From Zombos' Closet

Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936) Pressbook

Black Camel (with Bela Lugosi) and Charlie Chan at the Opera (with Boris Karloff), are two of the best Chan movies. Currently, you can see both on YouTube. I strongly recommend them. I realize for many that Charlie Chan reflects a less politically correct age, but I would only recommend you re-evaluate this very large body of work, especially with  Warner Oland, arguably the best Charlie Chan (even though he was Swedish). An essential reference work to aid you is Charlie Chan at the Movies:History, Filmography, and Criticism by Ken Hanke.

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Five Graves to Cairo (1943) Pressbook

This very impressive pressbook, at 36 pages for Five Graves to Cairo, plays up Erich von Stroheim, an impressive director and Hollywood presence himself.

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Enter the Dragon (1973) Movie Herald

My favorite movie heralds are the comics-style ones. Here's the one for Enter the Dragon with Bruce Lee. (See Black Belt Jones herald.) I fondly remember catching the early Lee movies in a Chinatown theater in New York City. After hearing all the hype, it was breathtaking to watch him on the big screen. 

The Cradle Snatchers (1926) Stage Play Herald

Humphrey Bogart was third-billed for this stage play, The Cradle Snatchers. Remember those battle-of-the-sexes movies and plays? Well, some of you, anyway, I'm sure. Fun, fun, fun. Here's the die-cut herald for the play. I found it too cute, so now it's in Zombos' Closet (I mean literally: it's in my closet). I have a soft spot for die-cut printing. This one in particular conveys the fun, fun, fun of the play in a (wait for it) playful way.

Red Barry (1938) Movie Herald

Here's the movie herald for Red Barry, a 13-chapter serial put out by Universal. The blank space on the last page was left for movie theaters to add their location, play dates, and whatever marketing hype they deemed relevant. The herald's purchasing cost was usually priced per thousand. Ordering information, and a sample herald, could be found in the campaign or pressbook sent out by distributors. Heralds were usually smaller than 8 x 11 inches and printed on one sheet, although both were often used, and larger heralds with multiple pages can be found. Many heralds were even fashioned to look like tabloid newspapers, while others, like this one, used a neat poster ad that conveyed all the thrills and chills to be found in the movie (hopefully).

Gun Crazy (1950) Pressbook

When your honeymoon starts with your wife telling you she's bad, but will try to be good, you know you're in for a wild ride. The poster art says it all. An intense thrill ride toward a dead end, Gun Crazy is a must-see noir film.

Comic book viewer version: Download Gun Crazy Pressbook

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Singing Guns (1950) Pressbook

In this Western the bad guy goes straight and has time to sing three songs along the straight and narrow path. 

Comic book reader version: Download Singing Guns Pressbook  (See more crooning pressbooks From Zombos' Closet)

Scandal Street (1938) Pressbook

Ah, the good old days, when gossipy neighbors could ruin your reputation and ruin your weekly bridge-playing get togethers. Now everyone can pretty much chime in on Twitter or Facebook or whatever gossipy website there is on the Internet. Would I really want to watch this movie? No. But this pressbook, with its die cut silhouette and the overall design of the pages, is pretty nifty.

Comic book reader version: Download Scandal Street (see more scandalous pressbooks From Zombos' Closet)

Jet Job (1952) Pressbook

I haven't seen this movie, but I liked the pressbook design. Hotshot pilots and fast flying seemed all the rage in the 1950s cinema. The poor man's space opera. The "curvaceous" Elena Verdugo, from House of Frankenstein, puts in an appearance. Playing up the eye-candy aspect of female actors in 1950s movies was also another, thankfully abandoned, selling point of that decade's movies too.

Comic book reader version: Download Jet Job Pressbook  (see more high-flying pressbooks From Zombos' Closet)

Black Arrow (1944) Pressbook

This is the 1955 re-release pressbook for the 24th serial, Black Arrow, released by Columbia.

Comic book reader version: Download Black Arrow Pressbook  (see more thrilling pressbooks From Zombos' Closet)

T-Men (1947) Pressbook

At an astounding 32 pages, this T-Men pressbook is a novel's worth of promotion. Striking use of red ink, thriller poster art, and enough publicity articles to choke a theater manager. The tie-ups are plentiful too, from Albolene Face Cream, Ritz Electric Broiler, Emerson Radio, and a T-Men kiddie button kutout. I mean, who uses the word kiddie anymore?

Comic book reader version: Download T-Men Pressbook

Rocky Rhodes (1934) Pressbook

From the pressbook: ""In my picture," Jones says, "the right-thinking, right-acting, clean-living man always wins out. This man is not a prude. He is not a painfully righteous person. He has plenty of faults, as well as virtues." 

Comic book reader version: Download Rocky Rhodes Pressbook