STRIKES AND SPARES (1934)

STRIKES AND SPARES
Directed by Felix E. Feist
Starring Andy Varipapa and the voice of Pete Smith

I grew up bowling with my 4-H club, but the older I got the more I realized how bad I was at it. So now I've taken the leap to strict bowling spectator. That's why I enjoyed the short film “Strikes and Spares”. It's about Andy Varipapa, who was, at the time, the greatest bowler in the country. He was also well known for doing a variety of trick shots. This film showcases a few of those shots. It also throws in some comic relief in the form of a silly man who is a novice bowler and the mistakes that he makes.

The tricks that Varipapa does are quite amazing. They begin showing simple tricks, like the 7-1-10 split, and they build to tricks like bowling between the legs of 20 beautiful girls, and using two balls at once to hit multiple pins. Varipapa toured the country with his talent, and he became quite the celebrity. He also held the record for most perfect games.

“Strikes and Spares” is a very good film, but does show tell-tale signs of the 1930's. One of the characters is an African American pin boy, and the character is depicted in a very stereotypical way. Even worse, in wide angle shots it's obviously not the African American actor, but someone in blackface make up. In the 1930's there was no problem with this, so it's best to remember this film as the time capsule it is and appreciate it for it's virtues.

“Strikes and Spares” earned an Oscar nomination for Best Novelty Short for it's producer, Pete Smith. It lost to the film “City of Wax”. The other nominee was “Bosom Friends”.

This review was written on June 14, 2008