Hello my friends. It is October and as all of us film fans know, this is a month that exists simply to watch old monster movies, especially those from Universal Studios. To celebrate the month here are some advertisements for classic horror films.
Variety, 1935
The Exhibitor, 1938
Universal Weekly, 1933
Showman's Trade Review, 1943
Universal Weekly, 1933
Exhibitor's Trade Review, 1924
Variety, 1931
Now for some movie trailers for classic horror films.
For so many of us film buffs, Easter Parade (1948) is the must watch movie today. The film is as delightful as movie musicals get and I love every second of it. It features Fred Astaire and Judy Garland at the top of their game and it is hard not to wish the duo made more films together after watching it.
Here are some vintage advertisements for the film. Many of these show MGM tooting their own horn as they loved to do.
Showman's Trade Review, 1948
Boxoffice, 1948
Boxoffice, 1948
Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin, 1948
Boxoffice, 1948
The Film Daily, 1948
Showman's Trade Review, 1948
The Film Daily, 1948
Showman's Trade Review. 1948
When MGM's The Three Musketeers (1948) outperformed MGM's own Easter Parade, this just made Leo the Lion toot his own horn even more.
Boxoffice, 1948
Boxoffice, 1948
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Now as a bonus let us sing along to some of the songs from this delightful movie.
Everyone who like me is an old movie addict, has a movie that started their addiction. For me that film was Buck Privates. As a kid I quickly fell in love with this movie. I thought Abbott and Costello were the funniest thing I had ever seen and the songs by The Andrew Sisters' song numbers were so much fun. Since I was a kid, I wasn't too critical about the romantic subplot either. This was pure entertainment of a type I was unfamiliar with before and it didn't take long for me to fall in love with classic films.
Buck Privates marked the first starring feature film for Abbott and Costello. Though they had both appeared in One Night in the Tropics before, that movie had them strictly as part of the supporting cast. Anyone who has seen One Night in the Tropics would completely understand why Abbott and Costello quickly became movie stars. That film featured Abbott and Costello at the top of their game performing some of their best skits and clearly stealing the show from the people who were meant to be the stars. Still even though Buck Privates featured Abbott and Costello as the stars, the two hardly move the plot forward. Their entire arc in the film involves the boys being drafted into the army and having to put up with having a sergeant that already has a grudge against the two. The real story of involves a spoiled rich man (Lee Bowman) who as soon as he gets drafted into the army has only one thought, how to get out. However there is one thing he likes about the army and that is a beautiful hostess played by Jane Frazee. However his former valet (Alan Curtis) has a crush on her as well leading to a love triangle. Even this plot is somewhat slight though as the main appeal of the movie is meant to be Abbott and Costello's comedy skits. Sure enough Bud and Lou are given some of their best material in this film. This material was provided heavily by John Grant. Grant had already worked with Abbott and Costello on burlesque and radio before the duo ever entered movies. A former burlesque comedian himself, John Grant had a near perfect knowledge of all the old vaudeville and burlesque routines, which proved to be perfect for Bud and Lou. Grant would continue to work with the duo until the end of their screen career. Here like in many other films he received the credit "Special material for Abbott and Costello Provided by..." Bud and Lou here are also at the top of their game full of youthful energy and pure comedic expertise. Though the boys would perform some of these skits in later films they rarely did it as well as they did here. In fact multiple takes needed to be made of the marching scene because director Arthur Lubin (the main director of Abbott and Costello's early movies and their second best director behind Charles Barton) kept cracking up. Bud and Lou had been performing these skits on stage for years and with this movie the skits reached comedic perfection.
It was common place in this era for musical numbers to be inserted into the feature films of comedy teams. Though this practice has gotten a lot of flack from old movie fans, when the music is as good as it is in Buck Privates who am I to complain. Just like Bud and Lou, The Andrew Sisters are at the top of their game. This movie quickly made me a fan of their music and why not. These songs (Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, Bounce Me Brother With a Solid Four, I'll Be With You in Apple Blossom Time) are all fantastic. This certainly left an impression on audiences of the time, and The Andrew Sisters would appear in the next two Abbott and Costello movies (In the Navy (1941), Hold That Ghost (1941)). Even Jane Frazee receives a delightful song number (I Wish You Were Here). The music would lead this film to receiving its only two Academy Award nominations, for best musical score (Charles Previn) and best song (Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B).
