Hondo, Is the blank space for dates and theatre name etc.? Okie
It would have to be the logical reason one would think.
Australian long daybills 15'' x 40'' applied the blank section at the top of the poster for screening dates , etc. to be added to the poster at the cinemas . This style of daybill ceased being used in 1941 when the 10'' x 30'' sizre, without a blank section at the top, then replaced the long daybill size poster.
My problem is Australian one sheet posters were never printed with a blank section at the top. This A Yank in The R.A.F. posteri is the only example that I have ever sighted of the inclusion of a blank section at the top of a one sheet poster.
Venus Of The South Seas ( 1924 ). Example of the blank section being applied to a long dayboll.
Maybe it was a one time experiment for one sheets? If the long style of daybill was discontinued in 1941, and A Yank In The R.A.F. was also 1941, maybe they tried it with that one sheet and decided not to continue if.
Maybe it was a one time experiment for one sheets? If the long style of daybill was discontinued in 1941, and A Yank In The R.A.F. was also 1941, maybe they tried it with that one sheet and decided not to continue if.
Great thinking and certainly a possibility. The only thing though is that the time frame is a little out, The film was first released in Australia in Sydney on the 13th March 1942. This would appear to me to be a liitle late for an experimental poster to have been printed and circulated. This has to be another one of those things that we will never receive an answer for. I do appreciate your imput though.
Hondo, Is the blank space for dates and theatre name etc.? Okie
Sometimes blank areas WERE used for playdates, like on window cards, but more often these kinds of blank areas were for the second half of a double bill. All these youngsters here don't know that a TON of theaters were "second run" theaters that showed movies that had been out for a year or more, and they had low prices, and they almost always showed two movies, to double the chance of getting customers.
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Hondo, Is the blank space for dates and theatre name etc.? Okie
Sometimes blank areas WERE used for playdates, like on window cards, but more often these kinds of blank areas were for the second half of a double bill. All these youngsters here don't know that a TON of theaters were "second run" theaters that showed movies that had been out for a year or more, and they had low prices, and they almost always showed two movies, to double the chance of getting customers.
You are talking U.S.A. posters and there usage there, but I cannot see this one solitary poster example falling into the additional double bill film details to be added category. This is unless of course as Dede had previously suggested. this poster could have been a trial poster and this was perhaps the failed aim for it's poster usage in Australia..
My problem is Australian one sheet posters were never printed with a blank section at the top. This A Yank in The R.A.F. posteri is the only example that I have ever sighted of the inclusion of a blank section at the top of a one sheet poster.
There at least a couple other mid-40s Fox one sheets that have somewhat similar blank space. I would assume it is for what Okie has suggested (just like long daybills with the blank top area). It is interesting that it only seems to have occurred during war time:
There at least a couple other mid-40s Fox one sheets that have somewhat similar blank space. I would assume it is for what Okie has suggested (just like long daybills with the blank top area). It is interesting that it only seems to have occurred during war time:
I have given the three posters in question a lot of thought, and have come up with the following,
A ) The three posters in question are all from 20th Century Fox. No other posters from any other distributors have been sighted with this blank section at the bottom. If this doesn't happen to be the case please let me know.
B ) Secondly the two latest examples of The Gang's All Here and Sweet Rosie O'Grady one sheet posters were released in Australia in 1943, the year after A Yank In The R.A.F was. Notice that the two Australian poster designs are barebones posters with the main female stars images only appearing on the poster. The poster designs don't resemble the below original U.S.A. one sheet posters at all. It would seem to me that little to no artwork was received in time from the U,S.A. for the Australian poster artists to work with.
If these two posters in 1943 had been printed with room for theatre details to be added to, why then wasn't it uniform then, with all posters from 20th Century Fox in 1942 and 1943 having this blank section included on them also?
My theory is that the poster artist/s who designed the two Australian one sheet posters misqued the designing layout of the poster and simptly ended up with a lot of empty space left over at the bottom. There also isn't a border surrounding a blank area.
