Three jumping Tommies / Commonwealth Pictures Corporation ; Hans A. Spanuth, producer.

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The American Variety Stage: Vaudeville and Popular Entertainment, 1870-1920

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Three jumping Tommies / Commonwealth Pictures Corporation ; Hans A. Spanuth, producer.

CREATED/PUBLISHED
United States : Commonwealth Pictures Corp., c1920.

SUMMARY
Opening title introduces "Three jumping Tommies in their original acrobatic stunts," with "Tommies" apparently referring to the performers' British military uniform costumes of caps, shirts and ties, knickers to the knees, tights, and short boots. Cuts to a long shot of a stage with a painted backdrop of a garden with fountains. From stage right march three young men; a short boy flanked by two taller men. As they reach center stage, the three turn to the camera and salute, then toss off their caps. The three acrobats perform a variety of acrobatic and gymnastic stunts, including backflips from another's handhold, cartwheels and somersaults where no hands touch the floor, leaping spins similar to cartwheels but with the upper torso parallel to the floor, and a lively shuffle dance interspersed with cartwheels, spins, and twirls. One of the taller boys also performs a series of slow, somewhat comic backwards somersaults, then does a series of handsprings in place at center stage as the other two perform kicks from handstands on either side.

Cont.: Film cuts to another shot of the stage, which now features a tower made of four stacked tables and supported by two of the acrobats and a fourth man. On top of the tower in a chair sits one of the taller acrobats. This boy then does a backflip off the tower, at no time leaving the seat of his chair which lands upright on the stage. The three "Tommies" move downstage, the smaller boy takes a bow from center stage, and the camera lens closes in an iris effect.

NOTES
Copyright: Hans A. Spanuth; title & descr., 11Mar20; 8 prints, 26Feb20; LU14866.

Copyright under the title "Spanuth's original vod-a-vil movies" covers this film and three other Spanuth acts held by LC; the four acts were originally distributed as series release no. 38.

Film is on r1 of two reels that contain the four acts in Spanuth's original vod-a-vil movies release no. 38, interspersed with four unidentified vaudeville films, possibly uncopyrighted Spanuth movies. Nitrate deterioration from the original film is printed throughout.

Duration: 2:43 at 15 fps.

NCN005423; [Unidentified Peters No3: Vaudeville acts].

Third film on reel with: Kruger and Ward, Allen Brothers, and Toto Brothers.

Filmed ca. 1919 in Chicago.

Sources used: Copyright catalog, motion pictures, 1912-1939; M/B/RS copyright descriptions; Motion picture news, v. 18.6, p. 955; M/B/RS Acquisition files (AFI/Peters file); M/B/RS shelflist cards.

Received: 8/31/79 from LC film lab; ref print and dupe neg; preservation; AFI/Peters (S.E.) Collection.

SUBJECTS
Acrobats--United States.
Acrobatics--United States.
Gymnastics--United States.
Silent films.
Vaudeville.
Shorts.

RELATED TITLES
Spanuth's original vod-a-vil movies ; no. 38

MEDIUM
1 reel of 2 (r1) (130 ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm. ref print.
1 reel of 2 (r1) (130 ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm. dupe neg.

CALL NUMBER
FEA 2900 (ref print)
FPD 9067 (dupe neg)

DIGITAL ID
(m) varsmp 4005

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