For this film former writer Alex Gottlieb (tell me that name doesn't make any of my fellow movie fans automatically think of A Night at the Opera (1935)) was promoted to a producer. He was not the first chosen to produce this film. In fact Universal executive Milton Field told him he was "the twenty-seventh writer I've talked to. Everyone else turned it down. They all want to be producers, too. But they all said that these are a couple of cheap burlesque comics who will never get anywhere." The reason Gottlieb agreed was that he had seen Bud and Lou preform in person and was very impressed by the effect the had on audiences. Gottlieb would tell Field, "I will be the star producer on your lot, I will make Universal rich, and I will make stars out of Abbott and Costello."
The film was a huge hit out grossing very prestigious movies of the same year such as Citizen Kane, How Green is My Valley, Sargent York and Here Comes Mr. Jordon. Just as Alex Gottlieb predicted Abbott and Costello were now movie stars of the highest order. Many films would copy Buck Privates trying to repeat the success, but none were able to. One of these movies would even star the legendary comedy duo Laurel and Hardy(Great Guns (1941)).
The following is from an issue of Screenland Magazine, "It's another one of those cases of long standing years of admiration which finally lead to a happy and unbelievable climax. You're seeing the once idolized Jack Mulhall in 'Buck Privates' today because he once was a movie hero to a stage struck high school boy back in Patterson, New Jersey. Jack Mulhall hailed from near Passiac and young Lou Costello felt that that made a particularly logical tie between them, and Lou got the movie bug very, very badly although he had never met Mulhall. In all the years of his struggle to gain recognition as an entertainer he never met the actor he admired above all others. It wasn't until a very few days before 'Buck Privates' was to go into production that he was introduced to Mulhall amid the bustle and rush of an executive's office at his studio. Lou let his bosses know that it had always been a boyhood dream to appear in a picture with Jack. That is the reason you're seeing this one time idol as the doctor in 'Buck Privates.'"
This following page from The Exhibitor has a very special story about what happened during one showing of this movie. If you have any trouble reading click on the page and use your touch screen to zoom in.
Again I love the way theaters advertised movies back in the day and you can see a fine example of that on the following page from The Motion Picture Herald.
The third entry in The Thin Man series is an excellent comedy-mystery. While it may not live up to the first movie (not that that is an insult in the slightest), but it is very entertaining in its own right. I was lucky enough to see this movie at The Old Town Music Hall last night and seeing this with an audience proved to me how delightful this film truly is, as everybody was enjoying it just as much as I was.
This film's production was plagued by health problems for star William Powell. Filming was meant to start in early 1938, but before any filming could be done, Powell was too obviously having health problems. These health problems were later revealed to be cancer. This was a tough time for Powell in general. As if having cancer weren't bad enough he had also recently lost his wife, actress Jean Harlow a year earlier and hadn't quite emotionally recovered yet. Powell would have operations in March 1938 and January 1939, and with the success of these he would be able to return to work in fall of 1939. Meanwhile he had to turn down some great movie roles including that of Maxim De Winter in Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca (1940). When Powell arrived for the first day of filming he received a standing ovation from the cast and crew, which embarrassed him quite a bit. Director Woody Van Dyke (who had also directed the previous two Thin Man movies) broke up this scene by stating "what are we wasting time for? Let's get to work." Van Dyke was known for making movies extremely quickly but he did make allowances for Powell's health with this film. Filming would only last six hours a day and crews would be doubled to compensate. Still in typical W.S. Van Dyke fashion the film was finished rather quickly and was released in November of 1939.
