In this mini-survey this week of unusual credit sequences, I’ve been focusing on obscure and innovative ones as opposed to the more famous Saul Bass/Pablo Ferra/Pink Panther classics. On Wednesday we covered ‘The World In My Corner’ which featured a tabloid newspaper displaying the names of the film’s stars and makers; yesterday we did Preston Sturges over-the-top comedy opening for ‘The Palm Beach Story’; and today we redefine the term ‘obscure’ with the opening sequence from Lewis Milestone’s 1929 melodrama ‘New York Nights’. This must have been as startling a way to start a film as anyone had yet seen. There’s no music; just a point of view shot of a police car racing through the streets of the city with the siren blaring. The credits sit on top of this shot, as if business-as-usual were the order of the day (or night). Remember that sound was relatively new to filmmaking–the shock of the noisy siren and the cold lack of comforting opening music immediately announces a new kind of way to jolt an audience into paying attention. Alas, the rest of the film isn’t nearly as interesting, though for 1920s junkies like myself it’s a treat to witness the bizarre acting style of the day as well as the lingo and clothing.