See America Thirst

1930 film

See America Thirst

Film poster

Directed by| William James Craft
Written by| Jerry Horwin
Edward Ludwig
Vin Moore
Produced by| Carl Laemmle
Starring| Harry Langdon
Slim Summerville
Bessie Love
Cinematography| Arthur C. Miller
Edited by| Harry W. Lieb
Music by| Sam Perry (silent version)
Heinz Roemheld (silent version)
Distributed by| Universal Pictures

Release date

* November 23, 1930 (1930-11-23) (U.S.)

Running time

| 75 minutes; 8 reels[1]
Country| United States
Language| English

See America Thirst is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film produced and distributed by Universal Pictures and directed by William James Craft. Silent comics Harry Langdon and Slim Summerville star along with Bessie Love. Though released late in 1930, it nevertheless had a silent version.[2][3]

In the film, Bessie Love introduced the type of sandals later known as "flip-flops" to American audiences.[citation needed] The title is a parody of the Cole Porter musical See America First.

## Plot

[edit]

Slim (Summerville) and Wally (Langdon) are mistaken for hired killers and are paid to murder a bootlegger. They encounter nightclub singer Ellen (Love), associated with the district attorney's office, who assists them in convincing the gang leader to pay them double for protection. Everything goes well until the actually hired killers show up.[2][4][5][6]

## Cast

[edit]

* Harry Langdon as Wally
* Slim Summerville as Slim
* Bessie Love as Ellen
* Mitchell Lewis as Screwy O'Toole
* Matthew Betz as Insect McGann
* Stanley Fields as Spumoni
* Lloyd Whitlock as O'Toole's Henchman
* Richard Alexander as McGann's Henchman
* Tom Kennedy as Shivering Smith
* Lew Hearn as Inventor
* Leroy Mason as Attorney
* Walter Brennan as Spumoni Bodyguard (uncredited)
* Franklyn Farnum as Master of Ceremonies (uncredited)
* Pat Harmon as Waiter (uncredited)
* Tom London as Spumoni Hood (uncredited)
* Robert McKenzie as Waiter, Sign changer (uncredited)
* Hal Price as Cop (uncredited)

## Reception

[edit]

The film did not receive positive reviews and was deemed not to be funny.[4]

## Preservation status

[edit]

Copies are preserved at the UCLA Film and Television Archive and the Library of Congress.[7][8]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Schelly, William (January 10, 2014). Harry Langdon: His Life and Films. McFarland. p. 193\. ISBN 978-0-7864-5185-2.
2. ^ a b Munden, Kenneth W., ed. (1971). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films 1921–1930. New York: R.R. Bowker Company. p. 694. ISBN 9780520215214. OCLC 664500075.
3. ^ "The AFI Catalog of Feature Films 1893–1993: See America Thirst".
4. ^ a b Motion Picture Reviews. Los Angeles, CA: Women's University Club. 1930. p. 7.
5. ^ Hacker, Tom (October 25, 1930). "New Product". Exhibitors Herald World. p. 43.
6. ^ Catalog of 16 mm Silent Motion Picture Film Library. New York: Mogull's Camera and Film Exchange. 1940. p. 14.
7. ^ "See America thirst / Universal Pictures ; presented by Carl Laemmle ; director, William James Craft ; screenplay-dialogue, Henry Le Cossitt ; adaptation, C. Jerome Horwin ; story, Vin Moore, Edward Luddy". UCLA Library: Film & Television Archive.
8. ^ The American Film Institute (1978). Catalog of Holdings: The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at The Library of Congress. Washington. p. 162\. OCLC 5102838.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

## External links

[edit]

### Databases

[edit]

* See America Thirst at IMDb

### Promotional materials

[edit]

* Lobby poster
* Advertising
* Lobby setup
* Lantern slide

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by William James Craft

* Another Man's Boots (1922)
* Headin' West (1922)
* With Stanley in Africa (1922)
* Beasts of Paradise (1923)
* In the Days of Daniel Boone (1923)
* Battling Mason (1924)
* Reckless Speed (1924)
* South of the Equator (1924)
* The Riddle Rider (1924)
* The Bloodhound (1925)
* Galloping Vengeance (1925)
* That Man Jack! (1925)
* The Galloping Cowboy (1926)
* King of the Saddle (1926)
* The Radio Detective (1926)
* The Power of the Weak (1926)
* The Silent Flyer (1926)
* The Arizona Whirlwind (1927)
* The Wreck (1927)
* A Hero for a Night (1927)
* Birds of Prey (1927)
* The Clown (1927)
* Painting the Town (1927)
* Poor Girls (1927)
* The Gate Crasher (1928)
* Hot Heels (1928)
* How to Handle Women (1928)
* The Kid's Clever (1929)
* Skinner Steps Out (1929)
* One Hysterical Night (1929)
* The Cohens and the Kellys in Atlantic City (1929)
* The Cohens and the Kellys in Scotland (1930)
* The Little Accident (1930)
* The Czar of Broadway (1930)
* See America Thirst (1930)
* Dames Ahoy! (1930)
* Embarrassing Moments (1930)
* Honeymoon Lane (1931)
* The Runaround (1931)

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