oscaralbert Review of The Film Fan

The Film Fan (1939)

Adults are snobs, liars, thieves, perverts, and meanies . . .

[7/10 · 19 April 2015]

. . . kids learn in this Looney Tunes animated short, THE FILM FAN. The stuffy society lady claims she'd NEVER go see a movie; then she rushes into the theater without a ticket to beat the tykes for a prime seat on "kids' day." Looney Tone news reader "Cold Promise" is clearly labeled as a "prevariacator." Bakery mogul "J. Pretzel Pumpernickle" tries to hit the Big Prize on the coin-operated "Gold Digger" arcade machine while getting a free play through his use of a coin on a string. The Lone Ranger-like cowboy super hero "Masked Marvel" isn't wearing any pants. To top it all off, EVERY kid in the theater has Moms so mean that they're not allowed to attend picture shows, even when kids are admitted for free! This brief Warner Bros. cartoon is full of spelled out and visual puns, as well as references to current events, such as Wendell Wilkie's failures, Seabiscuit's success, and rival film studio MGM's release of GONE WITH THE WIND and THE WIZARD OF OZ. Comparable material would be over the head of today's children (right through college age), but kiddies in the 1930s had to be proficient in Greek and Latin to be passed out of sixth grade.