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Red Planet Mars (1952)
Mexican Lobby Card

Messages from Mars send the United States into a tizzy. An odd "red scare" movie from the 1950s, Red Planet Mars tosses in God, Nazis technology, the Red Menace, nuclear power, and Peter Graves, and may actually be worth revisiting: its relevance to today's fake news/political meddling, and religious hypocrisies may have been prescient. John L. Balderston and John Hoare wrote it. Balderston's version of the Dracula stage play became the vehicle for Bela Lugosi, and, according to Wikipedia, he was an uncredited contributor to Mark of the Vampire. Unfortunately, the poster art leaves much to be desired.

Red Planet Mars lobby card

Sudden Fear (1952) Mexican Lobby Card

From Wikipedia: "In 1984, film noir historian Spencer Selby noted, "Undoubtedly one of the most stylish and refined woman-in-distress noirs." This Mexican lobby card for Sudden Fear illustrates that tone quite well with a beautiful closeup of Joan Crawford at her histrionic-best. Notice, also, how the lighting for the couple at the bottom right embellishes them with a sinister patina.

Sudden Fear Lobby Card

She (1965) Pressbook

H. Rider Haggard's novel did get a lot of movie versions. According to Wikipedia, Ursula Andress's accent irritated the studio enough to do a re-dubbing by Nikki van der Zyl. Financed through MGM, the budget for this Hammer film was "triple" the usual for a Hammer movie. Not one of my Hammer favorites, but with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee along for the ride, it's definitely worthwhile viewing.

Comic reader version:  Download She 1965 Pressbook

See more movie pressbooks From Zombos' Closet.

She Pressbook 01

The Blob (1958)
Mexican Lobby Card

One of the most frightening monsters in horror cinema. And there's Steve McQueen tossed in for good measure (he'd go on to do television's Wanted: Dead or Alive). The movie playing in the theater when the Blob spills out of the projector booth is Daughter of Horror (a re-cut of Dementia, 1955). If you haven't caught this movie, do so: it's held up and still delivers the goosebumps.

Blob

The blob

Rear Window (1954) Re-Release Pressbook

This is the re-release pressbook for 1962. I'm willing to bet you never knew there was an Alfred Hitchcock Coloring Book to promote the movie! Well, only four pages, sure, but the "This is a seat in a movie theatre" page should be colored and framed. And you thought Roger Corman and William Castle were the only ones with a barker-bone in their bodies, didn't you? 

Comic reader version:  Download Rear Window Pressbook

Rear Window 01

Congo Bill (1948)
Mexican Lobby Card

There's something fascinating about the girls and gorillas thematic that was a Hollywood bad habit that hit its zenith in the 1940s, along with mad scientists and gorillas. Of course, the most notable is King Kong (1933), but there were many movies plotting along this theme. Here's the Mexican lobby card for the Congo Bill Columbia Pictures 15 chapter serial. While it may all appear rather silly now to watch an actor in a gorilla suit carrying an unconscious woman in his arms, try to imagine as if you were sitting in a grand, single screen, theater in the 1940s. (Here's the Congo Bill pressbook.)

Congo Bill

Congo Bill Lobby Card

Tension at Table Rock (1956) Pressbook

Here's a nice dry and dusty Western for you on a cold snowy day. Tension at Table Rock sports an eye-grabbing illustration in the poster art, daring you to blink twice. Not only is there a song tie-in to go along with the movie's action, there's also Hollywood Bread; no casting call needed, just butter.

View in comic reader:  Download Tension at Table Rock Pressbook

Tension at Table Rock 01