News on Screen

Lew Lehr was an American comedian best known for his narration in the Fox Movietone newsreel novelty segments, usually with a reference to ‘Monkeys is the cwaziest peoples!' Remarkably, his commentaries were retained when American footage was used in the British Movietone News, beginning with ‘WRESTLING: AS OUR AMERICAN HUMORIST SEES IT’ in No.342A of December 1935. Lehr again appeared as commentator for ‘DOGS: LEW LEHR SPEAKING’ in No.358 of April 1936. However, many items in which he appeared were afterwards voiced by British commentators, but in January 1938 he provided ‘CRAZY INVENTIONS WITH LEW LEHR’ for No.451A. Lehr’s fame was such that in 1941 Porky Pig did a Lew Lehr imitation whilst narrating a novelty segment in the cartoon ‘Porky’s Snooze Reel’ (Clampett/McCabe, 1941). In British Movietone News No.855A of October 1945 he was credited as ‘Lew Lehr, American Movietone’s crazy comic,' and by this time was being featured in the reel as a news item.

Sources

NoS Number 6096; British Movietone News Number 342A; Date released 26/12/1935: NoS Number 6360; British Movietone News Number 358; Date released 13/4/1936: NoS Number 8452; British Movietone News Number 451A; Date released 27/1/1938.