The Terror of Tiny Town
Encyclopedia
The Terror of Tiny Town is a 1938
American film
produced by Jed Buell, directed by Sam Newfield
, and starring Billy Curtis
. It is the world's only musical
Western
with an all-midget
cast.
Using a conventional Western story with an all midget cast, the filmmakers were able to showcase gags such as cowboys entering the local saloon by walking under the swinging doors, and pint-sized cowboys galloping around on Shetland ponies
while roping calves.
helping out a beautiful ranch owner menaced by local thugs.
The film presents Jed Buell's Midgets. Many of them were also in the performing troupe, Singer's Midgets, and played Munchkin
s in The Wizard of Oz
, released in 1939.
1938 in film
The year 1938 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*January — MGM announces that Judy Garland would be cast in the role of "Dorothy" in the upcoming Wizard of Oz motion picture. Ray Bolger is cast as the "Tinman" and Buddy Ebsen is cast as the "Scarecrow". At Bolger's insistence,...
American film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
produced by Jed Buell, directed by Sam Newfield
Sam Newfield
Sam Newfield, born Samuel Neufeld, also known as Sherman Scott or Peter Stewart, was an American B-movie director, with over 250 feature films to his credit, and a large number of shorts, training films, industrial films, TV episodes, and pretty much anything anyone would pay him for...
, and starring Billy Curtis
Billy Curtis
Billy Curtis was an American film and television actor. He was a dwarf who had a 50-year career in a variety of roles...
. It is the world's only musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
with an all-midget
Midget
A midget is a short person with relatively average bodily proportions in comparison with other human beings. The term is often improperly used to describe a person with the medical condition dwarfism. The two terms are often used synonymously because both terms originate as words defining small...
cast.
Using a conventional Western story with an all midget cast, the filmmakers were able to showcase gags such as cowboys entering the local saloon by walking under the swinging doors, and pint-sized cowboys galloping around on Shetland ponies
Shetland pony
The Shetland pony is a breed of pony originating in the Shetland Isles. Shetlands range in size from a minimum height of approximately 28 inches to an official maximum height of 42 inches at the withers. Shetland ponies have heavy coats, short legs and are considered quite intelligent...
while roping calves.
Plot summary
The plot is about a cowboyCowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
helping out a beautiful ranch owner menaced by local thugs.
Cast
- Billy CurtisBilly CurtisBilly Curtis was an American film and television actor. He was a dwarf who had a 50-year career in a variety of roles...
as The Hero (Buck Lawson) - Yvonne Moray as The Girl (Nancy Preston)
- Little Billy Rhodes as The Villain (Bat Haines)
- Billy Platt as The Rich Uncle (Jim 'Tex' Preston)
- John T. BamburyJohn T. BamburyJohn T. Bambury was an American actor with dwarfism, best known for his role as one of the Munchkins in the 1939 film, "The Wizard of Oz". Other roles included The Ranch Owner, Pop Lawson in "The Terror of Tiny Town", one of the Mole Men in "The Adventures of Superman" and the midget musician in...
as The Ranch Owner (Pop Lawson) - Joseph Herbst as The Sheriff
- Charlie BeckerCharlie BeckerKarl "Charlie" Becker was a German-American actor. He was 3'9" in height, and is probably best known for appearing as the Mayor of Munchkinland in The Wizard of Oz ....
as The Cook (Otto) - Nita Krebs as The Vampire (Nita, the dance hall girl)
- George Ministeri as The Blacksmith (Armstrong)
- Karl Karchy Kosiczky as The Barber (Sammy)
- Fern Formica as Diamond Dolly
- William H. O'Docharty as The Old Soak
The film presents Jed Buell's Midgets. Many of them were also in the performing troupe, Singer's Midgets, and played Munchkin
Munchkin
The Munchkins are the natives of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. They first appeared in the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which they are described as being somewhat short of stature, and wear only blue...
s in The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
, released in 1939.
See also
- Even Dwarfs Started SmallEven Dwarfs Started SmallEven Dwarfs Started Small is a 1970 film by German director Werner Herzog.-Plot:A group of dwarfs confined in an institution on a remote island rebel against the guards and director in a display of mayhem...
– German film featuring an all-dwarf cast - List of films in the public domain
- List of Columbia Pictures films