Movie Pests

Movie Pests (1944)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Oscar nominated short from Pete Smith about annoying people in movie theaters including a large man who needs two seats, knees in the back of seats, women with large hats and folks who keep changing seats throughout the movie. There are plenty of laughs here and the "what should happen to these people" was also great.

Theaters should show this one in front of every movie today.

Turner Classic Movies shows this quite often as well as many other Pete Smith shorts.

More often than not, shorts are cool. They pick an interesting topic, and maintain a focus that is usually a creative and unique view.

We tend to have low standards for shorts from the the 40's or older. Speaking for myself, just reliving a viewpoint from the past is fun enough, add the usually creative angle the short has, it should be an enjoyable experience.

HOWEVER, this time, Pete Smith missed the boat. The topic could have been interesting enough, but his examples were lame and poorly acted. I can only imagine an audience in 1944 watching this short. If better done, it could have been a hoot to that audience, but I imagine it was a waste of their 11 minutes, as it was mine.

Don't waste your 11 minutes...

Pete Smith rather sarcastically narrates this jovially scored comedy that illustrates just what annoys us about fellow cinema goers. Firstly, we have a pair of latecomers who can't agree on where to sit. Of course one if not both wear a nice big hat and couldn't be quiet if their lives depended on it. Next, we have another (larger) fellow who just barges his way into a spare seat, mid-row, and then casually goes about undressing and spreading himself forcefully, endangering just about everyone within a 20 foot radius. Chewing gum under the seat is another classic faux pas, then there's the knee in the back of your chair brigade who are well represented as are the death-trap, feet sticking into the aisle, folks and those who munch their way through the film with a noise usually reserved for those doing all of their Christmas unwrapping at once! Ought they to be in jail or perhaps we could imagine more appropriate punishments. Chains? Scissors? Choking? Foot-stamping? I loved this - and though it does rather labour the joke, it sums up so much of the thoughtlessness that goes on in cinemas by ignorant people who forget they are no longer in their living rooms - or who simply don't care. Luckily this was made before the advent of the mobile phone, on whom I fear Mr. Smith may have employed a Gattling gun. I would, too.

It's various people acting poorly as the audience in a movie theater. It's trying to be a comedy. In the end, it fails because it's not actually funny. It doesn't actually make the audience laugh. It's a lot of bad behavior done in a broad quirky way. It was nominated for an Oscar.

Set in a theater, the witty narrator describes several "pests" at the movie and how they manage to annoy the rest of us who are there to enjoy the film. From the habitual seat-changer to the woman with the huge hat, this short covers all the things that annoy us at the theater. Especially funny is the woman who "frees her dogs" by taking her shoes off and then losing one. She then proceeds to crawl around the whole theater in search of missing show, interrupting everyone as she does so.

I have often sat through movies thoroughly annoyed by fellow patrons, as I'm sure we all have. That's what makes this short so great! It is something everyone can identify with. If only they would show it occasionally before the feature film - maybe then some "movie pests" would get the idea and behave themselves in a more dignified manner.