First Aid

Pete Smith offers some first aid tips in this episode of his long-running series of shorts for MGM. Smith had begun as a publicity man, but his snarky delivery soon made him popular for as a narrator. Although his jokes were, as here, often cornball, some of his shorts were of great technical interest, and occasionally were Oscar winners -- not just because MGM had clout in the Academy, but because of their excellence.

In this short, as in many, stuntman, comedy actor and later tv writer Dave O'Brien performs as the clumsy victim of various accidents, which require application of of first-aid techniques and safety tips. Keep an eye out for the moment when O'Brien's toupee slips. This was a gag that happened more than once in the Smith shorts.

First Aid (1943)

*** (out of 4)

Pete Smith short has the dimwitted Mr. Krumb (Dave O'Brien) always hurting himself around the house so he, along with his wife, go to a first aid class where they try to learn how to treat cuts, wounds and various other issues. These Smith shorts often take a humorous look at their subjects but that's not really the case here as one can't help but think the majority of what's being trained here is the same type of things folks in 1943 were learning because of what was going on throughout the world then. The middle segments of this short take the subject pretty serious as we get to learn where pressure should be made for various injuries as well as learning how to make a stretcher or warm the body whenever there's no fire. Even though the subject is handled in a serious fashion, there's still some time to play around and O'Brien once again shines as the dimwit who can never stay out of trouble. His flirting with a girl in his class gets one of the best jokes when he realizes that his wife is watching the entire thing. Another nice sequence is at the end when we see what type of injuries can be avoided. Smith's narration is good as usual so fans of his will certainly want to check this one out.