Another Thin Man marked the last Thin Man movie to be written by husband and wife team Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett (this is a rare Thin Man sequel to be based off an actual story by Dashiell Hammett (who wrote the original novel) (this was a short story entitled The Farewell Murder). Myrna Loy would later give the reason for this in her autobiography Being and Becoming stating "Do you know I never saw them at Metro? It's terrible, really, but unless they sent for the writers to get us out of a hole, we seldom saw them on the set....I didn't meet the Hacketts until I moved to New York in the fifties. We became friends, I'm happy to say, and Albert facetiously explained one day why they didn't write the last three Thin Man pictures: 'Finally I just threw up on my typewriter. I couldn't do it again; I couldn't write another one.' Perhaps we all should have concurred; those last three never really touched the pervious ones." Truth be told when you compare these first three movies to the last three, there is no doubt the ones written by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett are well above the later entries. While I enjoy the later films, they lack the clever and laugh out loud funny banter between Nick and Nora that these first three have. While maybe not as memorable or quotable as the first movie, the dialogue in Another Thin Man is still full of the charm and wit that one could want from a Thin Man movie. This film is just as funny today as it was in 1939. Adding to the delightful of this banter is that William Powell and Myrna Loy have lost none of their amazing chemistry. They still play off each other perfectly and a scene in a club is a sheer delight to behold.
As did many of these sequels this movie features more slapstick involving the dog Asta (who gets the largest billing in the opening credits) than the first entry. This is hardly a problem when the slapstick is as funny as it is here. There are plenty of times when Asta steals the show, which considering the cast of this movie is no easy feat. This movie also introduced a new character, Nick and Nora's son Nick Jr. (William A. Paulson). Nick Jr. has somewhat of a baring on this movie's story but rarely provides any comedy himself, letting his adult and canine costars run the whole show. This is probably for the best. One watches The Thin Man movies for the banter between Nick and Nora Charles, not for antics from a baby, and such antics could have hurt a thing that was already working./
When released this film became one of the highest grossing movies of its year and it should come as no surprise that more sequels would be in the future.
While none of these sequels quite reach the level of the first movie, Another Thin Man stands as my second favorite in the series and never fails to delight me.
Also Stooges fans should look for Shemp in a brief uncredited role.
A hit movie never failed to send MGM to tooting their own horn as can be seen by the advertisement from The Film Daily below or the advertisement from The Motion Picture Herald below that.
I love the way movie theatres advertised films back in the day and some excellent examples of that (including one for After The Thin Man) can be seen in the below two pages from The Motion Picture Herald. If you having trouble reading just click on the picture and use your touch screen to zoom in.
Hello again my friends. This blog has gone over the advertising of movies many times. However most of these posts did not go any earlier than the 1920's. Films existed for a few decades before that however. For instance how was a motion picture show advertised in 1909. Luckily for us, this part of early cinema has been covered. I don't mean by modern day film historians mind you but rather by people back then. This 1909 article from the early film magazine, The Nickelodeon gives advice on how theatre owners should advertise their movie picture shows 110 years ago. Remember if the print is too small you can always zoom in.
Run Time: 60 minutes. Studio: Harry Langdon Corporation. Director: Harry Langdon. Writers: Robert Eddy, Al Giebler, Clearance Hennecke, Harry McCoy, Arthur Ripley. Cinematographers: Frank Evans, Elgin Lessley. Main Cast: Harry Langdon, Gladys McConnell, Helen Hayward, Bud Jamison. Editor: Alfred DeGaetano.
Probably no silent movies have worse reputations than Harry Langdon's self directed films. The common belief among silent film fans is that Harry Langdon was a very talented comedian making excellent films but when he got power hungry and decided to direct the films himself the quality quickly fell and the films just became weird. However I would argue that the two self directed movies that can be seen today (Heart Trouble is currently a lost film) are actually excellent films. While Three's a Crowd (1927) is my favorite of the two, I do have a strong fondness for The Chaser as well.
The Chaser was quite a change of pace after Three's a Crowd. Three's a Crowd had more pathos than any Charlie Chaplin movie. Three's a Crowd is while a comedy a profoundly sad one. The Chaser however eschews such sadness for more pure comedy. True this comedy is very dark but so had been the comedy for many of Harry's most popular films. So one could easily argue that this movie was a return to that.
