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Post by snsurone on Dec 23, 2017 14:52:01 GMT
This is a Technicolor movie produced by David O. Selznick and starring Tommy Kelly, May Robeson, and Walter Brennan.
It's a beautiful, well-acted production, but one thing puzzles me.
Early on, there is a scene of naked young boys swinging on a vine and jumping into "the ol' swimmin' hole".
Although it's a long shot, one can clearly see their bare butts.
Well, wasn't that against the rules of the Hayes Office, which was fully in effect at that time?
I remember the trouble Selznick had to go through just to allow Clark Gable to say "damn" the following year, and that decision cost Selznick a fine of $5000.
I wonder if he was also fined for that "nude scene" in TAOTS.
Or, did the Hayes Office order that scene cut, and it was restored later, when that organization no longer wielded as much power?
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Post by teleadm on Dec 23, 2017 17:54:18 GMT
Sorry for not answering your question...
This movie reminds me of old small town matineé's, when there was an old lady behind glass selling the tickets, and another old lady behind another desk selling candy, for some reason candy costed more at the cinema than 10 feets away at a candy store....
And that copy they showed was always in bad shape, it jumped and scratched, and cut from scene to scene, without explanations.... and in distorted momo sound.
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Post by snsurone on Dec 23, 2017 18:27:46 GMT
That's sad, tele.
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Post by teleadm on Dec 23, 2017 18:45:43 GMT
Nah! it wasn't sad! We didn't know better back then  |
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Post by mikef6 on Dec 23, 2017 19:41:37 GMT
I own a Citadel Press book from 1976 called The Great Adventure Films by Tony Thomas. “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” (1938) is one of the choices. Thomas writes a pretty long essay on the film and its production, but never mentions them lil’ nekked young’ens. Thomas goes on at length, however, describing the expensive sets Selznick had built for the film, which might belong in the other current thread about Sets. Sorry that I can’t answer your question either.
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Post by claudius on Dec 23, 2017 20:07:31 GMT
David O. Selznick's last classic novel production.
Either it slipped through the cracks of the Hays Office or it was OK'd for some reason: Maybe because the scene dealt with nude pre-pubescent children having innocent fun, there was no provocation to delete.
And I've read that the 'Damn' situation wasn't as big a deal as legend portrays.
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Post by Doghouse6 on Dec 23, 2017 20:38:10 GMT
David O. Selznick's last classic novel production. Either it slipped through the cracks of the Hays Office or it was OK'd for some reason: Maybe because the scene dealt with nude pre-pubescent children having innocent fun, there was no provocation to delete. And I've read that the 'Damn' situation wasn't as big a deal as legend portrays. I'm guessing this is closest to the truth. If there was any problem, Selznick or his representatives would likely have been able to sweet-talk Joseph Breen into allowing it with exhortations about the purity of youth and innocence of bygone times or some such (perhaps Joe himself had nostalgic memories of the ol' swimmin' hole). |
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Post by snsurone on Dec 23, 2017 21:05:23 GMT
David O. Selznick's last classic novel production. Either it slipped through the cracks of the Hays Office or it was OK'd for some reason: Maybe because the scene dealt with nude pre-pubescent children having innocent fun, there was no provocation to delete. And I've read that the 'Damn' situation wasn't as big a deal as legend portrays. I'm guessing this is closest to the truth. If there was any problem, Selznick or his representatives would likely have been able to sweet-talk Joseph Breen into allowing it with exhortations about the purity of youth and innocence of bygone times or some such (perhaps Joe himself had nostalgic memories of the ol' swimmin' hole). I shudder to even think of the Jewish David personally confronting the rabid anti-Semite Breen. Kinda like the biblical David facing Goliath--without a slingshot! |
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Post by Doghouse6 on Dec 23, 2017 21:21:32 GMT
I shudder to even think of the Jewish David personally confronting the rabid anti-Semite Breen. Kinda like the biblical David facing Goliath--without a slingshot! I'll admit I hadn't considered that aspect of it and, now that you mention it, it is, shall we say, interesting that Breen should have landed himself in a pivotal position affecting that particular industry during its most productive and dominant era. |
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Post by BATouttaheck on Dec 24, 2017 6:15:21 GMT
 Charles B.Wilson, "The Swimming Hole" |
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Post by BATouttaheck on Dec 24, 2017 6:21:29 GMT
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Post by BATouttaheck on Dec 24, 2017 6:30:04 GMT
 At first glance the kid on the right reminded me of a former U.S. President. who starred with Bonzo. The kid is Jackie Moran. |
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Post by snsurone on Dec 24, 2017 19:18:20 GMT
Please don't insult Jackie Moran.
