All Films

Mr. Moocher

1944 • 7 min • United States of America

While doing their respective yardwork, the fox and crow (next-door neighbors) overhear a radio broadcast encouraging everyone to "love thy neighbor". The fox concludes, "I'm going to love my neighbor... if it kills me!" The crow tends to make a nuisance of himself as he borrows the fox's lawn mower and destroys it. Next, he borrows everything in sight the fox owns for an upcoming "Birthday" (at which point, the fox destroys his radio). The fox installs a security system but the crow still arrives at his house through an underground route. Finally, the fox travels to the Southwestern U.S. desert planting his home atop a high rock pillar... but the crow still returns. At this point, the fox freaks out borrowing something from the crow... "Some feathers 'cause I wanna be an Indian!". The naked crow concludes that the fox is "a mental case".

West of the Rio Grande

1944 • 57 min • United States of America

Two-fisted cowboys fight for law and order in their encounters with outlaws.

Lulu's Birthday Party

1944 • 8 min • United States of America

Little Lulu fantasizes about a birthday party in a candy land.

Sheriff of Las Vegas

1944 • 55 min • United States of America

In this western, brave Red Ryder and his sidekick save a murdered judge's son from going to jail by proving that someone else killed his father.

I Got Plenty of Mutton

1944 • 8 min • United States of America

A wolf, deprived of meat by war rationing and starving, sees an article in the newspaper about a sheepdog leaving his flock to join the army and thinks it will be easy pickings. However, if he had read the rest of the article, he would know that the flock is now guarded by the ram Killer Diller, a most formidable foe.

Mystery Man

1944 • 58 min • United States of America

Hoppy's ranch is threatened by rustlers. Hoppy and the gang oblige as usual.

A Lady Fights Back

1944 • 10 min • United States of America

The saga of the Normandie is recounted from her life as a luxury liner, the horrific fire that nearly destroyed her, and her resuscitation to join in the war effort. A John Nesbitt's Passing Parade short.

Hymn of the Nations

1944 • 31 min • United States of America

Commissioned by the U.S. Office of War Information, this short film features conductor Arturo Toscanini leading the NBC Symphony Orchestra, tenor Jan Peerce, and the Westminster Choir in Verdi’s Inno delle nazioni. Originally composed in the 1860s as a musical tribute to Europe, Toscanini expanded the score to include The Star-Spangled Banner and The Internationale in honor of the Allied struggle and Italian partisans. Filmed in NBC’s Studio 8H, the documentary interweaves performance with scenes of Toscanini at home, emphasizing his anti-fascist stance and celebrating the liberation of Italy. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2010.

Gun to Gun

1944 • 20 min • United States of America

Don Diego is a large ranch owner, the uncle of Dolores and the guardian of a young American, Steve Randall. Steve has just delivered a large herd of cattle to the ranch, where Don Diego has just found out that he must pay the local tax commissioner, Harkness a fine for unpaid taxes on a herd of over one-thousand cattle. Steve offers to drive the cattle to the commissioners office, even though he fells the fine is unjust. Arriving at the office, Steve learns that Harkness (who he has never met), who has a reputation for dishonesty, is out. Dropping by the cantina, Steve gets into a fight with Harkness, and Harkness swears vengeance on Steve, especially after Steve stampedes the cattle through the town.

Triple Trouble

1944 • 16 min • United States of America

Leon Errol wants to retain his secretary; complications ensue.

Crash Goes the Hash

1944 • 18 min • United States of America

Its suspected that a society matron, Mrs. Van Bustle, will marry the exotic Prince Shaam. To get the story, reporters Curly, Larry and Moe take jobs in her mansion as a cook and two butlers. The parrot climbing into the turkey scene is a Stooge classic. This was the last of many Stooge appearances by supporting actor Bud Jamison, who passed away in September, 1944, at the age of 50. First appearance by Stooge supporting actress Judy Malcolm.

Firebrands of Arizona

1944 • 55 min • United States of America

The sheriff camps outside of town and tries to arrest Froggy and Sunset, but a gang of outlaws helps them get away.

The Lightning Rod Thief

1944 • 10 min • France

An encounter on a rooftop between two policemen and a thief who specializes in lightning conductors.

Cilly Goose

1944 • 10 min • United States of America

Cilly Goose is a bit ashamed since she's only laid one egg and the rest of the farmyard animals are much more productive. So, she lays a plan to become the goose that lays golden eggs.

Call of the Rockies

1944 • 56 min • United States of America

Cowboy Sunset Carson teams up with Frog Millhouse on a routine supply trip to Placer City. Before long, the duo find themselves ambushed by a team of dastardly highwaymen embroiled in an extortion ring. Sunset and Frog must then go undercover to set things right for a mining town under siege. Galloping hooves, spittin' six shooters, and all manner of disreputable behavior ensue.

The Immortal Blacksmith

1944 • 10 min • United States of America

This Passing Parade short tells the true story of Vermont blacksmith and inventor Tom Davenport, who lived the first half of the 19th century.

Naples Is a Battlefield

1944 • 14 min • United Kingdom

The capture of Naples, the first great European city to be liberated, revealed the magnitude of the tasks involved in re-creating the means of livelihood and the machinery of government in a devastated, starving and disease-ridden city.

Abou Ben Boogie

1944 • 7 min • United States of America

Abou Ben Boogie Release Date: 9/18/44 Direction: James Cullhane Story: Ben Hardaway and Milt Schaffer Animation Layout: Art Heinemann Animation: Paul Smith Musical Arrangement: Darrell Calker Backgrounds: Philip DeGuard Lyrics: Tot Seymour Music: Vee Lawnhurst Notes: Production Number: D-7 A Swing Symphony cartoon The second and final appearance of "Miss X." Michael Fitzgerald incorrectly lists this cartoon as an August release. Click here to see Abou Ben Boogie sheet music. Some animation of "Miss X" by Pat Matthews, deemed "too sexy," was cropped out of Castle Films home use prints.

The Pinto Bandit

1944 • 57 min • United States of America

A masked desperado wants to disrupt the mail service between two frontier communities.

The Beach Nut

1944 • 7 min • United States of America

A crowd gathers at the beach to witness vacationer Wally Walrus thrashing Woody Woodpecker. Wally explains, in flashback, why he is trying to rid himself of Woody.

Proudly We Serve

1944 • 15 min • United States of America

Sergeant Tex Gordon is surprised to learn that his new gunnery instructor is a woman.

Return from Nowhere

1944 • 10 min • United States of America

In this John Nesbitt's Passing Parade short, a man recovers his lost memories when he is forced to relive events in his dreams.

Miyamoto Musashi

1944 • 56 min • Japan

The first of five Musashi series, Shinobu and her brother Genichiro plead with the famous swordsman Musashi Miyamoto to teach them swordsmanship to avenge their father's death. The killers of their father see the sister and brother practicing with Miyamoto, and so enlist the help of another powerful swordsman, Kojiro Sasaki, which gives Sasaki an excuse to battle Miyamoto.

Going Home

1944 • 4 min • United States of America

Pvt. Snafu's unit suffers the consequences of blabbing military secrets while on leave at home.