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Earliest classification

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  • Good spot, Bruce.
    I only looked at the titles and saw both 1931 films.
    Some hint with text: "in response to innumerable requests"

  • edited May 2021
    Mark said:
    Good spot, Bruce.
    I only looked at the titles and saw both 1931 films.
    Some hint with text: "in response to innumerable requests"

     The Man In Possession is actually in fact the Australian release title for the 1937 film Personal Property. This title connection was previously mentioned by Bruce.



    ( 1931 )                                     ( 1937 )



    1937 English pressbook for The Man In Possession issued when the title was changed from Personal Property when the film was released there. In Australia in 1937 Personal Property was first released also as The Man In Possession.

    There were two versions adapted by MGM from the H. M. Harwood play The Man In Possession. The first version using the same name starred Robert Montgomery and was released in 1931. Only six years later in 1937 a second adaptation was released in the U.S.A. with the new title of Personal Property which then starred Robert Taylor and Jean Harlow. This was the final picture made by Jean Harlow before her death.

    Yes the double bill of The Guardsman and The Man In Possession ( Personal Property 1937 ) did commence a revival seaon at the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne, Victoria on the 13th of October in the year 1938.


  • What's the earliest Aussie press sheet with classification?
    Haven't seen many pre-war examples.
  • And when dd they start doing press sheets?


    Peter
  • edited May 2021
    Mark said:
    Probably 1932 in Australia.


       Now we are commencing talking about the Suitable Only for Adults Australian censorship rating then?  

    Young Woodley ( 1930 ) was originally briefly banned in Australia in 1930 before being passed by the Appeal Board a short time later.                                                                                       

                                                                                                                                                                                                      
                                          
       September 1930 newspaper clipping & October 1930 clipping.

    Apparenttly as part of the film being passed for screening in Australia, the '' Passed By The Censor For Adults'' rating inclusion  was one instructed to be included in advertising by the Commomwealth Film Censor one has to think. The earliest example of an Adults only rating that I have been able to locate.


  • Mark said:
    What's the earliest Aussie press sheet with classification?
    Haven't seen many pre-war examples.
    Good question. I'll have to have a look into that. At the present time 1934 is the earliest year that I am aware of.
    And when dd they start doing press sheets?
    In Australia in at least 1933 that I am presently aware of at this time.

  • HONDO said:
    Mark said:
    What's the earliest Aussie press sheet with classification?
    Haven't seen many pre-war examples.
    Good question. I'll have to have a look into that. At the present time 1934 is the earliest year that I am aware of.
    And when dd they start doing press sheets?
    In Australia in at least 1933 that I am presently aware of at this time.

    In the U.S., it seems the first REGULAR "pressbooks" (with the word "pressbook" on the cover, and a poster page) was around 1921 or so. I have primitive "pressbooks" from 1915 to 1920, but those are called other names like "Campaign Sheet", and they don't have poster pages.

    For that matter it seems that the earliest 14x36 inserts started around 1921, and that this was when half-sheets changed from giant lobby cards to actual posters. Maybe adding several different kinds of posters is what spurred the creation of the modern pressbook.

    In comic books, a ton was found out about who created early comic books, how many were printed, etc by dedicated fans who found the remaining living artists, writers and executives and interviewing them in the 1970s and 1980s. I wish anyone had done that for early movie posters in the same time period, because I am afraid all the people we would like to talk to are gone.

    But the exhibitor magazines offer a massive amount of information (and sometimes images), and that is the best resource for finding out more.




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  • Why does everyone keep using pics of my Frankenstein daybill without my permission?   ???
  • Bruce has Clearing the Range 1931 Aussie press sheet in auction history.
    There must be articles about the censor ratings being introduced somewhere in Everyones. 
    After looking at so many posters, my eye instantly goes to the rating, followed by printer. A kind of auto-impulse to check for original release on Aussie posters. Is so easy to mistake them.
  • Mark said:
    Bruce has Clearing the Range 1931 Aussie press sheet in auction history.
    There must be articles about the censor ratings being introduced somewhere in Everyones. 
    After looking at so many posters, my eye instantly goes to the rating, followed by printer. A kind of auto-impulse to check for original release on Aussie posters. Is so easy to mistake them.
    For the record the Clearing The Range film was first released in Australia in January 1933. The press sheet most likely was printed in the very late end of 1932.

  • As at in 1926 all press-books, except one has to believe for those required for locally produced Australian films, were  imported into Australia from the U.S.A., and to a lesser extent England. They were ''reset'' here.

    In 1931 a press-sheet advertising the film ''Seed'' ( 1931 ) had on the front page the following rubber-stamped inscription;- ''WARNING,   Any obliterations made in this press-book have been made by the Censor and therefore the matter marked is censored , and must not be used in anyway to advertise this picture.'' No image available. Unknown if this press-book was imported or printed here in Australia.



