...Nostradamus was a mystic who certainly dabbled in astrology and likely necromancy (attempting to contact the dead), but during the production code era this short is just hunky dory with the censors, because there is no sex in it??? Those stalwarts of the Christian church that oversaw every film exhibited in this land were okay with witchcraft on screen even though the Bible condemns it? Well enough about hypocrisy and on to the rewards of vague predictions.
In this little MGM short, Catherine de Medici, Queen of France, summons Nostradamus, celebrated for his almanacs, to talk about his predictions for her. All of the written predictions are very vague. Nobody is called out by name. Funny though, how all of the predictions are flattering, her three sons all become kings and she lives to old age. In fact, Catherine was a fan of Nostradamus' and did actually ask him to come to court and cast horoscopes for her sons. Nostradamus was at first afraid of being beheaded. Hey, if he can tell the future so well, didn't he KNOW whether or not he'd be beheaded??? I scratched my head over the purpose of this thing until the end. The short tries to prove that Nostradamus was right about everything, and even if he hadn't been he'd be long dead anyways. Nice work if you can get it. Then the purpose comes out. The year is 1942 and the narrator turns his attentions to predictions that he says are about the United States - how we will be a land built on freedom but will struggle to keep it alive and will ultimately prevail. Ah ha! This is all about WWII morale building after all! Clever way to work that into a one reeler about a dubious 16th century mystic.
At any rate, this short has good production values and is not boring. And I give it points for burying the lead. I'd recommend it if it comes your way.