Frank Whitbeck

Frank Whitbeck

Born: July 17, 1882
Died: December 23, 1963
in Rochester, New York, USA
Frank Whitbeck was the longtime chief of publicity/exploitation at MGM. He also narrated several hundred theatrical trailers for MGM features.

Movies for Frank Whitbeck...

The Horse with the Human Mind
Title: The Horse with the Human Mind
Character: Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Released: October 24, 1946
Type: Movie
This short film focuses on Bess, considered to be the smartest horse in the movies, as she works with her trainer.
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Twenty Years After
Title: Twenty Years After
Character: Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Released: January 1, 1944
Type: Movie
This short celebrates the 20th anniversary of MGM. Segments are shown from several early hits, then from a number of 1944 releases.
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Presenting Lily Mars
Title: Presenting Lily Mars
Character: Trailer Narrator (voice)
Released: April 29, 1943
Type: Movie
Starstruck Indiana small-town girl Lily is pestering theatrical producer John Thornway for a role but he is reluctant.
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Fingers at the Window
Title: Fingers at the Window
Character: Trailer Announcer (Voice) (uncredited)
Released: April 22, 1942
Type: Movie
In Chicago, an unemployed actor aims to solve the mystery concerning a string of ax murders, apparently committed by a lunatic.
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Personalities
Title: Personalities
Character: Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Released: January 1, 1942
Type: Movie
In this "Romance of Celluloid", MGM showcases performers whose careers are just starting. Excerpts from their recently released films are included. The narrator says that moviegoers will have to decide whether these fledgling actors and actresses have that certain quality that made superstars out of MGM players Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, and Lana Turner.
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We Must Have Music
Title: We Must Have Music
Character: Narrator
Released: January 1, 1942
Type: Movie
A short history of movie music is presented, from silent films accompanied by a single piano, to the elaborate song scores for musicals (with scenes from MGM's musicals) and background music for dramas. Conductor/composer
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You Can't Fool a Camera
Title: You Can't Fool a Camera
Character: Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Released: May 23, 1941
Type: Movie
This short starts out as a documentary. In a dramatization, Eadward Muybridge's photographic experiments prove that when a horse gallops, there are times when all four of the animal's feet are off the ground. We are then brought to the present, where MGM directors and their cinematographers are shown working on current productions. The film closes with closeups of the studio's major stars and a tribute to the studio's actors who have joined the armed forces.
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Eyes of the Navy
Title: Eyes of the Navy
Character: Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Released: October 26, 1940
Type: Movie
Produced by MGM in cooperation with the U.S. Navy, this short film follows U.S. naval aviators through their basic training in Florida and advanced training in California.
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A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
Title: A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
Character: Self
Released: October 24, 1940
Type: Movie
This short documentary, presented and directed by MGM sound engineer Douglas Shearer, goes behind the scenes to look at how the sound portion of a talking picture is created.
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The Mortal Storm
Title: The Mortal Storm
Character: Trailer Announcer (voice)
Released: June 20, 1940
Type: Movie
The Roth family leads a quiet life in a small village in the German Alps during the early 1930s. When the Nazis come to power, the family is divided and Martin Brietner, a family friend is caught up in the turmoil.
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Hollywood: Style Center of the World
Title: Hollywood: Style Center of the World
Character: Narrator
Released: May 29, 1940
Type: Movie
This short promotes the premise that movies often create a demand for the fashions seen in them. It starts with a vignette in rural America. A mother and daughter go to town to buy a new dress. In the dress shop window is a designer dress worn by Joan Crawford in a recent movie. We then go to Hollywood and visit Adrian, MGM's chief of costume design, and see how multiple copies of a single clothing pattern are produced. The film ends with short segments of several MGM features.
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Edison, the Man
Title: Edison, the Man
Character: Trailer Narrator (voice)
Released: May 10, 1940
Type: Movie
In flashback, fifty years after inventing the light bulb, an 82-year-old Edison tells his story starting at age twenty-two with his arrival in New York. He's on his way with the invention of an early form of the stock market ticker.
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Young Tom Edison
Title: Young Tom Edison
Character: Narrator (voice)
Released: March 15, 1940
Type: Movie
Inventor Thomas Edison's boyhood is chronicled and shows him as a lad whose early inventions and scientific experiments usually end up causing disastrous results. As a result, the towns folk all think Tom is crazy, and creating a strained relationship between Tom and his father. Tom's only solace is his understanding mother who believes he's headed to do great things.
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Northward, Ho!
Title: Northward, Ho!
Character: Narrator (voice)
Released: February 10, 1940
Type: Movie
Behind-the-scenes promotional featurette to publicize the epic outdoor adventure Northwest Passage filmed on location in Idaho.
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The Old South
Title: The Old South
Character: Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Released: January 20, 1940
Type: Movie