This now leads me to the A Yank In The R.A.F. one sheet.
I believe this poster was produced in this manner for completly different reasons than the two just discussed posters were.
All other 20th Century Fox Australian one sheets from 1942 and 1943 that I have located, including This Above All, The Black Swan, Crash Drive. Jitterbugs, and Happy Land all are full poster designed images.
Hondo, Do you think it was for a military information/recruiting purpose? Rationing information perhaps? "Join the Australian Air Force" ...? Okie
What a great suggesttion for the A Yank In The R.A.F. one sheet poster. If this was the case though, it would have had to be the R.A.A.F. and not the R.A.F. recruiting information added to the poster.
Jack The Ripper ( 1959 ) Australian daybill. Released in Sydney Australia in 1961, I wonder what the blank section at the top of this poster is all about in this case?
Bwana Devil ( 1952 ) 3 dimention advertised Australian daybill poster, and the Australian 3 dimensional daybill poster, along with the non 3D style poster, of House Of Wax ( 1953 ).
The following is a 1950s list of 3D films that were released in the U.S.A.
From the total of 62 3D produced films appearing on the list the Bwana Devil and the House Of Wax Australian daybills appearing above are the only two examples of posters advertising the 3D process. so far located Both these films were released in Australia in 1953.
The 3D fad was short lived in Australia and the vast majotity of the 62 3D produced films were shown in Australia in non 3D versions. A small number of films were screened Australia wide in 3D, and a few others had a limited number of theatricall 3D screenings only.
My question is,does anyone have or seen any other Australian daybills of any other films with a 3 dimension crediit appearing on them?
Here is a few titles that were screened in Australia in 3D, if only with limited screenings. It would appear the films were mainly screend in 3D in State capitals only.
The Maze There is a normal non 3D daybill for this title. Man In The Dark Jesse James Vs. The Daltons The Stranger Wore A Gun Fort Ti The Charge At Feather River There is a normal non 3D daybill for this title. Spooks! ( 3 stooges short ) There most likely wasn't a daybill produced for this film,
My thinking is that the two early released Bwana Devil and House Of Wax films 3D daybills were printed when the distributors thought the bookings would flow in for 3D screenings. When this just didn't happen it was decided they wouldn't continue printing a seperate 3D credited poster.
Back to our earlier discussed Sweet Rosie O'Grady poster, it would certainly appear to me that the above scene was the sole material from which the poster was designed. This would have to then explain the blank space at the bottom of the poster, as the Australian poster artist didn't have any other material to work with.
Missed seeing this particular still. Much closer to the Australian one sheet image too. Apart from the slant of the sheet music, the Betty Grable image looks exactly the same as drawn on the one sheet..
An artist would easily stretch out that artwork to fill the entire poster. I think it was deliberately left blank, possibly for serial / news / shorts info to be added. The posters were originally drawn up in small scale. The mock-ups I have seen were about quarter size.
An artist would easily stretch out that artwork to fill the entire poster. I think it was deliberately left blank, possibly for serial / news / shorts info to be added. The posters were originally drawn up in small scale. The mock-ups I have seen were about quarter size.
The reason I think this wasn't the case is why were only two 20th Century Fox one sheet posters, found to date from this period, produced in this style?
If you are working off Australian one sheets - 20th C Fox - 1940s on EMP, then there are less than 30 examples pictured, so you can't really make a judgement from that amount. In 1940 alone Fox produced 48 films, so must be close to 500 over the whole decade. Could have been a space for War Bonds snipes, as previously suggested by okie. I just don't think that it was a mistake in the layout. Serials and news reels were very popular at this period, and the exhibitors were accustomed to a space for writing as per the long daybills, which had only just ended. Probably never know for sure, but that is just my gut feeling.
Did they not show double bills in Australia in the 1940s? In the U.S., after a movie had been out for a while, it moved to a second run theater which would pair it with another movie that had been out for a while, often an A movie paired with a B movie.
