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It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

The acting in this movie is really good.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

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.

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 Still it's fascinating to see as a historical document and it is only 8 minutes long.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.

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.

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.