Tall Tales (1940)

Tall Tales (1940)
Director: Willard Van Dyke, William Watts. Screenwriter: David Forrest. With: Burl Ives, Joshua White, Will Geer, Winston O’Keefe.
Co-directed by William Watts and Willard Van Dyke (who would become director of film at The Museum of Modern Art), this charming musical short stars Burl Ives in his first on-screen performance. Ives, Will Geer (later known as TV’s Grandpa Walton) and Winston O’Keefe are joined by the prodigious African American folksinger Josh White (a 2023 Blues Hall of Fame inductee). Jazz historian Mark Cantor notes that the film was “the first (and ultimately only) short subject from Brandon Films in what was supposed to be a series intended to support progressive thought [in relation to racial integration].”-Todd Wiener
Restoration funded by a grant from the GRAMMY Museum®. Restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive from a 35mm nitrate print. Laboratory services by Roundabout Entertainment, Inc. Special thanks to Mark Cantor.
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[@jobrown95]

I'm stunned not only by this film's existence but also its quality after all these decades
Truly an important document

[@TheTheTheTheTheThe]

4:44 YOOOOO KITTY!!