Mr. Skitch (1933)

Mr. Skitch was filmed under such working titles as See America First and Green Dice, which was also the name of the Anne Cameron short story on which it was based. Will Rogers plays Mr. Skitch, who after losing all his money in the stock market, packs his wife (ZaSu Pitts) and daughter Emily (Rochelle Hudson) into the family car and heads off to California, hoping to start life anew. En route to the Golden State, the Skitch family visits a number of familiar landmarks, all courtesy of a background process screen. At Grand Canyon, they meet handsome West Point cadet Harvey Denby (Charles Starrett), who of course is immediately smitten by Emily. Once in Hollywood, Mr. Skitch recoups his fortune when he becomes the manager of "celebrity impressionist" Flo (Florence Desmond, whose imitation of co-star ZaSu Pitts is a riot!) Mr. Skitch was the first of two successful collaborations between star Will Rogers and director James Cruze; the second was David Harum (1934). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi