Decidedly a mixed bag of stuff used for an MGM promotional short hosted by genial GEORGE MURPHY.
The first segment opens with a view of the MGM waterfront where many ships still remained after used in films ranging from SHOW BOAT to MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY.
First off is the story behind a ship that became known as a "ghost ship no longer alive" when it was discovered floating on the ocean with no survivors aboard. The ship was The Mary Celeste and the mystery surrounding it is explored briefly with scenes of what might have happened aboard the mystery ship before it disappeared in 1872 with the mystery never really solved.
Gears are shifted quickly to the next segment featuring an animated cartoon about baseball pitchers, giving new life to phrases like "kill the umpire" or "let's warm up the new pitcher", with a Goofy-like cartoon character serving his wild pitches.
Then, for no reason at all except to promote an upcoming film, Murphy changes the subject to French and we see a scene from GOOD NEWS featuring JUNE ALLYSON and PETER LAWFORD doing "The French Lesson", a nimble Technicolor musical number from the forthcoming MGM film. Oddly, this MGM short is photographed in B&W (1955, you know), so that even when color films are introduced they're all shown in B&W.
And finally, a dramatic moment from a film called TRIAL is shown, featuring Dorothy McGuire, Glenn Ford and John Hodiak. As the smiling host, Murphy seems a bit overwhelmed by his corny scripted remarks.
This show is a reminder of how things have changed on TV since '55, both in style and format, but is worth a look for nostalgia buffs.
The first segment opens with a view of the MGM waterfront where many ships still remained after used in films ranging from SHOW BOAT to MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY.
First off is the story behind a ship that became known as a "ghost ship no longer alive" when it was discovered floating on the ocean with no survivors aboard. The ship was The Mary Celeste and the mystery surrounding it is explored briefly with scenes of what might have happened aboard the mystery ship before it disappeared in 1872 with the mystery never really solved.
Gears are shifted quickly to the next segment featuring an animated cartoon about baseball pitchers, giving new life to phrases like "kill the umpire" or "let's warm up the new pitcher", with a Goofy-like cartoon character serving his wild pitches.
Then, for no reason at all except to promote an upcoming film, Murphy changes the subject to French and we see a scene from GOOD NEWS featuring JUNE ALLYSON and PETER LAWFORD doing "The French Lesson", a nimble Technicolor musical number from the forthcoming MGM film. Oddly, this MGM short is photographed in B&W (1955, you know), so that even when color films are introduced they're all shown in B&W.
And finally, a dramatic moment from a film called TRIAL is shown, featuring Dorothy McGuire, Glenn Ford and John Hodiak. As the smiling host, Murphy seems a bit overwhelmed by his corny scripted remarks.
This show is a reminder of how things have changed on TV since '55, both in style and format, but is worth a look for nostalgia buffs.