See America Thirst
Film poster
Directed byWilliam James Craft
Written byJerry Horwin
Edward Ludwig
Vin Moore
Produced byCarl Laemmle
StarringHarry Langdon
Slim Summerville
Bessie Love
CinematographyArthur C. Miller
Edited byHarry W. Lieb
Music bySam Perry (silent version)
Heinz Roemheld (silent version)
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • November 23, 1930 (1930-11-23) (U.S.)
Running time
75 minutes; 8 reels[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

See America Thirst is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film produced and distributed by Universal Pictures and directed by William James Craft. Silent comics Harry Langdon and Slim Summerville star along with Bessie Love. Though released late in 1930, it nevertheless had a silent version.[2][3]

In the film, Bessie Love introduced the type of sandals later known as "flip-flops" to American audiences.[citation needed] The title is a parody of the Cole Porter musical See America First.

Plot

Slim (Summerville) and Wally (Langdon) are mistaken for hired killers and are paid to murder a bootlegger. They encounter nightclub singer Ellen (Love), associated with the district attorney's office, who assists them in convincing the gang leader to pay them double for protection. Everything goes well until the actually hired killers show up.[2][4][5][6]

Cast

Reception

The film did not receive positive reviews and was deemed not to be funny.[4]

Preservation status

Copies are preserved at the UCLA Film and Television Archive and the Library of Congress.[7][8]

References

  1. ^ Schelly, William (January 10, 2014). Harry Langdon: His Life and Films. McFarland. p. 193. ISBN 978-0-7864-5185-2.
  2. ^ a b Munden, Kenneth W., ed. (1971). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films 1921–1930. New York: R.R. Bowker Company. p. 694. ISBN 9780520215214. OCLC 664500075.
  3. ^ "The AFI Catalog of Feature Films 1893–1993: See America Thirst".
  4. ^ a b Motion Picture Reviews. Los Angeles, CA: Women's University Club. 1930. p. 7.
  5. ^ Hacker, Tom (October 25, 1930). "New Product". Exhibitors Herald World. p. 43.
  6. ^ Catalog of 16 mm Silent Motion Picture Film Library. New York: Mogull's Camera and Film Exchange. 1940. p. 14.
  7. ^ "See America thirst / Universal Pictures ; presented by Carl Laemmle ; director, William James Craft ; screenplay-dialogue, Henry Le Cossitt ; adaptation, C. Jerome Horwin ; story, Vin Moore, Edward Luddy". UCLA Library: Film & Television Archive.
  8. ^ The American Film Institute (1978). Catalog of Holdings: The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at The Library of Congress. Washington. p. 162. OCLC 5102838.((cite book)): CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

External links

Databases

Promotional materials


Films directed by William James Craft
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