    A U.S.A. poster advertising the pre-code 1931 film Seed, 
  • The earliest ones I have are from 1930, but locally done press sheets certainly existed from as early as 1925, and most likely earlier. I no longer have them but I had several Paramount Richard Dix ones from that date. The Paramount ones usually pictured the daybill as well as the larger paper. The only one that I know of that had the posters pictured in full colour was for Cleopatra (1934). 
  • HONDO said:
    Mark said:
    Bruce has Clearing the Range 1931 Aussie press sheet in auction history.
    There must be articles about the censor ratings being introduced somewhere in Everyones. 
    After looking at so many posters, my eye instantly goes to the rating, followed by printer. A kind of auto-impulse to check for original release on Aussie posters. Is so easy to mistake them.
    For the record the Clearing The Range film was first released in Australia in January 1933. The press sheet most likely was printed in the very late end of 1932.
     To the best of my ability I cannot sight any censorship appearing on the Australian press-sheet. On saying this though, I located in the Everyones January 18, 1933 issue, listed under Reviews Of Recent Releases, the following wording of Censorship stipulation For General Exhibition included with the review of the film. 

  • Some more info from Everyone's in 1930. 


    Peter


  • A little later on Everyones published article from July 2, 1930 stating the acceptance by all parties of the Australia wide recommended  censorship advertising of '' General Exhibition'' / '' For General Exhibition'' films being implemented.

    This now clearly establishes 1930 as the year '' General Exhibition'' / ''For General Exhibition'' style print advertising was first introduced in Australia.

    This now leaves the year the  ''Not Suitable For General Exhibition'' and ''Suitable Only For Adults'' censorship ratings were first applied to Australian print advertising. More to follow on this question later on.  
  • darolo said:
    The earliest ones I have are from 1930, but locally done press sheets certainly existed from as early as 1925, and most likely earlier. I no longer have them but I had several Paramount Richard Dix ones from that date. The Paramount ones usually pictured the daybill as well as the larger paper. The only one that I know of that had the posters pictured in full colour was for Cleopatra (1934). 
    Do the 1930 ones have classification?
    There was a really nice yearbook of Aussie press sheets that sold recently at Bill Collins auction. They were 1930s, but were bound and probably glued in. 
  • Mark - Funny you should say that, a friend bought some movie paper lots from the Bill Collins Auction including probably the press sheets you refer to. I bought 2 volumes from him that were issued by Paramount, about 90 press sheets - though I'd describe them as press manuals. Some mention General Exhibition in the ads or posters. The poster images printed in them aren't always sharp or clear. Here's the classification on a daybill from 1930.


  • darolo said:

    Mark - Funny you should say that, a friend bought some movie paper lots from the Bill Collins Auction including probably the press sheets you refer to. I bought 2 volumes from him that were issued by Paramount, about 90 press sheets - though I'd describe them as press manuals. Some mention General Exhibition in the ads or posters. The poster images printed in them aren't always sharp or clear. Here's the classification on a daybill from 1930.


    Any possibility in having the images posted here of the other Paramount  daybill or advertisement images that you mentioned have the General Exhibition, or any other censorship ratings appearing on them, that appear in the press manuals that you own..

    The following Paramount Horse Feathers daybill from 1932 is the only example of the 'For General Exhibition' censorship rating, in this exact wording presentation, that I have managed to locate on Australian Paramount daybills from the early 1930's.



    There were three styles of 'For General Exhibition or General Exhibition'' rating presentations applied to Australian posters in the early 1930's.  I intend to cover these styles in detail shortly.

  • That sounds like the yearbook I recall. Had either 6 months or full year of colour press sheets / manuals including Duck Soup and another Mae West title. Was a very nice collection that would have come from the Paramount Aussie HQ. 
  • From the Paramount press sheet book for 1930, daybills with General Exhibition printed at the top and from 1934, two with the Not Suitable.. circle.










  • HONDO said
    Any possibility in having the images posted here of the other Paramount  daybill or advertisement images that you mentioned have the General Exhibition, or any other censorship ratings appearing on them, that appear in the press manuals that you own..

    darolo said:
    From the Paramount press sheet book for 1930, daybills with General Exhibition printed at the top and from 1934, two with the Not Suitable.. circle.
    Thanks for posting the four daybill images from the two Paramoiunt press books. These four images, along with your earlier posted A Man From Wyoming daybill image help reinforce the information that I am currently compiling of the history that covers the period censorship ratings were first introduced Australia wide, and applied to all adverting material. 
  • five bound volumes, gilt lettered on spine 'Paramount Releases' July-Dec 1930, 1933, 1934, 1936 & 1938. Colour & b/w ills, large foolscape
    37.5 x 25 cm
    Estimate $200-400

    Would have liked them at $400!



  • OMG I WANT THIS!
  • Mark said:
    Guessing 1940s?
    One would have to think so.




    Cry Of The Werewolf ( 1944 ) Australian newspaper advertisement from 1945 and a re-release Australian newspaper advertisement from 1954, still stating the film is a '' A Horror Picture. Suiitable Only For Adults''.

     I wonder if there are any later examples after 1954 with this Horror Film / Picture classification that were used at all in newspaper or cinema slides? 
  • Mark said:
    Guessing 1940s?



    The above Australian slide was produced in 1948, and the compulsory showing of it at all cinemas after  the conclusion of ''God save the King'' was to come into force on 1 January 1949. The following information hopefully will be of some interest.



    ( 29 July 1948 newspaper advertisement / Trove )
  • Pretty sure this was posted before, but not sure if image has survived.


  • 1939 lobbies with SOFA ratings added. Used in NSW.


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