" isn't the deepest of films but it is enjoyable. It's much like visiting an old carnival in the 1930s complete with little vignettes interspersed through the film of character actor Henry Armetta trying to make us laugh. Even if you love old films, you probably don't recognize Armetta's name, but he was a very familiar character actor of the day--usually playing goofy and very stereotypical Italians.

There really isn't a lot of depth to this one...just some nice clips and Armetta. But its made in lovely color and is quite enjoyable. And, sometimes, that's more than enough.

By the way, one tiny portion might offend some, as it shows some happy black folks singing and dancing...a common and widely accepted image of the day. Incredibly stereotypical but rather benign compared to some portrayals of the day.