How to Attain Happiness...

a six page pamphlet. apparently attaining happiness is as easy as a wink.

At the Nickelodeon: Silly Symphonies - Flowers & Trees

If only animation remained as imaginative as it was back in 1932... The first animated short in full technicolor: "Flowers & Trees" courtesy of Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies series...

Moth to a Flame

John Herbert Dillinger was born this day in 1902... he was shot to death on July 22, 1934 outside Chicago's Biograph Theater shortly after seeing his favorite actress (and ours!) Myrna Loy in Manhattan Melodrama




this isn't my favorite Loy film...as its title suggests, it is quite melodramatic. Gable is playful but the hilarious William Powell is far too serious for my liking. I prefer him as silly as a billygoat...

At the Nickelodeon - Barbe-Bleue - Jean Painlevé 1936

Some of you may be familiar with the intriguing, early aquatic films of Jean Painlevé- all of which are mesmerizing in their groundbreaking cinematic achievement and natural subject matter. Today I've decided to highlight one of his only known non-documentary films, "Barbe-Bleue" (Bluebeard). From 1936, this is 13 minutes of whimsical and colorful stop-action animation with an operatic soundtrack...

If you'd like to sneak a peek at his documentary work, I highly recommend the Criterion Collection's "Science is Fiction: 23 Films of Jean Painlevé"

At the Nickelodeon - The Dogville Shorts

We're kicking off a Friday feature here on Babil and Bijou: At the Nickelodeon

Every Friday we will present a film clip to astound, enchant, or befuddle. We begin with a clip from the classic MGM "All Barkie Dogville Comedies". Between 1929 and 1931 Metro Goldwyn-Mayer produced 9 "talkies" featuring costumed, trained dogs in a series of short films. The collection of films is now available as a dvd. This dramatic clip features "Queenie in Trouble". Enjoy!