From Zombos Closet

Pressbooks (Horror, Sci Fi, Fantasy)

Invasion U.S.A (1952)
Movie Pressbook

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Here's some paranoia and Red Scare cinema for you to start off the new year right. Invasion U.S.A (not the Chuck Norris movie), warns us against The Enemy and why we should keep the lights on when we sleep. Mystery Science Theater 3000 spoofed it, but the idea of attacking with atom bombs (a cold war fear) still lives with us today. So maybe the joke's on us, not the movie. In spite of copious stock footage use, movie grossed over a million. Fear sells.

Invasion usa pressbook 1

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Invasion U.S.A (1952)
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Conquest of Space (1955) Movie Pressbook

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The fascination with outer space exploration and interplanetary travel (and evil aliens) fueled a lot of 1950s science fiction cinema. Usually it was either the after effects of space travel causing more harm than anticipated (the Quatermass Xperiment: The Creeping Unknown is a good example), or it was finding out that once you got to where you were going, monstrous alien monsters (I'm open to a better term if you've got one) wanted to eat you or do other nasty things (like in The Angry Red Planet). Then, of course, you had George Pal insisting on giving us movies that focused on the more positive and challenging aspects of space exploration. He even insisted on adding as much scientifically accurate information (at least what was known back then) as possible. Wild, right? Here's the pressbook for George Pal's Conquest of Space.

conquest of space pressbook

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Audrey Rose (1977) Movie Pressbook

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Many 1970s pressbooks focus on admats, which are placed up front in the pressbook, and then add a page or two of article promotion toward the end of the pressbook. If based on a novel or there's a novelization of the movie, there's a page devoted to it. Many 1970s pressbooks are rather bland because of this less stylish and often repeated format. This movie has that slow 70s pacing, but still is a good one to watch.

Pressbook audrey rose

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Double Bill Pressbook:
The Devil’s Partner
and Creature from the Haunted Sea

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Here's a nifty double bill pressbook for The Devil's Partner and Creature from the Haunted Sea. This one has a unique design: you unfold the left and right edges to read the first page, then lift that page to see the ads. Striking combination of blue and yellow make this one pop. As does the lurid illustrations.

Devil's partner pressbook 1

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Double Bill Pressbook:
The Devil’s Partner
and Creature from the Haunted SeaRead More »

King of Jungleland (1936) Movie Pressbook

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Wikipedia lists this as the first Republic serial made. Also, "Darkest Africa contained the first use of the flying special effects that Republic would go on to use in future serials, such as the acclaimed Adventures of Captain Marvel. This serial also showcased examples of the studio's model work that would be one of the factors in its future reputation and success. The destruction of the lost city in the final chapter is particularly highlighted by Cline as a "picturesque example." It was re-released to television and renamed Batmen of Africa to capitalize on the Adam West Batman craze. Hey, it's got Ray "Crash" Corrigan playing Bonga the ape: that works for me.

King of jungleland pressbook 1

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Spy Smasher (1942) Movie Pressbook

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Here's the colorful pressbook for Republic Pictures' 12-chapter serial, Spy Smasher, which may be the best serial ever done. When originally shown, waiting for each cliffhanger ending to be resolved in the next episode was like waiting through the mid-season, after-season, before-season, and when-the-hell-is-the-season-starting for Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead to continue.

Spy smasher pressbook 1

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Queen of the Amazons (1947) Movie Pressbook

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The stunning cover on this pressbook for Queen of the Amazons compelled me to get it. I won it in an auction on emovieposter.com a while back, and it went for less than I thought it should (lucky me!). The large size format of 17 by 22 inches is also eye-catching. That "Queen of the Amazing Sex" tagline on page 3 is pretty daring even if the actual costume filmed isn't as much as the one in the poster art.

Queen of the amazons pressbook1

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Road to the Stars (1957) Movie Pressbook

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If you were wondering how Stanley Kubrick and his production team could have imagined some of those brilliant special effects in 2001 A Space Odyssey, wonder no more. Der Weg Zu Den Sternen showed a space station wheel years before 2001, and some scenes could be twins between both movies, according to sources cited in the Wikipedia article on this movie. This pocket-sized pressbook caught my attention with its stylized graphics.

russian Pressbook_0012

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The Atomic Submarine (1959)
Movie Pressbook

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With nefarious and icky one-eyed aliens, the Navy's new strategic weaponry of atomic powered submarines, and a budget take on alien encounters, pacifism versus fighting, and somewhat passable underwater staging, The Atomic Submarine launched before Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea's Seaview and the underwater warship Atragon. And I built the Revell atomic sub model, too!

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The Atomic Submarine (1959)
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The Bad Seed (1956) Movie Pressbook

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A big 28 page pressbook for a little girl. But what a little girl. The Bad Seed seemed pretty daring for the 1950s: making a kid a serial killer (and the daughter of a serial killer to imply  a genetic bond). Of course the movie twists around the ending from the novel to appease the Motion Picture Production Code (and also to make it more sellable to the adult theater audience). There's an interesting filler article on page 24 that states Alfred Hitchcock wanted a walk-on part in the movie. Sounds like a smart piece of promotion more than the truth, but check it out.

Bad seed pressbook

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