The Birds and the Beasts Were There

The copy of this this film I looked at on TCM was in black & white. The poor quality of the print makes me think it was derived from a 16mm TV print. The credits claim it is one of RKO's "Sports Parade" series. I don't see that as making particular sense, but there are always things that don't make sense in how a production company labels its offerings.

Knox Manning narrates this RKO like he thinks he's Pete Smith, offering an air of hysteria as bonhomie. The subject of the short, the inhabitants of three animal parks in what was suburban Miami seventy-five years ago, look quite interesting, and must have been startling in the original Technicolor. Nowadays, alas, given the poor b&w print, this one doesn't look very interesting,

WB presents The Sports Parade. They visit Miami animal farms. First is the Rare Bird Farm with its many different exotic birds. Next is the Monkey Jungle. The tourists are kept in caged paths. Then there are the bird performers doing tricks with their trained birds.

This is a black and white short. The birds sections really need color film. The birds are missing that extra dimension. They are missing the wow factor. The monkey breaking the nut is fun. The bird tricks are sometimes fun, but sometimes awkward. This short is an entertaining diversion and not much more than that. Colors could have made this special.

I know that back in the 1940s black & white film was generally the norm and color was the exception. However, it still seems off that this short film was done in black & white, as the film often comments about how colorful and beautiful the birds are that they are showing the audience. And, Hollywood DID make quite a few color shorts during this era. Perhaps the color stock was just in short supply because of the war--but it would have made the film more interesting and watchable.

The short visits three animal attractions in the Miami area. The summary says the places are still in business but the only one I am sure still operates is Monkey Jungle. It's mildly interesting and the narration is not as annoying as many of these older shorts. Worth seeing if you live around Miami or want a bit of nostalgia.

We shouldn't judge this sweet almost 1945 video clip by today's standards of color and writing, Remember, this country had been in war and the audience needed to see cute animals having fun and being basically well taken care of instead of focusing on war and shortages etc. So enjoy this relaxing look back and put everything in context of the times. I thought it was great.

Birds and Beasts Were There, The (1944)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Warner short goes to a couple farms in Florida that features rare birds and beasts like monkeys. This documentary short might entertain young kids but I found it pretty boring throughout its ten-minute running time. We get to learn about flamingos, peacocks and others birds but the narration is so bland that it's hard to get excited about what you're watching. Another problem is that the narration tries to tell jokes throughout the film and most of them come off very lame. The monkey sequence is a lot better as we get to see the famous Bubbles in action. This is about the only interesting thing in this forgotten short.