Mar 11, 2014

Latest issue of Believer includes exclusive DVD of restored Hubley shorts

"Believer" is one of the magazines of the McSweeney's indie publishing empire. Published nine times a year, the magazine focuses primarily on books, although occasionally an issue is devoted to another topic. This year's March/April issue features a DVD of short films by John and Faith Hubley in honor of the 100th anniversary of John Hubley's birth on May 21.

The disc covers almost all of the Hubley's 17 years, or their career as a couple. John Hubley died in 1977 and Faith in 2001, and while no DVD of their work has been released, this DVD is an excellent introduction to their work.

Hubley's Oscar-winning short Moonbird (1959) has recently become available as a scratchy public domain print in Truck Stop's collection of cheaply priced animated DVDs. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive and recently restored, viewing this print is an entirely different experience. Other restored prints include Tender Game, The Hole, and Adventures of an * (1957). [Benny Carter, Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, and the Oscar Peterson Trio were among the jazz greats of the late 1950s in "Moonbird" and "Cockaboody" (1973), improvised dialogue by the Hubley children, adding a jazz-like freedom of form.

The DVD contains a total of seven shorts, including the unusual mockumentary Date with Dizzy, a Cartoon Modern-era TV commercial directed by Hubley, and home movie footage. In addition, the accompanying print magazine includes a storyboard panel from the Hueblays' feature-length documentary "Of Stars and Men" (1964) The DVD was supervised by the Hueblays and Artist Public Domain/Cinema Conservancy's For the full contents of the DVD, see The Believer's website.

If you are new to the Hubley family, there are many articles and comments on the web, but I recommend the late Michael Spohn's post on "Moonbird. If your local bookstore does not carry "Believer," you can order it from the website.