To me it makes perfect sense they would write in the name of the second movie in the blank area.
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If you are working off Australian one sheets - 20th C Fox - 1940s on EMP, then there are less than 30 examples pictured, so you can't really make a judgement from that amount. In 1940 alone Fox produced 48 films, so must be close to 500 over the whole decade. Could have been a space for War Bonds snipes, as previously suggested by okie. I just don't think that it was a mistake in the layout. Serials and news reels were very popular at this period, and the exhibitors were accustomed to a space for writing as per the long daybills, which had only just ended. Probably never know for sure, but that is just my gut feeling.
Ves Three images posted.
The six more poster images have me now thinking a little different. The following are my thoughts on what I think may have been the reason for the blank section being applied on the wartime A sheet poster
These examples were from films released in Australia between December 1941 and sometime in 1942. This blank section poster application would appear to have been in use for only a short period of time.
The Little Foxes RKO poster was restored and is on linen. Could this particular poster have been originally printed without the blank section, with the extended blank area only added in the restoration process? The blank area being at the top and not the bottom of the poster, along with no other RKO poster examples being found as yet has me thinking the restoration and linen backing was the contributing factor for the blank area at the top of the poster..
Mayerling was released in Australia in 1939, a few years before all the other films were released. This film was released by the new independent Australian film distributor Metropolitan Films. The reason for the blank section being printed at the top of the poster has nothing to do with the 20th Century Fox and MGM film posters having blank areas due to the time factor.
The two MGM films and the five titles from 2Oth Century Fox that were released during the period of December 1941 into 1942 appear to be been printed this way for specific reason. Australia had entered World War 11 on the 3rd of September 1939 and the U.S.A. on the 11th December 1941. Was this blank area, as Matt earlier had suggested may have been the reason for the blank area being printed this way to promote war bonds and war savings certificates,? Any participating cinemas could fill in some information there such as the following example?
An Australian newspaper cinema placed advertisement
Columbia Pictures actually printed ''Lend to defend - buy war bonds savings certificates!'' on a select number only of one sheets, and at least one daybill that they printed up to 1944. Columbia was the only known Australian film distributor to add war bonds information to their film posters.
Did they not show double bills in Australia in the 1940s? In the U.S., after a movie had been out for a while, it moved to a second run theater which would pair it with another movie that had been out for a while, often an A movie paired with a B movie.
To me it makes perfect sense they would write in the name of the second movie in the blank area.
Good thinking and yes they did do as you suggested, but due to the short time factor of their usage, and when these poster examples were printed during World War 11, I believe the printing of the posters was for the reasons I have just written about above.
MGM's Honky Tonk, Woman Of The Year, When Ladies Meet,The Chocolate Soldier and the re-issue of The Firefly (1937 ), which was re-released in Australia in 1942. These five poster examples fit in with my previous thoughts about the late 1941 and 1942 period when these posters with the, blank section on the botton of the posters were circulated. When Ladies Meet was released in Australia in October 1941 and the other four films during 1942.
King Of The Zombies ( 1941 ) Australian daybill. A rare censorship rating of ''Censors Warning Suitable For Adults Only'' that I cannot recollect seeing presented in this form previously. Apart from the added Censors Warning wording, the rating using the same words used in the normally worded version of '' Suitable only for adults'' are arranged in a different way.
Has anyone seen this presentation on any other Australian film posters or advertising material?
Two Australian cinema advertisements. One has a ''For Adults Only'' rating, and the other example without a rating at all.
What was a common practice in Australia, and taking place right up to the 1960's was the double features programming of general exhibition classified films being reguarly booked with 'Not Suitable For Children'', and even ''Suitable Only For Adults classified films. What you see above is a children's Hopalong Cassidy Saturday matinee film being shown on the same programme with an adults only rated horror film.
Bruce just sold this beautiful extremely rare first release Australian daybill of Sleeping Beauty ( 1959 ) for $ 1,313 U.S. I certainly didn't see such a high price being reached, did you?
