Memorable 8-minute short from RKO-Pathe Screenliner hopes to make a modern-day (circa 1955) correlation from ancient superstitions to the little tricks we play on ourselves today (such as not traveling the same direction twice or tossing salt over one's shoulder). It seems a bit extreme to say that the little girl who recites "Loves Me, Loves Me Not" while picking the petals from a daisy will grow up to be a frequent user of the Ouija Board, or that a poker player on a losing streak will automatically blow on his cards and turn his chair around, but these images nonetheless get laughs from the viewer out of recognition. Some of the facts are now (thankfully) dated, such as the percentage of sick people who seek help from "a wizard" rather than a medical doctor, or all the superstitious truck drivers of the world using teddy bears as their talismans (fastened to the hood of the vehicle like an ornament!). Still, this well-made, well-edited piece has a kooky, punch-drunk style that is winning, and one almost hates to see it end so quickly.
8 Reviews
Why Take Chances?
boblipton27 October 2019
This late RKO Screenliner short is a favorite Hallowe'en-time show for Turner Classic Movies to run these day. It covers the common superstitions that were still current the year this was made, and which still are.
Not among us, of course. Not among you and not among me. We don't believe any of that stuff. Still..... why take chances? There's no reason to believe in these things. However, we don't know everything, so why take chances?
Anyway, that's what this short claims, in its rather lugubrious fashion. It's a amusing to think how many of our ritualized habits are based on some now-forgotten religious belief, like the roof tree, or some arcane fear of witches or simple bad luck.
Not among us, of course. Not among you and not among me. We don't believe any of that stuff. Still..... why take chances? There's no reason to believe in these things. However, we don't know everything, so why take chances?
Anyway, that's what this short claims, in its rather lugubrious fashion. It's a amusing to think how many of our ritualized habits are based on some now-forgotten religious belief, like the roof tree, or some arcane fear of witches or simple bad luck.
Silly but OK
preppy-329 January 2010
Short about superstitions and how they affect everyday life. They also go into various things people do or use to protect themselves or predict the future (like Ouija boards and fortune tellers). There are some amusing dated facts here too--according to this many people have died because they pay wizards to cure them of illness instead of going to doctors! Silly short with insipid narration full of groaners. It takes a VERY condescending view of all this and seems to point out that people who do any of these things are utter idiots. Still it's fascinating to see as a historical document and it is only 8 minutes long. I give it a 6.
Nice Short Looking at Dark Things
Michael_Elliott31 October 2009
Black Cats and Broomsticks (1955)
*** (out of 4)
RKO/Pathe Screenliner short is perhaps the best I've seen from them. The short deals with the topic of superstitions and how times really haven't changed much since the days of black magic, witchery and various other forms of dark mysteries. The short talks about walking under a ladder, crossing paths with a black cat, the "dead man's hand" in cards and of course everyone's favorite day, Friday 13th. We also hear about people who die yearly because they take the advice of a "wizard" instead of that of a doctor. This film has a lot in common with another short, WHO'S SUPERSTITIOUS?, which was a pretty good Pete Smith short made nearly a decade earlier. This film takes a serious and spoof like look at the subject and really manages to be fun throughout the running time. The best stuff deals with the way farmers might search for a place to put a hex on another farmer's cattle.
*** (out of 4)
RKO/Pathe Screenliner short is perhaps the best I've seen from them. The short deals with the topic of superstitions and how times really haven't changed much since the days of black magic, witchery and various other forms of dark mysteries. The short talks about walking under a ladder, crossing paths with a black cat, the "dead man's hand" in cards and of course everyone's favorite day, Friday 13th. We also hear about people who die yearly because they take the advice of a "wizard" instead of that of a doctor. This film has a lot in common with another short, WHO'S SUPERSTITIOUS?, which was a pretty good Pete Smith short made nearly a decade earlier. This film takes a serious and spoof like look at the subject and really manages to be fun throughout the running time. The best stuff deals with the way farmers might search for a place to put a hex on another farmer's cattle.
A humorous take on our superstitions...
Doylenf13 August 2008
This short subject from the '50s takes a look at our superstitious nature and displays a number of them for our amusement.
Among the many: Ouiji boards, crystal ball, hand palm reading, sediment teacup, wizards instead of doctors, spilling salt over left shoulder, walking under a ladder, Friday the 13th, the divining rod, and step on a crack.
Interesting to see how Black Magic still has a grip on modern Americans.
