Frank Whitbeck talks a lot over a series of clips, mucking up the order of things, leading to a paean about Thomas Edison, who seems to have invented everything from electricity to sewing machines, to radio. Oh, Alexander Graham Bell may have helped with the telephone, but otherwise the United States was a vast wilderness with people standing around waiting for the Wizard of Menlo Park to invent stuff.

The reason this MGM short is even further away from an accurate history is that it was intended as a promotional film for two of MGM's 1940 productions: YOUNG TOM EDISON, with Mickey Rooney as the great genius. He would grow up to be Spencer Tracy in EDISON THE MAN.

The biography, or "biopic", is a genre that portrays the life story of a real person, often a notable individual or historical figure. They aim to provide a depiction of the subject's personal history, achievements, challenges, and impact on society.

Ben Kingsley, Rohini Hattangadi, and Geraldine James in Gandhi (1982)

The documentary is a form of non-fiction storytelling that aims to present factual information, insights, and perspectives on real-world subjects, events, issues, or people. Documentaries can cover a wide range of topics, including history, science, culture, social issues, nature, biographies, and more.

Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

The history genre features recounting and analyzing past events, societies, cultures, and historical figures. This genre aims to provide insights into the development of civilizations, the causes and consequences of historical events, and the impact of individuals and ideas on the course of history.

The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

High profile biography of inventor of the electric light, the motion picture, the phonograph, motors and batteries, etc., Thomas A. Edison, promoting MGM's forthcoming feature Edison, the Man (1940).

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Maggie Smith and George Nader in Nowhere to Go (1958)

Carla Del Poggio and John Kitzmiller in Without Pity (1948)

Barbara Stanwyck, Ralph Graves, Marie Prevost, and Lowell Sherman in Ladies of Leisure (1930)

Virginia O'Brien and Red Skelton in Merton of the Movies (1947)

Whitney Blake and Robert Bray in My Gun Is Quick (1957)

C. Henry Gordon, Isabel Jewell, Roscoe Karns, and Otto Kruger in The Women in His Life (1933)

W.C. Fields and Mae West in My Little Chickadee (1940)

Audie Murphy, Lloyd Nolan, and Jane Wyatt in Bad Boy (1949)

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