This short film chronicles the importance of cotton to the economy and culture of America's Old South.
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Babes in Arms
Title: Babes in Arms
Character: Trailer Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
Released: October 10, 1939
Type: Movie
Mickey Moran, son of two vaudeville veterans, decides to put up his own vaudeville show with his girlfriend Patsy Barton. But child actress Rosalie wants to make a comeback and replace Patsy both professionally and as Mickey's girl.
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The Ice Follies of 1939
Title: The Ice Follies of 1939
Character: Radio Announcer (Uncredited)
Released: March 10, 1939
Type: Movie
Mary and Larry are are a modestly successful skating team. Shortly after their marriage, Mary gets a picture contract, while Larry is sitting at home, out of work.
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Another Romance of Celluloid: Electrical Power
Title: Another Romance of Celluloid: Electrical Power
Character: Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Released: December 31, 1938
Type: Movie
This short begins at Boulder Dam (now Hoover Dam). The electricity generated here by the Colorado River is sent to Hollywood, where movie studios need it to make movies. After a tour of the MGM studios' power plants, we see short advertisements for upcoming MGM releases.
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The City of Little Men
Title: The City of Little Men
Character: Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Released: November 21, 1938
Type: Movie
The story of Boys Town, founded by Father Edward Flanagan in 1917 as a haven for wayward, homeless, and neglected boys.
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Hollywood Goes to Town
Title: Hollywood Goes to Town
Character: Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Released: July 7, 1938
Type: Movie
This short shows how Hollywood gets ready for the world premiere of an "important" movie. The film celebrated here is Marie Antoinette (1938), which had its premiere at the Carthay Circle Theatre. We see the street leading to the theatre transformed to suggest a garden that might be seen in a French palace. This includes the placement of trees and other foliage, as well as large statues along the route. Grandstands are set up so fans can see their favorite stars as they arrive for the premiere. Finally, the proverbial "galaxy of stars" arrives in their limousines. Fanny Brice and Pete Smith make remarks at the microphone set up on the carpet outside the theatre.
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Arsène Lupin Returns
Title: Arsène Lupin Returns
Character: Radio Broadcaster (voice) (uncredited)
Released: February 25, 1938
Type: Movie
A woman and a man vying for a woman's affection: the usual love trio? Not quite so since the belle in question is Lorraine de Grissac, a very wealthy and alluring society woman, while one of the two rivals is none other than Arsène Lupin, the notorious jewel thief everybody thought dead, now living under the assumed name of René Farrand. As for the other suitor he is an American, a former F.B.I. sleuth turned private eye by the name of Steve Emerson. Steve not only suspects Farrand of being Lupin but when someone attempts to steal a precious emerald necklace from Lorraine's uncle, Count de Brissac, he is persuaded Lupin is the culprit. Is Emerson right or wrong? Which of the two men will win over Lorraine's heart?
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Another Romance of Celluloid
Title: Another Romance of Celluloid
Character: Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Released: February 5, 1938
Type: Movie
This second entry in MGM's "Romance of Film" series documents how celluloid movie film is processed and features behind-the-scenes glimpses of current MGM productions.
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The Romance of Celluloid
Title: The Romance of Celluloid
Character: Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Released: August 27, 1937
Type: Movie
Several behind the scenes aspects of the movie-making business, which results in the enjoyment the movie going public has in going to the theater, are presented. They include: the production of celluloid aka film stock, the materials used in the production of which include cotton and silver; construction crews who build sets including those to look like cities, towns and villages around the world; a visit with Jack Dawn who demonstrates the process of creating a makeup design; the screen testing process, where many an acting hopeful gets his/her start; the work of the candid camera man, the prying eyes behind the movie camera; a visit with Adrian, who designs the clothes worn by many of the stars on screen; and a visit with Herbert Stothart as he conducts his musical score for Conquest (1937). These behind the scenes looks provide the opportunity to get acquainted with the cavalcade of MGM stars and their productions that will grace the silver screen in the 1937/38 movie season.
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The Grand Bounce
Title: The Grand Bounce
Character: Radio News Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
Released: May 22, 1937
Type: Movie
A man writes a check for $1,000 to cover a gambling debt. The problem is that he doesn't have enough money in his bank account to cover it. The check was written on Friday afternoon, but cannot be cashed before the following Tuesday. The check is used to pay several debts until...
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Man Of The People
Title: Man Of The People
Character: Radio Announcer (voice)
Released: January 27, 1937
Type: Movie
An Italian immigrant studying the law gets mixed up with crooks.
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The Candid Camera Story (Very Candid) of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures 1937 Convention
Title: The Candid Camera Story (Very Candid) of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures 1937 Convention
Character: Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Released: January 1, 1937
Type: Movie
This short film chronicles various events associated with MGM's 1937 convention for the studio's national sales and distribution staff.