A Year in Shorts Day 345: "Quicker'n a Wink"

Content Warning: Today's short contains strobe lighting and a scene of dental work.


Oh, Pete Smith. What would we do with you? Well, we’d probably have watched a lot less awkwardly racist or sexist shorts, so that would have been nice. But on the flip side, do I want to live in a world without Movie Pests? I should think not. The last Pete Smith Specialty we covered was Audioscopiks, a film made to show off 3-D technology which, rather understandably, does not hold up particularly well today. Well today’s short, the 1940 film Quicker’n a Wink, was also made to showcase new film technology, although thankfully it’s managed to remain a bit more impressive in the eighty years since its release!



(via TV Tropes)


Directed by George Sidney, Quicker'n a Wink sees Smith (and by extension, us as the audience) journey to MIT to the lab of Harold Edgerton to show off his stroboscopic photography. What does he do with said photography? Well, he takes images of everyday objects and activities (such as a drop of milk hitting a puddle or a football being kicked) as well as not so everyday activities (do you regularly drop an egg on a fan?) and presents them in slow motion, allowing us to see in detail what happens. In short, it's the sort of thing that the stuff of cool YouTube videos are made of! So, yes, some of the novelty has worn off regarding this short. But honestly, this sort of thing is always cool, so it's hard to hold that against the short. Besides, do any YouTube compilations have Pete Smith's snarky narration? I highly doubt it, so that's a point in Quicker'n a Wink's favor! Another point? No racism! And hell, it's only slightly sexist, and in a way that's more innocently cheeky than demeaning. I know that's not a lot to say in a short's favor, but you know... it's not nothing either. Once again we find ourselves with a short that's better left speaking for itself (perhaps I should create a name for those), but what do you expect?



Despite his long storied career making shorts for MGM, Pete Smith only won two competitive Oscars. (He would receive an honorary award for all the Specialties in 1954, which I think was richly deserved.) His first win was for Penny Wisdom, which I haven't seen yet (we have to save something for ANOTHER Year in Shorts, after all). And his second win was for Quicker'n a Wink, and it's not hard to see why. A funny, educational and visually impressive short, Quicker'n a Wink could be called the platonic ideal for a Pete Smith Specialty, containing all of his usual strengths without the typical weaknesses. Really the only thing missing here are the silly sketches, which would have been out of place, and are terribly hit and miss besides. The technology on display is genuinely interesting, and Pete Smith's narration has never been better, containing some of his funniest lines and sharpest deliveries. While the Pete Smith Specialties have their flaws (to say the very least), they also have an undeniable charm and energy that keeps me coming back. And shorts like Quicker'n a Wink show that my faith was not in vain. Really, the only thing that keeps this from being my favorite of the series is that scene at the end with the guy's tooth getting drilled because why the fuck would you show that in slow motion, what the fuck is wrong with you Pete Smith????


Keep up with the Oscar Baiting here on Letterboxd!


The Great Oscar Baiter is a not-for-profit work of criticism. All images herein are property of their respective owners and are protected under Fair Use.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Song of the Week #15: "Take My Breath Away"

Image
I’ll put myself on a consistent schedule for these things one day, I promise. In my defense, there are a lot of movies to catch up on, and isn’t that what Oscar Baiting is all about? For instance- until recently, I’d never seen the original Top Gun! But with Top Gun: Maverick holding its spot as the biggest hit of the year (probably only to be dethroned by Black Panther or Avatar ) and even potentially soaring into the obligatory crowd pleaser Best Picture slot, I figured it was time to see where things began. Because while the Oscars Top Gun: Maverick may win have yet to be decided, the first Top Gun only went home with one- for the love theme, “Take My Breath Away.” (via Wikipedia) Love themes for films have gone a bit out of style these days, although for a long time it seemed to be a surefire way to nab a Best Song nomination. Seriously, look through the Wikipedia article and count how many times you see "Title Seemingly Chosen at Random (Love Theme from Movie You Didn...
Read more

Song of the Week #6: "The Ballad of High Noon"

Image
I was finally able to catch Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast this weekend, and I have to say it certainly lived up to the hype. There’s a lot to love about this movie, from the gorgeous black-and-white cinematography, the exquisite performances from both the seasoned veterans and newcomers in the cast, to a script that’s brimming with heart and humor. But one aspect of the film I don’t see a lot of people mention is the way it incorporates footage from other films- most notably Fred Zinnemann’s High Noon, using not only a scene from the movie itself but scoring two pivotal scenes with the film’s theme song, the aptly-named (and Oscar-winning) “The Ballad of High Noon.” It was a bold choice to be sure, but who could blame Branagh? It’s a great movie, and a great song- and the subject for today’s installment in Song of the Week. (via Wikipedia) For those of you haven't seen High Noon... well, you really should get on that, it's a classic! Aside from being a taut, tightly edited thril...
Read more

Song of the Week #14- "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"

Image
I was watching Belfast with my friend last week, and- like all great films- it raised a lot of questions. Questions like, “Hey, remember the last time I watched Belfast and was inspired to write a blog post because of it ?” and “Hey, why haven’t I written anything Oscar Bait related in a while?” Well, luckily for all of us “The Ballad of High Noon” wasn’t the only Oscar-nominated song featured in Belfast. Unluckily for us, that other song just happens to be “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” (via Wikipedia) Readers of this blog will hopefully remember that I love a good movie musical. Sadly, those were few and far between in the 1960s. Oh sure, movie musicals certainly had a brief resurgence in those days. Many of them were big hits, both critically and commercially. Hell, Best Picture went to a musical on four separate occasions in that decade! But how many of them were actually any good? Not a lot. Oh sure, The Music Man is great fun and Mary Poppins is a classic. But far too many mu...
Read more