The Columbus Moving Picture Show 2024
While undergoing a few name changes, an annual 16mm film convention has been an event for film lovers in Columbus, Ohio, since 1969 (minus the 2020 Covid shutdown) — that’s 54 weekends of film. Under the stewardship of Samantha Glasser, the show is not only continuing (after the passing of the last of the founders of the show, Steve Haynes, and the handing off of the show from Steve’s son, Michael), but looks to have a bright future — perhaps even more than ever as so many old films are going unreleased on physical media or streaming, sitting dormant in vaults by multi-media corporations who barely seem to know or care what they own.
The Columbus Moving Picture Show, a four-day event, actually started the night before at the Wexner Center for the Arts at the Ohio State University, where Bob Furmanek, President and Founder of restorationist 3-D Film Archive presented a rare 35mm screening of the first 3-D feature film, old time radio author Arch Oboler’s Bwana Devil (1952). Preceded by a new mini-documentary on the making of the film and the original audience introduction starring Lloyd Nolan, Bwana is the full-color tale of British and Indian workers building a railway in Uganda, menaced by man-eating lions along the way. Starring Robert Stack and Nigel Bruce, the film’s hampered by the unferocious appearance of the lions and the obvious fakery of the lion attacks, but is fascinating as a historical curiosity, with quite nice 3-D color location shooting. Animation historian Jerry Beck was also on hand to introduce two 3-D cartoons, Woody Woodpecker in Hypnotic Hick (1953) and Casper in Boo Moon (1954). A question and answer panel fiinished the evening.
As always, the convention screens films all day and evening for four days while also providing an amazingly robust dealer’s room, with sellers from far and wide offering thousands of movie posters, lobby cards, photographs, DVDs, Blu-rays, 8, Super-8 and 16mm film, projectors and equipment, vinyl records, magazines, books, comic books, CDs — anything and everything film related. 
I was able to find items this year I’d been long looking for, including Tony Thomas and Aubrey Solomon’s book The Films of 20th Century-Fox and Betty Grable in 20th Century-Fox’s mystery thriller I Wake Up Screaming (a film likely to be unavailable soon now that Disney, the current owner of the company’s output, is suppressing the library).
The film programming, accompanied by extensive notes in the nicely designed program book provided to attendees was, as usual, a well-balanced mixture of silent and sound films, shorts and features, comedies and dramas. Intermixed throughout the weekend was one of the stronger U.S. serials, Republic’s Spy Smasher (1942), based on the Fawcett Comics character. The silent films were accompanied, as usual, by two of the finest piano improvisers around, David Drazin and Phil Carli.
Some feature films we saw: Moon Over Her Shoulder (1941), directed by Alfred L. Werker, 20th Century-Fox. Starring Lynn Bari, Moon is an amiable romantic comedy involving the wife of a marriage counselor (John Sutton) totally clueless about his own marriage. Dan Dailey plays a romantic rival. The film was fun!
East Side, West Side (1923), directed by Irving Cummings, Principal Pictures. A mostly complete romance of people from “opposite sides of the tracks”. Kenneth Harlan and Eileen Percy starred.
Slightly French (1949), directed by Douglas Sirk, Columbia. Introduced at the show by historian Michael Schlesinger, French is an updating of the Pygmalion tale. Don Ameche plays self-absorbed film director and Dorothy Lamour is the circus side-show performer whom he molds into the Hollywood star he needs her to be. It’s a light-hearted audience pleaser with numerous romantic complications, some funny lines and some truly bizarre dance numbers.
Angel’s Holiday (1937), directed by James Tingling, 20th Century-Fox. A showcase for the young Jane Withers (later Josephine the Plumber in 1960s Comet commercials), Angel’s is a forward propelling mystery and mobster concoction carried by Withers’ energetic and contagious energy. She’s surrounded by top-rate talent as well: the very funny Joan Davis, Lon Chaney, Jr., and the always welcome Frank Jenks.
State Penitentiary (1950), directed by Lew Landers, Columbia. Starring (Columbus, Ohio native) Warner Baxter in his last film role, this was also the first film photographed inside the Nevada State Penitentiary. Baxter plays an aircraft manufacturer wrongly convicted of embezzlement. While not as powerful as Jules Dassin’s Brute Force made three years earlier, fans of prison break-out films will be sated.
The Enchanted Cottage (1924), directed by John S. Robertson, First National. Richard Barthelmess and May McAvoy star in a tear-jerker which does enchant while simultaneously not quite working. Barthelmess is Oliver, a WWI cripple who’s lost his fiancé to a much healthier romantic prospect. Hiding away in bitterness in an ancient honeymoon cottage, he meets the plain Laura. Their quick marriage is deadened by suppressive self-loathing. This is the kind of movie that causes you to want shake the mopey characters and say “Get a life!” This sorry couple’s doom-laden mood could have been shaken off by going into town, playing pinball and sharing a milkshake. The film does look great, with ornate atmosphere, and Barthelmess’ performance as a cripple is very convincing.
Also enjoyed: a presentation of rarely seen musical numbers introduced by historian Richard Barrios; The Three Stooges in Malice in the Palace (1949); three Max Davidson shorts (always great for a laugh); Hal Roach’s 1931 Air-Tight, starring a very young Grady Sutton; Laurel and Hardy‘s The Chimp (1932); and three silent Charley Chase shorts, an annual tradition.
In addition, we heard a fine presentation by author, historian and broadcaster Manny Pacheco (of the Forgotten Hollywood podcast) and a live performance by It’s All Been Done, a geekily modern radio troupe who perform fun new material locally and for their podcast.
Much of the work done to make this convention happen is volunteer, so a big thanks is in order for the projectionists, designers, interviewers and hosts. Samantha Glasser has helped to update the show in media-savvy ways, with a more prominent social media presence, frequent year-around podcast episodes, multi-track programming and more film introductions by authors and historians. Also welcome throughout the weekend was book signings by authors and performers.
The Columbus Moving Picture Show is in its last year at the Renaissance Downtown hotel (for which I’m grateful because, despite the excellence of the venue, the mandatory and ridiculous parking app now required for metered downtown street parking requires intermittent interaction, doesn’t always work consistently, and sometimes requires parking in a different “zone” — meaning strategic timing and lost time which could be spent watching films). The convention will now be at the Crowne Plaza North hotel (not far from its decades-long previous location) in 2025 — with free all-day parking!
—Michael R. Neno, 2024 May 27