westegg

Sorry, but this is one stupid movie. A bewigged judge and surrounding court has nothing better to do than sentence noble Lassie to death! Why? Because of some infraction of the law, and while the judge admits it's an outdated law, Lassie must be sacrificed before the law can be changed! Not even pleading kids, who scrape up money for a dog license, can convince the judge to lighten up. I figure it ended happily (I'll admit I exited before it ended, but have read of the Greyfriar's Bobby inspiration)), but really, the story was a stretch to believe--can the law of the land consider it a job well done by sacrificing an innocent collie, who never bothered anyone, because of some unwavering judicial claptrap? Sure, it's meant to be a movie with conflict, but this was just ill conceived and obnoxious. Beyond that, nicely acted, photographed and all that, but...stupid.

Never mind the fictitious ramblings of the original poster, who obviously never saw this short. There are no nightclub cutaways, no overhead angle etc. I just saw this short at MoMA, NYC, where this and other Universal shorts haven't been seen in 80 years (part of a current series). The short itself is a charming blend of genuinely talented youngsters imitating their adult counterparts.

For years only the Vitaphone discs were available for this film, but according to the new book The Dawn of Technicolor, a black and white print is extant. This is yet another encouraging recent example of previously missing movies resurfacing, even if not always in their original form. Any fans of Joe E. Brown and Winnie Lightner should be thrilled by this news, particularly since Lightner's film career was relatively short. Originally a Broadway show starring Bert Lahr, this adaptation is a prime showcase for Brown and Lightner, and it was a big success at a time when interest in musicals were waning Hopefully HOLD EVERYTHING will be made available on DVD before long!