Electrical Power

This is a short movie about the importance of electricity, in particular for the motion picture industry. In starts with the making of the Boulder Dam and the electricity it generates. We see how this is converted suitable for normal usage. A nice detail is that there is a shot of a set from The Wizard of Oz (1939). In this set a deleted scene is recorded with Judy Garland and Ray Bolger which you can see in the documentary That's Dancing (1985).

At the end of the movie there are some trailers: Fast Company (1938), Idiot's Delight (1939), Tarzan in Exile (1939), Four Girls in White (1939), Return of the Thin Man (1939), Broadway Serenade (1939), Burn 'Em up O'Conner (1939) and Honolulu (1939).

Electrical Power (1939)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

This MGM short starts off talking about the creation of the Hoover Dam but quickly goes into promoting their own films. We start off hearing about the men who created the Hoover Dam and we're told why it was done, which of course was for the electricity that it could create. We then go to MGM studios where we see how the eclectic allows the company to use lights and other items to help make movies. We then see clips from the movies before ending with them showing us how the theater needs electricity to show the movies. I think 99.9% of people are going to know that you need eclectic to do these things but if you're a fan of the studio then you might get a few kicks out of this promotional short. I think the most interesting moment is actually the quick bio of the dam but this of course gets the least amount of time. There are a few nice behind-the-scenes looks at THE WIZARD OF OZ and we also get clips to films like THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN and I TAKE THIS WOMAN with Spencer Tracy.

Just watched on the TCM site this short from M-G-M about the Colorado River, the Boulder (now Hoover) Dam that blocks it, and the electricity that the water from there generates to provide power in seven states including the one that M-G-M resides in. Then we go to the studio itself where we see the set for The Wizard of Oz where Dorothy meets the scarecrow (alas, Judy Garland and Ray Bolger are nowhere to be seen). We also go to a few other sets as well as see technicians lighting a screen test for a forgotten actress who appeared with Mickey Rooney in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Then it's on to brief snippets of previews of other upcoming M-G-M features before The End flashes on the screen...Nice views of the river, dam, and electrical towers abound in the beginning before we go to the generators of Leo the Lion's studio and then on to good closeups of the various stars on the studio roster in their upcoming movies. Worth a look for anyone interested in these old studio promotion shorts.