The film's storyline is very simple. Harry (Harry Langdon) spends much of his time away from home much to the annoyance of his wife (Gladys McConnell). His wife decides to sue him for divorce. However a judge (Charles Thurston) with a twisted sense of humor decides to instead have the two switch places. The wife will go to work, while the husband stays at home and takes care of all of the chores there, as well as wearing a dress of course.
Unlike Three's a Crowd with its more dramatic storyline, a film like The Chaser is a film that depends heavily on the humor. Luckily for us this movie is really funny. The scene where Harry tries to get a chicken to lay an egg shows Harry doing what he does best and getting plenty of laughs doing it. I also love the absurdity of everyone thinking Harry is a woman simply because of the dress, despite there being nothing else feminine about his appearance or actions. Any other silent film comedian would have made the character act more traditionally feminine (think of Fatty Arbuckle's many drag scenes), but Harry being a subversive comic and playing a character who would never do this, Harry gets just as many laughs by not doing the usual gag, but by instead turning it on its head. The suicide note contains some absolutely brilliant dark humor. To be fair the scene involving Harry's ability to kiss women and make them faint goes on a bit too long and the idea was funnier when done in the Harry Langdon short, Soldier Man (1926). Still the majority of the humor is really funny and the film is a delight.
As mentioned in the previous paragraph this movie borrowed a gag from Solider Man. This was not the only one of Langdon's classic shorts borrowed from here. Also borrowed from is one of Harry's most famous short films, Saturday Afternoon (1926). In that short, Harry is a henpecked husband whose "friend" (Vernon Dent) convinces Harry to go along on a night out on a double date behind his wife's (Alice Ward) back. The same basic storyline becomes the third act of The Chaser. In The Chaser the friend was played by Bud Jamison. Interestingly in the talkie era Vernon Dent and Bud Jamison would be The Three Stooges' most common costars both playing similar roles where they would get the worst consequences from the Stooges' actions. Dent was Harry's most common costar appearing in many many Harry Langdon shorts and features. Bud Jamison appeared in less Harry Langdon films than Dent, but he had previously been in Harry's feature film His First Flame (1927) and would later be in the lost Harry feature Heart Trouble (1928).
An advertisement for the film in Variety.
You can see two great ways showings of this movie was advertised in the below page of First National News.
The Chaser may not be my favorite Harry Langdon feature, but I still think it is much better than its reputation and certainly deserves more positive attention. This is a fun and often hilarious comedy that I really enjoy and I hope you might like it as well.
This movie is on YouTube so you can watch it below. Enjoy.
The Bobby Bumps cartoon series was one of the best animated series of the 1910's, often providing clever gags that were ahead of their time.
To advertise these cartoons in the magazine, Film Fun, appeared some comic strips featuring the character. I have three of those to share today. Notice the first one is an adaption of the animated short, Bobby Bump and the Storks (1916), while the second is an adaption of Bobby Bumps Starts a Lodge (1916), and the third is an adaption of Bobby Bumps at the Circus (1916). The first two strips were from 1916, while the last strip is from 1917.
As a bonus treat here are the three cartoons those strips were based on.
The following is an article from the Motion Picture Herald, dated August 24, 1943 and titled A Man, A Horse and a Campaign.
"This is a story of how a star was made. Its is the story of a campaign which added to the integrity of motion picture exploitation and the publicity of the advertising principals and methods of a toothpaste manufacturer.
"The star is Republic's Roy Rogers and his horse Trigger, and this is how it happened.
"Gene Autry top box office western star and for two years high up in the charmed circle of Hollywood's ten biggest money makers, was U.S. Army Bound. Time was short. Republic and its customers wanted a successor in an hurry. So driven by necessity, the studio decided upon a record-breaking apportion for the buildup of the man they hoped to crown 'King of the Cowboys.'
