Author Archive: Retro

Big Boy’s mother takes in washing to make ends meet. An irate customer demands money for damaged clothing, but Mother has no money to give her. Big Boy decides to sell his beloved dog and sets out to find someone to buy him. A few different slapstick adventures follow, culminating in Big Boy and Mutt making a mess of a rich family’s home. In the scuffle the boy and the dog are separated, and Big Boy returns home in tears. His mother consoles him, and the door swings open, revealing Mutt.

Despite all methods of instantaneously masking a clandestine gambling den’s shady activities, the risk of getting caught is high, especially when the police thirsts for success. But, sometimes, indulging in pure fun is just too tempting.

Dr. Primrose, the vicar of Wakefield, enjoys life with his wife and five children. His two daughters, Olivia and Sophia, are courted by two apparent gentlemen, Mr. Burchell and Squire Thornhill, who is Dr. Primrose’s landlord. But when Mr. Burchell is supposed to have seduced and abandoned Olivia, the Primrose family finds its fortunes dwindling in every sense. It is learned that Burchell is innocent of the seduction, and the real villain is unmasked, but not before Primrose and his family come very near disaster.

Enoch Arden, a humble fisherman, marries Annie Lee. He signs on as a sailor to make more money to support their growing family. A storm wrecks his ship, but Enoch swims to a deserted island. Annie waits vainly for his return.

When a burglar dressed as Santa Claus steals a family’s Christmas presents, amateur detective Octavius sets out to recover the loot.

“Percy Smith (1880-1944) was world famous as a photographer of plant life. Probably the first British example of time-lapse photography as applied to the growth of plants.” Montly Film Bulletin, November 1955

An insurance salesman pretends to steal a collector’s vase and catches a burglar.

Out of a spin-around door on a cylinder-shaped box comes a magician, who proceeds to conjure dancing girls out of the box. At one point he also lights 5 cigars from the box, which magically transform into more dancing girls. Tinted remarkably.