Pete Smith (film producer)

Peter Schmidt was born in 1892, in New York City. In 1915, as the new field of motion pictures was transforming show business, Smith became a publicity man for Bosworth, Inc., Oliver Morosco Photoplay Co., Artcraft Pictures Corporation, and Famous Players–Lasky. By 1925 Smith was the manager of publicity for Louis B. Mayer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Smith took the suggestion and made Movie Pests (1944), with Dave O'Brien exemplifying the inconsiderate patron who causes problems for everyone around him. The short was so successful that it inspired three sequels: Guest Pests (1945), Bus Pests (1945), and Neighbor Pests (1947). '' Dave O'Brien became the primary actor in the Pete Smith Specialties during the 1940s. The hapless O'Brien would personify everyday nuisances: demonstrating pet peeves, tackling hazardous home-improvement projects, and having other problems with which the audience could identify. O'Brien's scenes were silent, compelling O'Brien to express his satisfaction or frustration entirely in visual terms as narrator Smith offered commentary. O'Brien knew the format so well that he also directed many of the short movies, using the name "David Barclay". He staged many of the sight gags himself, taking stupendous falls for the camera. The Pete Smith Specialties earned 14 Academy Award nominations and two Best Live Action Short Film Academy Awards. At the 26th Academy Awards, Smith was awarded an Academy Honorary Award "for his witty and pungent observations on the American scene in his series of Pete Smith Specialties." Smith announced his retirement in 1954. The MGM unit that produced the Pete Smith Specialties was terminated the next year, a casualty of short movies' decreasing popularity at the time. The final film in the series was a tribute to Dave O'Brien, featuring a collection of his spectacular stunts and pratfalls. The reel was appropriately titled The Fall Guy (1955). ==Personal life==

Smith, under his birth name Peter J. Schmidt, married Marjorie Ganss on February 6, 1919, in Manhattan. They had one son, Douglas Mosely Schmidt (1919–1984), who later became a technician for RKO. Smith and Ganss remained married until her death in 1957. Smith's second marriage was to his secretary, Anne Dunster, whom he married in Las Vegas in October 1962. ==Later years and death==

Smith spent his later years in poor health at a convalescent home in Santa Monica, California. He was survived by his second wife, Anne, and his son Douglas. For his contribution to the movie industry, Smith received a star symbol on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 1621 Vine Street. ==Selected filmography==

Pete Smith's short films are included as extras on DVDs of many classic Warner Home Video films of the era. These include: • Menu - Morning Glory (1933) • Goofy Movies, #1 - Midnight Mary (1933) • Goofy Movies, #2 - Manhattan Melodrama (1934) • Goofy Movies, #3 - Evelyn Prentice (1934) • Goofy Movies, #4 - Sadie McKee (1934) • Penny Wisdom - The Prisoner of Zenda (1937) • Romance of Radium - Madame Curie (1943) • ''Quicker 'n a Wink - Go West'' (1940) • Wedding Bills - Strike Up the Band (1940) • Flicker Memories - The Big Store (1941) • How to Hold Your Husband - Back - Babes on Broadway (1941) • Marines in the Making - Random Harvest (1942) • Studio Visit - Cabin in the Sky (1943) • Hollywood Daredevils - Girl Crazy (1943) • ''Fala - The President's Dog - Lassie Come Home'' (1943) • Seeing Hands - DuBarry Was a Lady (1943) • Movie Pests - Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944) • Football Thrills of 1944 - Blu-Ray release of Anchors Aweigh (1945) • Hollywood Scout - The Clock (1945) • Sure Cures - Easy to Wed (1946) • I Love My Husband, But! - Without Reservations (1946) • Now You See It - This Time for Keeps (1947) • Fala at Hyde Park - Hills of Home (1948) • ''You Can't Win! - The Pirate'' (1948) • ''Let's Cogitate! - Battleground'' (1949) • Those Good Old Days - Madame Bovary (1949) • Water Trix - ''Neptune's Daughter'' (1949) • Sports Oddities - That Midnight Kiss (1949) • Pest Control - The Stratton Story (1949) • Crashing the Movies - Two Weeks with Love (1950) • ''Did'ja Know? - Summer Stock'' (1950) • Wrong Way Butch - Nancy Goes to Rio (1950) • Curious Contests - Pagan Love Song (1950) • Musiquiz - The Belle of New York (1952) • Reducing - Million Dollar Mermaid (1952) • This is a Living? - Dangerous When Wet (1953) • Things We Can Do Without - The Naked Spur (1953) • ''Ain't It Aggravatin'? - The Long, Long Trailer'' (1954) • Out for Fun - Executive Suite (1954) • The Fall Guy - Hit the Deck (1955) ==References==