Comments
Australian long daybills 15'' x 40'' applied the blank section at the top of the poster for screening dates , etc. to be added to the poster at the cinemas . This style of daybill ceased being used in 1941 when the 10'' x 30'' sizre, without a blank section at the top, then replaced the long daybill size poster.
My problem is Australian one sheet posters were never printed with a blank section at the top. This A Yank in The R.A.F. posteri is the only example that I have ever sighted of the inclusion of a blank section at the top of a one sheet poster.
Venus Of The South Seas ( 1924 ). Example of the blank section being applied to a long dayboll.
Peter
This has to be another one of those things that we will never receive an answer for. I do appreciate your imput though.
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You are talking U.S.A. posters and there usage there, but I cannot see this one solitary poster example falling into the additional double bill film details to be added category. This is unless of course as Dede had previously suggested. this poster could have been a trial poster and this was perhaps the failed aim for it's poster usage in Australia..
I have given the three posters in question a lot of thought, and have come up with the following,
A ) The three posters in question are all from 20th Century Fox. No other posters from any other distributors have been sighted with this blank section at the bottom. If this doesn't happen to be the case please let me know.
B ) Secondly the two latest examples of The Gang's All Here and Sweet Rosie O'Grady one sheet posters were released in Australia in 1943, the year after A Yank In The R.A.F was. Notice that the two Australian poster designs are barebones posters with the main female stars images only appearing on the poster. The poster designs don't resemble the below original U.S.A. one sheet posters at all. It would seem to me that little to no artwork was received in time from the U,S.A. for the Australian poster artists to work with.
If these two posters in 1943 had been printed with room for theatre details to be added to, why then wasn't it uniform then, with all posters from 20th Century Fox in 1942 and 1943 having this blank section included on them also?
My theory is that the poster artist/s who designed the two Australian one sheet posters misqued the designing layout of the poster and simptly ended up with a lot of empty space left over at the bottom. There also isn't a border surrounding a blank area.
This now leads me to the A Yank In The R.A.F. one sheet.
I believe this poster was produced in this manner for completly different reasons than the two just discussed posters were.
All other 20th Century Fox Australian one sheets from 1942 and 1943 that I have located, including This Above All, The Black Swan, Crash Drive. Jitterbugs, and Happy Land all are full poster designed images.
I will be interested in hearing what you think,
Peter
The Girls He Left Behind ( aka The Gang's All Here ) Australia one sheet and the daybill. Same design material only slightly arranged differently.
Jack The Ripper ( 1959 ) Australian daybill. Released in Sydney Australia in 1961, I wonder what the blank section at the top of this poster is all about in this case?
Bwana Devil ( 1952 ) 3 dimention advertised Australian daybill poster, and the Australian 3 dimensional daybill poster, along with the non 3D style poster, of House Of Wax ( 1953 ).
The following is a 1950s list of 3D films that were released in the U.S.A.
Category:1950s 3D films - Wikipedia
From the total of 62 3D produced films appearing on the list the Bwana Devil and the House Of Wax Australian daybills appearing above are the only two examples of posters advertising the 3D process. so far located Both these films were released in Australia in 1953.
The 3D fad was short lived in Australia and the vast majotity of the 62 3D produced films were shown in Australia in non 3D versions. A small number of films were screened Australia wide in 3D, and a few others had a limited number of theatricall 3D screenings only.
My question is,does anyone have or seen any other Australian daybills of any other films with a 3 dimension crediit appearing on them?
Here is a few titles that were screened in Australia in 3D, if only with limited screenings. It would appear the films were mainly screend in 3D in State capitals only.
The Maze There is a normal non 3D daybill for this title.
Man In The Dark
Jesse James Vs. The Daltons
The Stranger Wore A Gun
Fort Ti
The Charge At Feather River There is a normal non 3D daybill for this title.