"Promotion Went into High With Rodeo Appearance"By October 25, 1942, nine months ago, the Rogers' promotional campaign was in high gear. On that date he appeared in New York's Madison square garden, at the World's Championship Rodeo. Roy took only the proverbial bull by the horns, leaving the rough stuff for the professional cowboys out for cash prizes, but he got top billing and during his New York visit appeared on Fred Allen's radio program, was photographed at Randolph Field and exchanged with Mayor LaGuardia a pair of silver spurs for the key to the city.
"In the whirlwind campaign that followed, the name of the man who was to be Gene Autry's successor became known to public and exhibitors alike. Autry's rise to fame was slow but steady, but Roy Rogers' name was shot across the cinema horizon like a fighter plane heading for his target.
"Through national magazines, newspapers, rural weeklies, billboards and the airwaves, the campaign has deluged the American public with volumes of Roy Rogers material.
"By topping press and radio publicity and advertising with personal appearances of their Western star, Republic has seen to it that few are the Americans who have neither seen nor heard of Rogers. As a result, exhibitors not only have found themselves with a name to substitute for Gene Autry, but are also finding that their Western-fan patrons are more concerned with who is heading the cast then with the title.
"Engaged in Six-Week Tour of American Army Camps"Leaving New York in October of last year, Rogers appeared with the rodeo in Boston and Buffalo. From Buffalo, he went to Toledo, to participate in the Community Chest Drive. Then followed a six week tour of Army camps, with 136 performances in 20 days. Roy ended that phase of his campaign in Las Vegas, where he was named Grand Marshall of the Helldorado celebration, and where he checked into his hotel astride his horse Trigger who holding a pencil in his mouth signed the register with an X as the cameras clicked.
"When time allowed he took to the road, making personal appearances from coast to coast, calling on children at orphanages in Washington and Texas, performing for soldiers at camps, USO Canteens, Stage Door Canteens and participating in War Bond drives.
"His personal appearances hit a climax two weeks ago when he appeared at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago in conjunction with the first run of his 'Song of Texas.' Even the studio has lost count of the number of his personal appearances.
"In conjunction with the Rogers' tours, Republic has plastered billboards from coast to coast with advertisements of their cowboy star, reading: 'Roy Rogers - King of the Cowboys - 'Trigger' - Smartest Horse in the Movies - Appearing in Republic Pictures - Satisfying America's Demand for Western Romance!' Republic points out that the display concerns Roy and Trigger only, all without reference to the title of any picture.
"There followed in the wake of this combined exploitation and advertising a great flood of publicity in fan and general magazines, daily newspapers and weeklies. Photographs of Rogers, usually in the company of Trigger, appeared in display windows, pamphlets and all types of periodicals. Roy astride Trigger rearing up on his hind legs, decorated the Life Magazine's July 12th issue with a featured story inside.
"In exploitation, all chapters of the Junior Rodeo fans of America, a national organization, are kept informed by Republic where and when Roy Rogers films are showing and in many cases are feeding their local chapters with the same service.
"Past and Present Cowboy Kings Unique Stunt "There are two albums of Roy Rogers Cowboy Songs, published in cooperation with Republic. The company is prepared to provide exhibitors with the sheet music albums at reduced prices for promotional prize contests or tieups with music stores.
"One exhibitor worked out his own exploitation idea. The Skouras Victory theatre in Bayside, N.Y., booked William S. Hart's 'Tumbleweed,' ran it with 'Idaho,' staring Roy Rogers, and advertised the program as 'King of the Cowboys, Past and Present.'
"The first known Western star was Max Aronson, former vaudeville actor, who, as Broncho Billy Anderson, directed, produced and stared in screenplays written by Max Aronson, turning out one a week for 376 weeks. In the season just ended, Roy Rogers starred in eight big-budget (Some $350,000 per picture) films for Republic, with eight more big-budget pictures scheduled for the new season.
"Republic executives have emphasized that through consistent use of trade paper advertising, the exhibitor has been kept abreast of the national campaign, conceived and supervised by Charles Reed Jones, Republic's director of advertising and publicity.
