''See America Thirst'' is a 1930 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

produced and distributed by

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

and directed by

William James Craft William James Craft (1886 – 30 June 1931) was a Canadian film director and screenwriter. He directed more than 60 films between 1910 and 1931. He is also credited with writing for 12 films between 1920 and 1928. Craft was born in Toronto ...

. Silent comics

Harry Langdon Harry Philmore Langdon (June 15, 1884 – December 22, 1944) was an American comedian who appeared in vaudeville, silent films (where he had his greatest fame), and talkies.Obituary ''Variety'', December 27, 1944, page 39. Life and career Bor ...

and

Slim Summerville Slim Summerville (born George Joseph Somerville; July 10, 1892 – January 5, 1946), was an American film actor and director best known for his work in comedies. Early life Summerville was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where his mother d ...

star along with

Bessie Love Bessie Love (born Juanita Horton; September 10, 1898April 26, 1986) was an American-British actress who achieved prominence playing innocent, young girls and wholesome leading ladies in silent and early sound films. Her acting career spanned e ...

. Though released late in 1930, it nevertheless had a silent version. In the film, Bessie Love introduced the type of sandals later known as "

flip-flops Flip-flops are a type of light sandal, typically worn as a form of casual footwear. They consist of a flat sole held loosely on the foot by a Y-shaped strap known as a toe thong that passes between the first and second toes and around both side ...

" to American audiences. The title is a parody of the Cole Porter musical ''

See America First ''See America First'' is a comic opera with a book by T. Lawrason Riggs and music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The first work by Porter to be produced on Broadway, it was a critical and commercial flop. Background Porter and Riggs, classmates at ...

''.

Plot

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.

Cast

Reception

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

Preservation status

Copies are preserved at the

UCLA Film and Television Archive The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Also a nonprofit exhibition venue, the ar ...

and the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

References

External links

Databases

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Promotional materials

Lobby poster

Advertising

Lobby setup

Lantern slide
1930 films 1930 comedy films American black-and-white films American comedy films Films directed by William James Craft Films scored by Heinz Roemheld Films set in New York City Universal Pictures films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films {{1930s-comedy-film-stub