Hal Roach's Streamliners
Short comedies bridging shorts and features for double bills.
Hal Roach's Streamliners were comedy featurettes that ran longer than a short subject but capped at 50 minutes, usually made up of five 10-minute reels. Of the 29 films Roach produced for United Artists, 24 were streamliners.
By 1935, Roach saw that short subjects were losing popularity as double features took over theaters. In 1939, he noticed Hollywood’s top features were getting longer, making it hard for theater owners to squeeze in a second film. When Roach started making movies for United Artists, he came up with the idea of shorter featurettes, which he called "streamliners" after the public’s fascination with fast, modern streamliner trains. Instead of booking a standard six- or seven-reel "B" feature, exhibitors could book a four- or five-reel streamliner, cutting 20 minutes from an already long double bill.
United Artists initially resisted the format because they had already signed 5,000 contracts with exhibitors for full-length features, not featurettes. Roach planned to introduce the streamliners with four four-reel Laurel and Hardy comedies, starting with *The Housekeeper's Daughter* in 1939. United Artists thought that film would sell better as a full-length feature, especially since Laurel and Hardy were big international draws. Both *A Chump at Oxford* and the next film, *Saps at Sea*, were released in six reels each.
Roach insisted there was a market for shorter films. After the Laurel and Hardy deal ended after just those two movies, he focused on making featurettes. Exhibitors welcomed the format, and the streamliners fit neatly into double features. Roach recalled in 1970 that just before World War II, he made 17 45-minute comedies that were accepted as features and earned a million dollars. He also produced one musical streamliner in Technicolor, *Fiesta*.
Roach’s last two Laurel and Hardy features were made on a tight budget, but the streamliner budget was even lower, at $110,000. He could produce four streamliners for the cost of two features, and profits were estimated to be 50 to 75% higher than from a single feature.
Like Roach’s earlier short subjects, the streamliners were grouped into series. The first and most popular series starred William Tracy and Joe Sawyer in military comedies. The second revived the 1930s pairing of ZaSu Pitts and Slim Summerville. The third updated Roach’s 1932–33 "Taxi Boys" series, with William Be
- field
- Film production
- known_for
- Shortened featurette comedies for double-feature programs
- format_length
- Not exceeding 50 minutes
- total_produced
- 24 streamliners out of 29 United Artists features
- typical_reel_count
- Five 10-minute reels
Lore & Background
Hal Roach's studio initially produced comedy short subjects, but by 1935 he sensed their decline as the double-feature format gained popularity. In 1939, Roach noticed that major 'A' features were becoming longer, creating a problem for theater owners who could not fit a second feature into daily programs. When Roach began producing for United Artists, he devised the idea of shorter featurettes called 'streamliners,' inspired by the public's infatuation with streamliner trains. Exhibitors could book a four- or five-reel streamliner instead of a six- or seven-reel 'B' feature, saving 20 minutes on a double-feature program.
United Artists initially resisted the format, having already negotiated 5,000 contracts for feature films. Roach planned to introduce streamliners with four four-reel comedies, but the first streamliner actually produced was *The Housekeeper's Daughter* (1939), released before *A Chump at Oxford*. *A Chump at Oxford* was released by United Artists in its original 42-minute form in 1940, not 1939; the extended 63-minute version was created later for reissue, and the shorter version was not shelved until 1943. The first official streamliner released by United Artists was *The Housekeeper's Daughter* (1939).
Reader's Guide
Hal Roach's Streamliners represent a significant innovation in film distribution and programming during the late 1930s and 1940s. By creating featurettes that ran under 50 minutes, Roach addressed a practical need for theater owners struggling to fit a second feature into increasingly long double-feature programs. The streamliners were economically efficient: Roach could produce four for the cost of two features, with higher profit margins. The format was initially resisted by United Artists but was welcomed by exhibitors, and the first group of 17 comedies earned a million dollars. The streamliners were organized into series, including military comedies with William Tracy and Joe Sawyer, which became the most popular. However, after World War II, Roach attempted to revive the format with slightly longer films in color, but costs escalated from $150,000 to $400,000 per film, leading to a loss of about a million dollars. Roach abandoned the streamliner format in 1948 and moved into television. The legacy of the streamliners lies in their demonstration of how flexible film lengths could solve programming challenges and generate profit, though the format ultimately proved unsustainable due to rising production costs.
Did You Know?
- The first streamliner produced was A Chump at Oxford (42 minutes, 1939), but United Artists rejected it and released an extended 63-minute version; the shorter version was shelved until 1943.
- Tanks a Million (50 minutes, 1941) was the first official streamliner and the first of seven military comedies starring William Tracy and Joe Sawyer.
- The streamliner Fiesta (45 minutes, 1941) was a Technicolor musical, the only one in the series made in that color process.
- Hal Roach's last two Laurel and Hardy features were produced economically, but the budget of a streamliner was set even lower, at $110,000.
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