"Report 100 Per Cent Rise on Rogers Films "At their recent sales meetings Republic officials announced that film rental grosses on current releases had reached a new high surpassing all expectations, and that the gross receipts on the Roy Rogers big-budget films were 100 per cent above last year.
"James R. Grainger, Republic president has attributed the 100 per cent rise in receipts on Rogers' films to the increased production budgets, and the advertising and exploitation campaign on the films. Ad no small percentage of the expenditure went into the personal promotion of Roy Rogers, 'King of Cowboys.'"
Now for our music selection for today. This clip is from the 35th episode (the 6th episode of the 2nd season) of the TV show Hee Haw (1969-1997), which premiered on October, 20, 1970. Also guest staring on this episode was Roy's wife, singing partner, and often film costar Dale Evans and Doug Kershaw. Roy was a popular guest star on this show appearing in 4 episodes in season 2 alone. The song Roy is performing in the script is a Merle Haggard cover, The Fighting Side of Me. This patriotic song was written by Merle. It was released as a single in December 1969, and then was the title track for his 1970 live album.
It is hard to believe there were ever protests against such a good hearted Christian film as Captain Salvation (1927). The film's story centers on a young man named Anson Campbell (played by Lars Hansen), who is as a title tells us torn between two loves. These are his love of serving God and of the sea. One day he sees a woman (probably a prostitute, though never directly stated) named Bess Morgan (played by Pauline Starke) being treated very harshly in his town, because she is sinful. He helps her out and takes care of her, but this ends up ruining his life with the town folks, his girlfriend (played by Marceline Day) and seemingly his ministry. Distraught he joins up with a ship hoping to leave it all behind. However Bess is on the ship, and the captain (played by Ernest Torrance) is not exactly the nicest of fellows. However this leads him to learn all that God actually has in store for him.
The idea that a movie like this could be considered immoral seems unthinkable today, but it did get attacked as such. This is evidenced in an article in Exhibitors World Herald (dated September 3, 1927). This article speaks about how when the film was shown in the Meserole theatre in Brooklyn New York, Edward P. Doyle (an assemblyman) wrote an angry letter in response to this movie, which he felt was an attack against priests and ministers. The owner of the cinema, Sidney Larschan wrote an open letter in the local newspaper to respond. In this open letter Larschan in a very respectful manner addresses each of Doyle's points and talks about why the picture is a perfectly fine movie not worth getting upset about. Larschan could not be nicer or more respecting in this letter if he tried. He even wrote "Thanks for your letter assemblyman Doyle. You are a representative well worthy of the community you represent. We invite you together with your family to view this picture when it is shown at the Meserole theatre." The writer of the article in Exhibitors World Herald seemed impressed by this response writing "Larschan's method of answering Doyle is a masterpiece in meeting a problem of this sort. His letter thoroughly answers Doyle and at the same time it spreads valuable propaganda for the theatre and advertises the picture better than any straight ad would have done." It is hard to argue with this, as this open letter would have made me interested in seeing the movie certainly. Still this is a story that has to be seen to be believed and that is why beside the article, Exhibitors World Herald posted both original letters for their fans to see. To see this article and these letters click here. Enjoy it is certainly good reading.
In many ways I consider the silent era the golden age of Christian films. While there are many great films with Christian messages released over the years the best ones seem to be from the silent era. These include such amazing films as Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ, Sparrows (ok it may not be your typical Christian film but it definitely has a Christian message), King of Kings, Noah's Ark, the original Ten Commandments and this gem. As a Christian myself, I have a special fondness for the Christian films of the silent era and Captain Salvation is no exception.
This is a fantastic movie in many ways. The story is really engaging, the acting is great, the film looks great (hugely thanks to cinematographer William Daniels) and the whole movie is just charming. Also adding to the movies charm is John Coulton's extremely well written and intelligently thought out intertitles. As all silent film fans know, poorly written intertitles can take their toll on other wise great films, but well written ones can make a great movie even better. Don't think that because I'm Christian and am praising a Christian movie that it does not hold much for non-Christians, this film has more than enough to satisfy any fan of silent cinema.
