Jacques Tourneur Shorts Program

We’re pleased to present a selection of Tourneur’s earliest one-reelers—an assortment of Pete Smith Specialties and John Nesbitt’s Passing Parades—produced at MGM between 1936 and 1942.

Killer Dog
USA, 1936, 16mm, 10m
A suspected killer dog is brought to trial in one of Tourneur’s first Pete Smith Specialties. Print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive.

Romance of Radium
USA, 1937, 16mm, 10m
This Oscar-nominated short documentary looks at the accidental discovery of radium and its importance in modern medicine. Print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive.

The Grand Bounce
USA, 1937, 16mm, 11m
A broke gambler writes a bum check to his intimidating debt collectors (the “Or Else Boys”), and scrambles to deposit enough money before the check is cashed. Print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive.

The Face Behind the Mask
USA, 1938, 16mm, 11m
Tourneur explores the popular theories surrounding one of France’s greatest mysteries: the identity of a masked prisoner jailed during the reign of King Louis XIV. Print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive.

Yankee Doodle Goes to Town
USA, 1939, 11m
Made shortly before the outbreak of World War II, Yankee Doodle Goes to Town surveys the history of American democracy and the dangers of fascism. Courtesy of Cinémathèque de la Ville de Luxembourg

The Incredible Stranger
USA, 1942, 16mm, 11m
In 1897, a mystery man—who communicates only via written letters—arrives in a small town, rousing many questions from the locals who are eager to learn of his past. Print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive.

The Magic Alphabet
USA, 1942, 16mm, 11m
Mixing documentary and dramatized scenarios, The Magic Alphabet looks at three ailing patients and their vitamin deficiencies. Print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive.
Saturday, December 22, 1:30pm
Thursday, December 27, 8:45pm

Explore the Jacques Tourneur brochure flipbook or read below.