British Pathe

Joe Noble animation. Cartoon begins with a man walking along from right to left. Arrives at a sign which reads: "Madam Bunko". C/U of sign - she tells fortunes. M/S of a fortune teller's tent with a sign hanging on the outside with a hand drawn on it. He stops by the sign and the hand makes a beckoning...

Joe Noble animation. Cartoon begins with a man walking along from right to left. Arrives at a sign which reads: "Madam Bunko". C/U of sign - she tells fortunes. M/S of a fortune teller's tent with a sign hanging on the outside with a hand drawn on it. He stops by the sign and the hand makes a beckoning gesture. He walks into the tent. Suddenly he runs out again, a huge hand grabs him and pulls him back into the tent. Interior of the tent. Our friend has his palm read. Madam Bunko says: "I see a dark woman and a journey." C/U of the man looking shocked. His eyes turn into figures - on represents himself playing a banjo - the other is a black woman dancing. The man says "Now I'll Tell Yours." He tells Madam Bunko" "I see a journey with a handsome stranger with a black moustache." He then looks angry and says "Get your hat. You're pinched for fortune telling." Mrs Bunko looks shocked and falls off her chair. Intertitle reads: "Now let's be serious and take a scientific peep at our hand - " We see a picture of a hand being drawn by stop frame animation.

Caption reads: "The human hand contains no fewer than twenty seven bones - of which eight are confined to the wrist. The hand changes into a skeleton hand: "There is nothing of the gruesome in a peep at this wonderful piece of mechanism. Observe the marvellous ball & socket joints at the knuckles." An arrow points these out, and the pisiform bone which is the smallest in the body. Animated drawings are used to show how the hand functions. Tendons are explained. An X-ray cartoon is used to show how the tendons work. Other parts of the hand are detailed - the palmaris longus, the extensor pollicis, etc. Live action of speedway motorcyclists is shown as we are told that development "Development of this muscle enables dirt track riders to hold their machines at speed."

Film may be incomplete - ends suddenly. Separated by small amount of leader is a rough title for the film which reads "The Hand - "Our Wonderful Body" Series. Drawn by Joe Noble." Extra bits not used in the full film follow.

Short section of cuts from the film: "Your Hand - Something about one of your most important items."

Title card - "The Hand - "Our Wonderful Body" Series. Rough title. Drawn by Joe Noble."

Strange image of male character with a dog superimposed on his body. C/U of the male character with a wipe to Mrs Bunko. She says: "Can This be Love?"

C/U of a pointed finger and the caption - "The Origin of the Zipp (sic) fastener." Print of this section.

Seems to be extra material not used in the finished film.

Was an item in Eve's Film Review issue number 591.