Screen Snapshots: Laguna U.S.A. (1947) User Reviews

Screen Snapshots: Laguna, U.S.A. was another interesting short that showcased some movie actors of the time

[tavm · 6/10 · 28 August 2009]

Just watched this Columbia Screen Snapshots short on YouTube. This was a look at the cast of a local theatrical production of "Of Mice and Men" as they relax at nearby Laguna Beach. Besides Lon Chaney, Jr., reprising his role as Lenny that he previously played in the movie version, there's also Brian Aherne, Dane Clark, and Eddie Bracken all in their trunks just playing along having fun at the beach with Bracken doing the lion's share of the tomfoolery that was pretty amusing. Also along were some of the play's female players (Boy, did they look good in their swimsuits!) as well as Mrs. Bracken not to mention fellow actors Fred Clark (the third Harry Morton on the "Burns and Allen" TV show) and Benay Venuta who Fred would eventually marry. The whole thing was silent except for score and narration by Ralph Staub (who was born in the same place I was, Chicago, Ill.) Worth a look for anyone interested in these rarities.

Lon Chaney and Eddie Bracken

[kevinolzak · 5/10 · 22 August 2014]

"Screen Snapshots: Laguna U.S.A" was a 1947 Columbia short filmed at Laguna Beach, where a number of Hollywood performers have gathered at the Griffin Players Theater for a revival of John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men." No one is actually shown on stage, as the entire 9 1/2 minutes remain on the sunny beach, with the entirely uncredited cast relaxing in their swimsuits, rehearsing their lines, or dining at lunchtime. Completely shot silent, Art Baker's narration keeping things lighthearted, we see in order of appearance: Dane Clark, Lon Chaney, Barbara Read, Brian Aherne, Marian Carr, Eddie Bracken, Barbara Freking, Fred Clark, Michael (formerly Ted) North ("Charlie Chan in Rio"), Benay Venuta (the future Mrs. Fred Clark), Connie Nickerson (Mrs. Eddie Bracken), and William Henry (the juvenile bookworm in 1934's "The Thin Man"). It's a fascinating lineup, but most of the footage is taken up by the frenetic Eddie Bracken, whose screen career only extended another six years (his pretty wife, as indeed all the other actresses, looks incredible in those period bathing suits). The 41 year old Chaney had only recently returned to the stage, and would later appear with Barbara Freking in 1954's "Casanova's Big Night," while Marian Carr, having already played Frank Albertson's wife in the Frank Capra classic "It's a Wonderful Life," would be Lon's leading lady in one of her last roles, in 1955's "Indestructible Man."