When one looks at old movie magazines what amazes one is the lengths went to to advertise a movie. One example is Disney's 1941 masterpiece (and my favorite animated Disney movie) Dumbo. The following article from The Showman's Trade Review (Dated October 4, 1941) gives us an example of how well advertised this movie was.
-Michael J. Ruhland
"Special exploitation and promotion on Walt Disney's forthcoming feature 'Dumbo' to be released by RKO October 31, was instituted in the Sep. 13 issue of the Saturday Evening Post, with a full page color advertisement inserted by the Parker Pen Company.
"'Dumbo' is the keynote of the fall campaign of the Parker Company in featuring their Quink writing fluid. The same ad is to be repeated in the Comic Weekly (King Features) which is inserted in leading newspapers throughout the country. Approximately 100,000 dealers would cooperate in the campaign using over 2,000,000 'Dumbo' song books as premiums.
"Additional 'Dumbo' coverage is identified with breaks in 33 national magazines with an aggregate circulation of 50,000,000 together with roto and black and white newspaper pictorials having a combined circulation of 100,000,000.
"Over 100 leading department stores will feature 'Dumbo' in their window displays, toy departments and local newspaper advertising for the period from Thanksgiving to Christmas. These include Robinson's, Los Angles; Kaufman's, Pittsburg; Wieboldt's, Chicago; Stixbaer & Fuller, St. Louis; Kern's, Detroit; Rhodes', Seattle; Foley Brother's, Houston; Weinstock Lubin, Sacramento; Block's, Indianapolis; Bloomingdale's, New York and Peck's, Kanas City.
"The Mid-Continent Petroleum corporation, operating in Oklahoma, Kanas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana, will feature 'Dumbo' in its newspaper and billing advertising, giving away 'Dumbo' masks, celluloid buttons and a comic weekly at over 4,000 filling stations.
"The Minnesota Valley Company, manufactures of Niblets and Green Giant Peas, will feature a number of characters including 'Dumbo' in their national advertising.
"List of manufactures licensed to adapt the characters from 'Dumbo' for merchandising tie-ups is as follows : American Dental Association, molds, giveaways for dentists; Character Novelty Company, stuffed dolls; Cohn & Rosenburger Inc., novelty jewelry; A.S. Fishbach, Inc., masks, costumes; Fisher Price Inc., Pull Toys; Hermann Handkerchief Co. Inc., handkerchiefs, scarves and neckerchief; Ideal Novelty and Toy Co. Inc., dolls of wood pulp; Lightfoot Schultz Co., soap; Louis Marx & Co., mechanical toys; Harris I. Nirenstien, static electric toy; Oak Rubber Co., rubber balloons, inflated rubber figures; Ohio Art Company, toys and pails, sand sets, housekeeper sets, lithographed steel toys; Owens-Illinois Glass Co., glass tumblers and containers; Paas Dye Company, Easter egg paper transfers; Plastic Novelties Inc., pencil sharpeners; Stark Brothers Ribbon Corp., ribbons and bows; W. L. Stensgaard & Associates Inc., retail store displays; P. Wunderle Inc. dandies; Garden City Publishing Co., three books; Whitman Publishing Company, two books (10 cents) ; Dell Publishing Company, cutout books, paint books, fast action book and K.K. Publications Inc., giveaway book for holiday promotion."
The following is a quick article from the Motion Picture Herald (dated July 27, 1940).
"Three trailers are being made by Walter Wagner for his 'Foreign Correspondent' to be released by United Artists. The first 80 feet in length, will incorporate scenes directed by Alfred Hitchcock; the second, 120 feet, will stress the film's leading players, and the third, 265 feet will be general. They will be released three, two weeks and one week prior to first run openings."
The next article is not only in the same issue of Motion Picture Herald, but on the same page.
