Today at The Old Town Music Hall (which I have written about many times on this blog), I was able to see two of these movies in a theater they way they were meant to be seen. These were Road to Morocco (1942) and Road to Utopia (1945). One thing I get great joy out of is hearing an audience laugh at a comedy film, I have seen many times, but they are laughing like it is fresh and new to them. I definitely got lot of that here. Watching these in a theater you truly realize what great gems of movies these are and how they can delight audiences today just as much as they did in the 1940's. Though I love these movies a lot this was my first time viewing them in this setting, and they somehow are even better when seen in a theater.
Like always at the Old Town Music Hall the features were proceed by live music on a 1925 Wurlitzer Pipe Organ. It was played by two very talented musicians, Bill Field and Edward Torres. Also preceding the features was Chapter 10 of the classic Movie Serial, Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938), and trust me I am in much suspense to see what happens next.
To see just how well Road to Utopia did at the box office look at this article from the Motion Picture Daily: http://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/motionpicturedai59unse_0600
To see one way Road to Utopia was advertised outside a theater look at this article from the Motion Picture Herald: http://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/motionpictureher1621unse_0721 (also shown in this article is how the movie Duffy's Tavern (1945) also starring Bing Crosby was advertised).
The following article from The Motion Picture Herald gives advise on how a theater should advertise Road to Morocco: http://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/motionpictureher149unse_0215
-Michael J. Ruhland
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