Spooks! ( 3 stooges short ) There most likely wasn't a daybill produced for this film,
My thinking is that the two early released Bwana Devil and House Of Wax films 3D daybills were printed when the distributors thought the bookings would flow in for 3D screenings. When this just didn't happen it was decided they wouldn't continue printing a seperate 3D credited poster.
Back to our earlier discussed Sweet Rosie O'Grady poster, it would certainly appear to me that the above scene was the sole material from which the poster was designed. This would have to then explain the blank space at the bottom of the poster, as the Australian poster artist didn't have any other material to work with.
Peter
The posters were originally drawn up in small scale. The mock-ups I have seen were about quarter size.
Could have been a space for War Bonds snipes, as previously suggested by okie. I just don't think that it was a mistake in the layout. Serials and news reels were very popular at this period, and the exhibitors were accustomed to a space for writing as per the long daybills, which had only just ended. Probably never know for sure, but that is just my gut feeling.
Blood and Sand is trimmed and has paper stuck to it but sill blank space
To me it makes perfect sense they would write in the name of the second movie in the blank area.
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The six more poster images have me now thinking a little different. The following are my thoughts on what I think may have been the reason for the blank section being applied on the wartime A sheet poster
These examples were from films released in Australia between December 1941 and sometime in 1942. This blank section poster application would appear to have been in use for only a short period of time.
The Little Foxes RKO poster was restored and is on linen. Could this particular poster have been originally printed without the blank section, with the extended blank area only added in the restoration process? The blank area being at the top and not the bottom of the poster, along with no other RKO poster examples being found as yet has me thinking the restoration and linen backing was the contributing factor for the blank area at the top of the poster..
Mayerling was released in Australia in 1939, a few years before all the other films were released. This film was released by the new independent Australian film distributor Metropolitan Films. The reason for the blank section being printed at the top of the poster has nothing to do with the 20th Century Fox and MGM film posters having blank areas due to the time factor.
The two MGM films and the five titles from 2Oth Century Fox that were released during the period of December 1941 into 1942 appear to be been printed this way for specific reason. Australia had entered World War 11 on the 3rd of September 1939 and the U.S.A. on the 11th December 1941. Was this blank area, as Matt earlier had suggested may have been the reason for the blank area being printed this way to promote war bonds and war savings certificates,? Any participating cinemas could fill in some information there such as the following example?
Columbia Pictures actually printed ''Lend to defend - buy war bonds savings certificates!'' on a select number only of one sheets, and at least one daybill that they printed up to 1944. Columbia was the only known Australian film distributor to add war bonds information to their film posters.
MGM's Honky Tonk, Woman Of The Year, When Ladies Meet,The Chocolate Soldier and the re-issue of The Firefly (1937 ), which was re-released in Australia in 1942. These five poster examples fit in with my previous thoughts about the late 1941 and 1942 period when these posters with the, blank section on the botton of the posters were circulated. When Ladies Meet was released in Australia in October 1941 and the other four films during 1942.
King Of The Zombies ( 1941 ) Australian daybill. A rare censorship rating of ''Censors Warning Suitable For Adults Only'' that I cannot recollect seeing presented in this form previously. Apart from the added Censors Warning wording, the rating using the same words used in the normally worded version of '' Suitable only for adults'' are arranged in a different way.
Has anyone seen this presentation on any other Australian film posters or advertising material?
Two Australian cinema advertisements. One has a ''For Adults Only'' rating, and the other example without a rating at all.
What was a common practice in Australia, and taking place right up to the 1960's was the double features programming of general exhibition classified films being reguarly booked with 'Not Suitable For Children'', and even ''Suitable Only For Adults classified films. What you see above is a children's Hopalong Cassidy Saturday matinee film being shown on the same programme with an adults only rated horror film.
Bruce just sold this beautiful extremely rare first release Australian daybill of Sleeping Beauty ( 1959 ) for $ 1,313 U.S. I certainly didn't see such a high price being reached, did you?