He was a fine young actor and, I'm sure, a decent human being.
BTW, he had a small role in GWTW, as Phil Meade, where he only had one line, but he still received feature billing.
His role might have been bigger during production, but--in order to "tighten" the picture--his scenes ended up on the cutting-room floor.
And his co-star on TAOTS, Tommy Kelly, had a wordless bit in GWTW, but he was unbilled.
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Post by BATouttaheck on Dec 24, 2017 19:28:25 GMT
Jackie Moran "One of the lesser remembered but quite active child actors during the 30s and 40s was Jackie Moran. Born in 1923, he was a tyke model placed into films as a teen, often cast as a feisty street orphan. David O. Selznick took an interest in the gangly, fair-haired lad and cast him as Huckleberry Finn in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938) and in Since You Went Away (1944), and a bit part in his epic classic Gone with the Wind (1939). Jackie made a solid appearance in the Buck Rogers (1939) serial in which he played young Buddy, who co-piloted the giant dirigible along with Buster Crabbe's titular hero. In the 40s Jackie played in a number of youth-oriented programmers, none particularly memorable, though he did create the role of teenager Jimmy Forrest in a mildly popular series of be-bop musical comedy romps that included Junior Prom (1946), Freddie Steps Out (1946), and High School Hero (1946). He retired from acting in 1947 and became interested in screen writing and public relations work. He died in 1990."
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Post by telegonus on Dec 24, 2017 19:32:21 GMT
Victor Jory was scary as hell in this one.  |
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Post by BATouttaheck on Dec 24, 2017 19:49:22 GMT
Victor Jory was scary as hell in this one. He seemed to specialize in scary ! This one was on a site called "Kindertrauma.com"   |
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Post by BATouttaheck on Dec 24, 2017 20:16:50 GMT
snsurone Please don't insult Jackie Moran. He was a fine young actor and, I'm sure, a decent human being.
Never said he wasn't. Whether he was, or wasn't, has zero to do with mentioning what seems, to me, a bit of a physical resemblance to someone in that one picture. Would not surprise me if no-one else sees it but I found it amusing and share-able.
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Post by snsurone on Dec 24, 2017 21:26:27 GMT
snsurone Please don't insult Jackie Moran. He was a fine young actor and, I'm sure, a decent human being.
Never said he wasn't. Whether he was, or wasn't, has zero to do with mentioning what seems, to me, a bit of a physical resemblance to someone in that one picture. Would not surprise me if no-one else sees it but I found it amusing and share-able. You don't understand. Comparing any child actor to a politician is an insult. 
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Post by marshamae on Dec 24, 2017 22:27:43 GMT
I’m pretty sure that in those days a long shot of young boys swimming nude was not a big deal. Men habitually swam nude at school and at the Y . There is a film called Tom Brown’s School Days that shows a huge crowd ( also a long shot) of naked boys running toward a river or lake to jump in. Think it was from roughly the same time. Little Shirley Temple was shown on screen bare chested swimming or playing. Different times, different customs.
Pretty sure the real dead end kids swimming in the east river would have swum nude so as not to ruin their few pieces of clothing, but in Dead End they leave on their underclothes. I think that was because the swimming took up several scenes. It would have been impossible to maintain the camera angle and keep their backs to the lens.
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Post by BATouttaheck on Dec 25, 2017 0:13:38 GMT
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