This is the sort of short that accompanied many a feature film throughout the '30s to the '50s and, while the subject matter is fascinating enough, it fails to really deliver the goods in illustrating all of these myths.
Passes the time but hardly a worthwhile treat.
Among the many: Ouiji boards, crystal ball, hand palm reading, sediment teacup, wizards instead of doctors, spilling salt over left shoulder, walking under a ladder, Friday the 13th, the divining rod, and step on a crack.
Interesting to see how Black Magic still has a grip on modern Americans.
This is the sort of short that accompanied many a feature film throughout the '30s to the '50s and, while the subject matter is fascinating enough, it fails to really deliver the goods in illustrating all of these myths.
Passes the time but hardly a worthwhile treat.
Superstition in 1950's America
Horst_In_Translation10 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
"Black Cats and Broomsticks" is an American documentary short film from 1955, so this one is already over 60 years old. It is in black-and-white and has sound of course. I must admit that I know neither the director, nor the writer nor the narrator here, but looking at their bodies of work and the time passed, it is probably similar for most other people seeing this pretty short 8-minute movie. This one is certainly among the most known for all three of them. I already wrote in the title that it is mostly about superstition for the individual, but there are also other slightly supernatural aspects in here like voodoo, gambling and how your hotel bed needs to stand. Some of the stuff I knew in here like black cats, ladders, rabbit paws... but the poker hand that brings bad luck or that you don't wanna step where the road is slightly broken were new to me. Maybe these were more common half a century ago and not today. But of course, the film is still somewhat valid today as superstition is still at least as present everywhere in the world today like it was back then, maybe even more. Finally, like with many other documentaries from that time, the re-enactment scenes are sadly pretty weak and feel forced, even if they luckily are not as specific and as a consequence as cringeworthy like some of these other films. Still this contributed to my final decision that I just cannot give a thumbs-up here. It's simply not good enough and I suggest you skip it.
stay with the kids
SnoopyStyle28 October 2023
This short starts with a collection of childhood superstitions like the Halloween costumes and the ouiji board. There is a list of more adult superstitions as the short continues.
I like the first section with the kids. I love seeing the old hand-made Halloween costumes. Everybody has a childhood haunted neighborhood house. Once it turns to the adults, this loses all the fun of childhood traumas. They really should stay with the kids. It's more with the kids. Without them, it's just a list. I don't actually care to watch a guy approach a ladder. I can imagine a bunch of kids pushing each other under the ladder instead.
I like the first section with the kids. I love seeing the old hand-made Halloween costumes. Everybody has a childhood haunted neighborhood house. Once it turns to the adults, this loses all the fun of childhood traumas. They really should stay with the kids. It's more with the kids. Without them, it's just a list. I don't actually care to watch a guy approach a ladder. I can imagine a bunch of kids pushing each other under the ladder instead.
A Little Hoodoo
Ron Oliver19 November 2005
An RKO-Pathe Screenliner Short Subject.
The nervous have more things to fret about than just the BLACK CATS AND BROOMSTICKS of Halloween.
This humorous little film takes a lighthearted look at fortune predictors (Ouija boards, horoscopes, palmistry, etc.) as well as various superstitions: spilling salt, walking under ladders, Friday the 13th, luck charms, chain letters and so forth.
Often overlooked or neglected today, the one and two-reel short subjects were useful to the Studios as important training grounds for new or burgeoning talents, both in front & behind the camera. The dynamics for creating a successful short subject was completely different from that of a feature length film, something akin to writing a topnotch short story rather than a novel. Economical to produce in terms of both budget & schedule and capable of portraying a wide range of material, short subjects were the perfect complement to the Studios' feature films.
The nervous have more things to fret about than just the BLACK CATS AND BROOMSTICKS of Halloween.
This humorous little film takes a lighthearted look at fortune predictors (Ouija boards, horoscopes, palmistry, etc.) as well as various superstitions: spilling salt, walking under ladders, Friday the 13th, luck charms, chain letters and so forth.
Often overlooked or neglected today, the one and two-reel short subjects were useful to the Studios as important training grounds for new or burgeoning talents, both in front & behind the camera. The dynamics for creating a successful short subject was completely different from that of a feature length film, something akin to writing a topnotch short story rather than a novel. Economical to produce in terms of both budget & schedule and capable of portraying a wide range of material, short subjects were the perfect complement to the Studios' feature films.
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