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Believe It or Not (Second Series) #3

Believe It or Not (Second Series) #3

1931

TV-G

Runtime

7 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

Synopsis

This entry in the series criss-crosses America to find various curiosities. Among them are a church in Nebraska made of bales of hay; a duck with four legs that lives with its owner in Flint, Michigan; a 128-year-old former slave who lives in Holly Springs, Mississippi, with her 100-year-old daughter; and, in a cemetery in Mayfield, Kentucky, a family plot wherein the deceased members are memorialized with life-size statues, including the patriarch's horse and other family pets. Vitaphone No. 1304.

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Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

2.9/10

Limited

Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Minimal

The film contains no LGBTQ+ characters or narratives. It focuses entirely on biological oddities and historical longevity.

Gender Representation

Limited

Depictions of women, such as a centenarian mother and daughter, follow traditional familial roles. The film reinforces established domestic structures rather than exploring female agency.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Fair

A 128-year-old former slave provides significant racial visibility. However, the subject is framed as a curiosity, which limits the depth of the representation.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Minimal

The content celebrates traditional American institutions, including a hay-based church and family cemetery plots. It lacks any secular or systemic critique.

Disability Representation

Limited

Physical anomalies, like a four-legged duck, are central to the film. These subjects are treated as spectacles rather than individuals with lived experiences.

Strengths

  • Includes a significant historical subject in a Black matriarch and former slave.
  • Provides visibility into diverse American landscapes and local histories.

Areas for Improvement

  • Subjects are often treated as spectacles or curiosities rather than individuals with agency.
  • The film reinforces traditional gender and religious hierarchies without subversion.
  • Lacks representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-heteronormative narratives.

AI Analysis

This Vitaphone documentary functions as a travelogue of American curiosities, prioritizing wonder over narrative depth. It relies on an episodic structure that presents biological and historical anomalies as spectacles for viewer engagement. While the film provides visibility for Black history through the inclusion of a former slave, it does so through a voyeuristic lens. The subjects are presented as objects of interest rather than individuals with agency. Ultimately, the work reinforces the traditional social, religious, and familial structures of 1931. It serves more as a historical artifact of early sound-era curiosity media than a tool for meaningful representation.

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