"The Newark Sunday Call has launched a 12-week film festival for under privileged children on a non-profit basis at the Little Theater, Newark. The films to be shown during the festival will be revivals chosen by readers in a poll conducted by the newspaper. Readers also, in the poll, voted for duals two to one. The films selected, alphabetically, are 'A Star is Born' 'The Awful Truth' 'Captains Courageous' 'Cavalcade' 'The Citadel' 'Count of Monte Cristo' 'Dark Victory' 'Dodsworth' 'Goodbye Mr. Chips' 'The Good Earth' 'It Happened One Night' 'Lost Horizon' 'Mr. Deeds Goes to Town' 'Mutiny on the Bounty' 'My Man Godfrey' 'Nothing Sacred' ' Of Human Bondage' 'Pygmalion' 'Rose Marie' 'San Francisco' 'Sweethearts' 'Theodora Goes Wild' 'Three Smart Girls' and 'The Women.'"
The following is an article from The Exhibitor dated November 24, 1943. To see it as it originally was with illustrations click here.
-Michael J. Ruhland
"Republic employed extensive newspaper, billboard and radio coverage, in addition to a widespread publicity campaign, to promote Roy Rogers in the more than 235 theaters in Metropolitan New York and suburbs which played his Republic big-budget specials during the personal appearance of the King of the Cowboys as guest-star of the World's Championship Rodeo at Madison Square Garden recently.
"One-Thousand line advertisements appeared in 73 daily, semi-weekly and weekly newspapers in New York City, Westchester, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties, with a combined circulation of 975,905. These newspapers which cater to Brooklyn readers carried advertisements on 'Man From Music Mountain' in connection with the first-run engagement of this production at Brooklyn Strand and also featured a box of copy reading 'Roy Rogers' Day in Brooklyn.'
"Three-sheets were posted in Long Island railroad terminals as far out as Hempstead, L. I; New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad terminals as far out as Stamford Conn. and all New York ferry terminals. One-sheets were posted in the Hudson tubes and in all New York subways and elevated platforms. For several days prior to the Brooklyn Strand opening of 'Man From Music Mountain' one sheets in that borough heralded this booking later to be stripped to call attention to the Rodeo appearance and showings 'at your favorite theater.'
"Radio spot announcements were heard by the listening audiences.
"A theater contest promotion arranged in collaboration with Madison Square Garden was employed by many theaters. Heralds were distributed outlining the contest and theaters distributed numbered tickets to all attending performances with winners with lucky tickets being guests of Rogers at a luncheon and at the rodeo performance. The number of tickets was limited only by the number of theater visits.
"The Skouras theaters employed a variation of the contest by having youngsters compete in a cartoon coloring contest for the same prizes.
"Fan-club members were guests of the King of the Cowboys at a special reception held at the Hotel Astor.
"A fan-club booth was set up for a three-day period in the lobby of the Tivoli through the cooperation of manager Bert Korbel. Members distributed their publication, the RR Ranch News and enlisted new members.
"Many stores throughout the city promoted the rodeo appearance by Roy Rogers windows, Decca records cooperated in arranging for the use of a Roy Rogers display card, calling attention to the recordings of the star under this label and to his rodeo appearances.
"During his visit, Rogers made many personal appearances highlighted by visits to the Stagedoor Canteen with Trigger; the Merchant Marine Base, at sheepshead Bay; L. I., the St. John's home and Jewish Hospital, Brooklyn; the New York Infirmary, Bellevue Hospital and the fat drive at the Chrysler building.
"He appeared on such radio programs as Steamboat Johnson, WNEW; Bessy Beatty, WOR; the Edgar Bergan Chase and Sanborn hour, NBC; Nick Kenny's Youthopia program, WMCA; Truth and Consequences, NBC; Bill Stern, NBC; the Army Air Show, MUTAL; Mary Spaulding Broadcast, NBC; and Shirley Eder, WMCA, among others."
When one looks at old movie magazines what amazes one is the lengths went to to advertise a movie. One example is Disney's 1941 masterpiece (and my favorite animated Disney movie) Dumbo. The following article from The Showman's Trade Review (Dated October 4, 1941) gives us an example of how well advertised this movie was.
