“Jim Hawthorne’s Funny World” was the creation of pioneering radio disc jockey and TV comedian

Jim Hawthorne. This lengthy compilation features an array of stock footage completed with Hawthorne’s trademark droll and spit-fire dry humor. The series is sprinkled with early aviation flying machine spoofs featuring a fake pilot inventor; Irving Flap. Other shorts feature the “Funny World” staff depicted as chimpanzees.

The first episode opens with a feline boxing match (:25). The referee splits the fur balls (:48). Ladies in swim suits perform a roof top exercise routine (:55). A three piece orchestra plays them on (1:31). A stuntman stands on the wing of a Wright model plane (1:37). Another swings from the bottom (2:24) tethered by rope. Kids spin on a soap box in the city streets (2:31). Sun baked youth somersault (4:37). Police strap a stunt pilot into straightjacket gear for a flight on the Gray Goose Airline (5:52). He gives his lady a smooch (6:08). The Houdini-like stunt man hangs upside down confined (6:18). A bull race runs in Texas (6:45). The bull tears down pedestrians in overcrowded dirt (7:13). Monkeys pull balloons from tree limbs (8:02). A man scales a building face (8:41) hanging upside-down with the US flag. A spotted clown films the event (9:19). An aerial stuntman hangs from the front of a plane (9:41). Students play tiny snares (10:18). Soldiers cover a cannon with foliage (11:54). A great shot captures a stuntman in a single handed hand stand (12:21). A dual plane and car race follow (12:29). A lion paws out from a 1951 or ’52 Buick (13:37) in the snow. ‘Rein lions’ drag sleds in snow (14:13). Men in suits play acrobats outside a residential home (15:20). A baby seal flops around (16:03). Women spin in swim suits (16:48) for a Miss Billboard contest. Shirley Shoulder Blades shows off her backside (17:19). A 1930’s Chrysler Impala (17:33) drives in the dirt for a Navy skit. Firefighters snuff out a carriage fire (19:10). A pair smoke cigarettes covered in flame retardant foam (19:20). The hose blows (19:30). Another early aviation spoof (19:41) features a flying machine designed to deliver mail to the moon. ‘Homer hogwash’ unleashes a pit of hogs (20:57). Deep sea divers play a round of golf (22:43). Small boats race (23:23) through the Everglades. Racers slip over flames on the water (23:52). Couples sway (24:10) in a mobile dance hall. A small dog and rooster square off (25:05). The US Calvary plays a game (27:09). A gothic clown wags his head in a parade (27:59). Float riders throw rice (28:08). Boat riders (28:27) toss chlorine tablets into the sea. A knight bends down in a suit of silver for a golf tournament (29:07). A large flying boat skims over water (30:37). Troops perform a drill (31:41). A chimp gets a face shave (32:05). ‘Worn Out Brothers Movie Company’ build a space ship (33:40). Irving Flap returns with another flying machine (37:01). Coney Island buzzes with sunbathers (37:19). Swimmers wade the sea; city scrapers rise behind (37:28). A high diver drops (37:49). A strange all-terrain vehicle busts through the foliage in ‘Mud Hole’ Florida. Foot racers march through Texas (38:58). A blindfolded stunt man toes out on steel framework (40:27). Chimpanzees spin and hug around a small piano (40:49). Pedestrians skid over rock on a windy day in Wisconsin (41:07). Irving Flap (43:01) closes the series. A presentation of KTTV Program Sales (43:22).

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com