Here's an early Pete Smith narrating credit, one of the "Fisherman's Paradise" series of shorts for MGM. It's a short subject showing some of the exotic fish on exhibit at the Steinhardt Aquarium in San Francisco. Smith's narration is reltively restrained for the sarcastic standards he would later maintain.
Although nowadays most of these specimens are common to many a collector's tank -- the varieties end with goldfish -- this short is most noteworthy for the fact it is shot in some excellent two-strip Technicolor. That is, of course, largely of historical and technical interest these days; the introduction of three-strip Technicolor was just around the color, and a few years later, the Technicolor Corporation would introduce its monopack, making Technicolor production much easier -- although far more expensive than black & white, given the special equipment and higher film cost.
Although nowadays most of these specimens are common to many a collector's tank -- the varieties end with goldfish -- this short is most noteworthy for the fact it is shot in some excellent two-strip Technicolor. That is, of course, largely of historical and technical interest these days; the introduction of three-strip Technicolor was just around the color, and a few years later, the Technicolor Corporation would introduce its monopack, making Technicolor production much easier -- although far more expensive than black & white, given the special equipment and higher film cost.
