Virginia O’Brien and Red Skelton clown around on the MGM soundstage where  1947’s Merton of the Movies, set during Hollywood’s nascent Silent Era, is in production.

Here’s the snipe: “LOOK! NO HANDS!.. Red Skelton cavorts on a bicycle built for two, for the amusement of Virginia O’Brien between scenes of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s ‘Merton of the Movies.’ Those antique costumes are for silent movie sequences in the comedy story of 1915 Hollywood. Gloria Grahame, John Emery* and Alan Mowbray are featured in this hilarious movie, which was directed by Robert Alton, produced by A. Albert Lewis.”

• That’s what the MGM Publicity Dept. caption says, but John Emery does not show up in any credits for the film.