Intro
Hollywood on Parade was a series of short subjects produced by Paramount Pictures between 1932 and 1934. They showcased the studio’s stars both in newsreel-type footage (glimpses of Hollywood figures at premieres, parties, the races, etc.) and in new material such as sketches or musical numbers. The print quality of these isn’t the greatest, but nevertheless there’s some interesting stuff here. Also note that there’s a numbering system associated with these shorts, but because some of the information I’ve found is conflicting and confusing, I just made up my own numbers to differentiate between them. In this installment, Eddie Kane plays master of ceremonies and wanders around backstage talking to various stars. These include Roscoe Ates, Wheeler and Woolsey, Helen Kane, Jackie Cooper, Anna May Wong, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Billie Dove, Jimmy Durante, Bebe Daniels and Ben Lyon, and Tom Mix. These encounters are interspersed with a bizarre puppet show featuring some MGM talent: Marie Dressler plays the piano, Joan Crawford and Clark Gable dance, and Greta Garbo skates.
