Here's an evocative Halloween 1946 paper advert for Dessart Brothers. Note the quaint spelling of "Hallowe'en." Note also this ad is from the March 1946 issue of Playthings, the trade magazine. I repeat, March. So…some may complain Halloween shows up too early in the stores now, but maybe not early enough? Playthings magazine is still published.
By Professor Kinema
She was petite, she was pretty, she was sweet and, oh yes, she was fan-friendly. Noel Neill will always be the Lois Lane I will remember from my youth.
Her association with Superman started in the first two Superman serials: Superman (1948) and Atom Man vs Superman (1950). The man of steel in these two serials was Kirk Alyn (who died in 1999). Jimmy Olsen was played by Tommy Bond (who died in 2005) – a grown up Butch from the little rascals.
When the TV series The Adventures of Superman began its 6 year run in 1952, she wasn't able to repeat her earlier screen role for the show's first season or its unforgettable pilot: Superman and the Mole-Men (1951). She did appear in Invasion USA (1952) along with Phyllis Coates, who did play Lois Lane for the first 26 episodes of the series, although they shared no scenes together in Invasion. When the second season was ready to be filmed, Coates had already committed to another series, allowing Noel Neill to return as Lois.
Watching the reruns over and over, one could glimpse Phyllis Coates' Lois as more plucky, but for the most part, Noel Neill was and is Lois Lane to fans. When the TV series abruptly ended in 1958 because of the death of star George Reeves, she felt another actor should have been cast and the series continued. That was not to be. John Hamilton as Perry White, who often said "Great Caesar's Ghost!" and "Don't call me Chief!" when flummoxed by Jimmy Olsen, also died that year. Jack Larson, another fan favorite as Jimmy Olsen, who often said "Yes, Chief!" and "Golly Mr Kent!"), died in 2015. For a while, Noel Neill lived in a real town in Illinois named Metropolis (the "official home of Superman"). There is a statue of Lois Lane there in her likeness.
After the television series ended she didn't appear on screen for the next 20 years. In 1978, Kirk Alyn and Noel Neill made uncredited cameo appearances in Superman starring Christopher Reeves. She also appeared in the 1980s Superboy television series, and in the 1990s in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. She did a credited appearance in 2006's Superman Returns, starring Brandon Routh.
My only encounter with her was about 8 years ago at a Chiller Convention. She was petite, pretty, sweet, and very fan-friendly.
Zombos Note: I was at that Chiller Convention also, and was about to walk into the room where Noel Neill was signing, but something else came up and I missed my chance. I probably would have bumped into Professor Kinema, though we didn't know each other at the time.
With its mystery and suspense building, The Maze can be seen as a transitional movie between the supernatural horror of the 1940s to the scientific and alien horrors of the 1950s. The shock makeup is not quite up to par, not even by 1950s standards. But a little gem of horror it remains. I know YouTube had a 3D copy for view, but you need a big screen to appreciate the depth. This and Night Monster would make an excellent double bill viewing for a midnight show (your home or in the theater 😉 Here's the comic reader version: Download The Maze Pressbook
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Here is the 1958 re-release pressbook for Walt Disney's Peter Pan animated movie. Lots of merchandising (the Disney pressbooks are filled to the brim with it) and a wonderful coloring page for Peter make this a good pressbook promotion to movie theaters. Here is the comic book reader version: Download Peter Pan R58 Pressbook
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Here's a snappy vintage dragon costume by Halco (seen on eBay, posted by seller patoysnsuch) .
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1950s Halloween Candy Filled Black Cat store display box, seen on eBay. And only 5 cents each. Back then. It reminds me of the small store my sister and I would stop at on the way back from school. Very narrow, a hole in the wall really; there was a counter, nice old guy in back of that counter, and lots and lots of sugar-overloading wax candy, pretzel sticks, and Joyva Ring Jells for a few cents. Funny how you can remember the simpler things as you get older, but not the really important things like when he folded up shop and was no longer there. I should have paid more attention to things disappearing.
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Halloween Candy Filled Black Cat
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Imagine trying to put some of these cut-out masks on the backs of cereal boxes now. Or even wearing one for Halloween. There'd be hell to pay, that's for sure. I can see the bitter tweets and Facebook posts now. And still, we haven't come that far socially, have we, that we pretend to?
Flying out of eBay comes this beautiful vintage Halloween witch for Brach's candy. Sparkles, broomstick, and airy flight dress are perfectly sweet.
Here's a bewitching Halloween advertisement (okay, for underwear, so what) to get you into the October mood.
Chanoc and the son of Santo fight vampires. What more do you want?
Now that's a hat. Quite a spook house set of elements is showing in this El Charro De Las Calaveras Mexican lobby card: werewolf, bat, headless person, skulls; added a bit randomly but still very effective.The whimsical nature of the headless person's posture softens the scares. This movie is featured in Mexican Monsters on the March by Something Weird Video. (Here's another version)
Sure, the illustration on the right is wonderful but that inset scene is perfect. A stylish Mexican lobby card that's balanced its illustration, movie scene, text, and colors very well, Locos Pelicgrosos is a fine example of Mexican lobby card artistry in high gear.