Ask Dad | 1929 | Comedy, Short

Title: Ask Dad | 1929 | Comedy, Short Director: Hugh Faulcon. Studio: Educational Films Corporation of America . Starring: Edward Everett Horton, Winston Miller, Ruth Renick. Release Date: February 17, 1929. Runtime: 20 minutes. Format: Black-and-white, sound short. Country: United States. Language: English. Genres: Comedy, Short. --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Office arrival 00:04:30 Poems and pursuits 00:09:00 Dad’s advice 00:14:30 Truth revealed 00:18:30 Resolution --- Summary: Home from school and smitten with his father’s secretary, a young man visits his dad’s office determined to confess his feelings. His poetic overtures meet polite resistance, and a candid conversation with both secretary and father gradually exposes a mismatch of affections. The short builds its humor from dialogue and timing rather than slapstick, letting Edward Everett Horton’s dry delivery frame a breezy tale of infatuation, common sense, and gentle generational guidance. --- Background: Ask Dad belongs to Educational Pictures’ Coronet Talking Comedies, an early-sound series headlined by Edward Everett Horton as Hollywood navigated the transition from silent to talking shorts at the end of the 1920s. Distributed through Educational Film Exchanges, the two-reel comedy was released on February 17, 1929, showcasing Horton’s smooth shift into talkies under director Hugh Faulcon. Contemporary advertising paired it with other Coronet entries featuring Horton. --- Trivia: A contemporary advertisement promoted “Coronet talking movie comedies” including Ask Dad and The Eligible Mr. Bangs, confirming the branding used by Educational Pictures. Winston Miller, who plays the son, later became a prolific screenwriter and producer, with credits spanning films and television from the 1930s to the 1970s. He was the younger brother of silent-era star Patsy Ruth Miller. Ruth Renick’s career began in the silent era and continued into early talkies; by the time of Ask Dad she had appeared opposite Douglas Fairbanks and in a variety of features and shorts. A surviving copy is available at the Internet Archive, where the item lists the film as public domain and notes a digital runtime of approximately 22 minutes. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: February 17, 1929. Original Studio / Distributor: Educational Pictures / Educational Film Exchanges. Copyright Status: Public Domain . Works published in 1929 entered the public domain on January 1, 2025. Renewal: Unknown. --- Hashtags: AskDad EdwardEverettHorton 1929 PublicDomain ClassicComedy ShortFilm PreCode EducationalPictures Source page: https: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ask_Dad_(1929).webm Direct media URL: https: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Ask_Dad_%281929%29.webm