the shorts department

Hi! My name is Greg Hilbrich, and welcome to The Shorts Department, an information-heavy site dedicated to the theatrical two-reel comedies of Columbia Pictures.

Most of us are familiar with the 190 Columbia two-reelers of The Three Stooges, but what about the other 336 rarely seen little comedies the studio churned out between 1933-1957? Well, this site will explore those titles and more, including a history of the Columbia comedy short, breakdowns and appraisals of each series (including filmographies and plot synopsis), production information, trivia, a look at the colorful characters in front of (and behind) the cameras and a lot more. As the site develops, you'll also be treated to a collection of rare photos, lobby card and one-sheet art and other bits of memorabilia associated with the Columbia Pictures Short-Subjects Dept.

As to not to ignore the other shorts Columbia Pictures produced or distributed for independent producers (including the studio's long forgotten animation department), I've included sections on those...but again, the main focus here will be the slapstick comedy shorts. Most of these little gems have been out of the public eye since their original theatrical runs, while others went the way of the Dodo after a brief revival on syndicated television in the late 1950's-early 1960's. 

Enjoy your visit and come back soon, as this site will be going through frequent updates!

Feel free to contact me at theshortsdepartment@yahoo.com

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN COLLECTING THE COLUMBIA SHORTS?

CAN I GET TO SEE SOME OF THE FILMS ON THIS SITE?

You're in luck!  Besides what gets posted in the Screening Room, we've opened our vaults and have made many of these films available so they can be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home. Naturally, I prefer to trade for titles needed, but if you have absolutely nothing to trade, please swing by the Orders/Trades page to find out more information about adding titles to your personal collection.

CAN I BUY ANY OF THE MEMORABILIA THAT YOU HAVE?

Yes...and no. I will be offering some original 16mm film prints, lobby cards and one-sheets from time to time, but most of the collection will be staying with me. However, I am currently offering script reproductions and am working on making reproduction lobby cards available in the future...and as always, I am up for trades!

The scripts can be found in the Gift Shop.

DO YOU HAVE INFORMATION ON OTHER STUDIO'S SHORTS?

Not detailed information, but I do collect short-subjects from other studios (Educational, RKO, Vitaphone, etc). Information on those the non-Columbia material can be found here.

DO YOU RECOMMEND ANY FURTHER READING?

You bet I do! I highly recommend the excellent book THE COLUMBIA COMEDY SHORTS by my friends Ted Okuda and Edward Watz. If it's not available through McFarland link provided, try amazon (or eBay)...I promise you won't be disappointed.

I also recommend the wonderful books:

THE COLUMBIA CHECKLIST by Len D. Martin

THE GREAT MOVIE SHORTS by Leonard Maltin