From Zombos' Closet

Mandrake the Magician (1939) Pressbook

Here's another Columbia movie serial pressbook for a comics hero, Mandrake the Magician. Lots of magical promotion for this movie can be found here. Wikipedia mentions that Mandrake may possibly be the first superhero (he appeared in 1934).

Comics reader version: Download Mandrake the Magician Pressbook

See more pressbooks From Zombos' Closet.

New Adventures of Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder (1949) Pressbook

Here's another rare pressbook that recently went for over a thousand dollars at auction (crazy over-bidders!). Columbia's promotion for Batman and Robin is pretty smashing in these 16 pages. Of note is the single, but still important, promotion, Attract the Girls! on page 6. Looking back on those costumes, we can snicker a bit now, given all the high-tech stuff done today for the Batman movies, but audiences must have been just as thrilled back then as we are today.  As for me, I've not seen this serial yet, and look forward to doing so. The poster art is exciting. This one's for Will Meugniot on Facebook, who posts lots of wonderful animation, movie, and comic book stuff you shouldn't miss.

Comic reader version: Download New Adventures of Batman and Robin Pressbook

Black Dragons (1942) Mexican Lobby Card

This looks like a repop, but here's the still impressive Mexican lobby card for Black Dragons, one of the Monogram 9 movies starring Bela Lugosi. I must recommend two books for you to fully appreciate these low-budget but highly interesting (and downright weird most of the time) movies from poverty row, especially Black Dragons. The first book takes a welcomed highbrow and passionate argument approach to the nine with an aesthetic appreciation: Bela Lugosi and the Monogram 9 by Gary D. Rhodes and Robert Guffey. The other book by Tom Weaver, Poverty Row Horrors! Monogram, PRC, and Republic Horror Films of the Forties, will give you the filmographic data and background. My favorite one of the nine? The Corpse Vanishes; a weird mix (drunken doctor can revive the dead, house with hidden passageways, Lugosi doing Lugosi) that is highly watchable. 

Now You See Him, Now You Don't (1972) Pressbook

Wikipedia notes this is the first Disney movie to be shown on television in a two-hour time slot, in 1975. Previous movies were edited or shown in two one-hour time slots. As usual, Disney heaps on the tie-ins, from jewelry to wallets and purses, to the Dell comic book. There's also a tie-in to 'Teen magazine. A plus for the movie is all the memorable stars appearing in it like Kurt Russell, Jim Backus, William Windom, and Cesar Romero to name some of them. The New York Times reviewer, Howard Thompson, at the time, said to try the real McCoy and see the original The Invisible Man, although other critics were kinder. 

Comic reader version: Download Now You See Him Pressbook

See more pressbooks From Zombos' Closet.

Great Adventures of Captain Kidd (1953) Pressbook

When I think of movie serials, Spy Smasher, Flash Gordon, and Buck Rogers come to mind. Swashbuckling pirates, not so much. I wouldn't mind having a club card, though.

Comic reader version: Download Great Adventures of Captain Kidd Pressbook

See more pressbooks From Zombos' Closet.

Hellzapoppin' (1941) Spanish Pressbook

The format of this Spanish pressbook for Olsen and Johnson's zany Hellzapoppin compelled me to add it to my collection. Their comedy was brash, insulting, crazy, and non-stop fast. They covered it all: vaudeville, radio, theater, television, and film. The wild cover art and long, slim appearance of this pressbook pays tribute to their unique style.

Here's the Hellzapoppin Theater Program. See more pressbooks From Zombos' Closet.

Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere (1951) Pressbook

First, I'd like to confirm that I want the Capt. Video wallet and hosiery. The two-way radio and basque shirt with day-glow are also high on my list. Of particular note in the series is the Mu-ray camera, which allowed viewing of imagery of past events. This ability, in scientific or magical variations, appears in later genre movies and television series. A highly successful serial for Columbia, it is the only one built around a television series. The Honeymooners TV or Not TV episode (my favorite one) has Norton and Ralph pooling their money to buy a television set. Much mayhem ensues as both try to share it but disagree on what to watch, with Captain Video being a major sticking point as Norton, wearing a space helmet, puts up a fight. To infinity and beyond! Here's the rare Captain Video pressbook for your galactic pleasure.

Comic reader version: Download Captain Video Pressbook