Studio Snapshots on AllMovie

This program features a compilation of promotional film shorts produced during the 1930s as part of the Hollywood on Parade and Star Reporter in Hollywood series. A number of the Parade shorts were produced or directed by Lewis Lewyn and they often provided songs and comedy sketches. It's generally noted that these pseudo newsreels were produced by Paramount, yet the shorts feature stars from other studios as well, such as the great Buster Keaton, who was an MGM star in the '30s. He's seen here driving his "Land Yacht," a 30-foot vehicle that could sleep six people in two bedrooms and had a kitchen and a dining room. Highlights of the video also include a sequence from Hollywood on Parade No. 8 (1933), in which actress Helen Kane plays Betty Boop in a brief encounter with Bela Lugosi as a wax museum Dracula who comes to life. Other stars featured include Fredric March, Ginger Rogers, Burns and Allen, and Gary Cooper.