The Fabulous World of Jules Verne (1958)
Movie Herald
With a promo line like "the first motion picture produced in the magic-image miracle of Mystimation," The Fabulous World of Jules Verne (Vynalez Zkazy) sounds awesome, doesn't it? And you know, it is! Mystimation was an animation technique that combined the live actors with colorful animated set pieces whose style was influenced by Georges Melies and Victorian engravings. Add to that the wonderful score by Zedenek Liska and you have a treat for both eyes and ears.
The Black Castle (1952) Pressbook
A competent thriller with Lon Chaney Jr. and Boris Karloff to top off the Gothic mood. (Comic book reader version: Download The Black Castle Pressbook.)
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The Green Slime (1968) Pressbook
And then there are movies like The Green Slime. The poster art is the best part. Trust me. Here's the comic book reader version: Download Green Slime Pressbook. I recommend double-billing this with Mutiny in Outer Space (1965) for your viewing (dis)pleasure.
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Psycho (1960) Pressbook
I already posted the rare The Care and Handling of Psycho companion guide that came with this 32 page pressbook, and the 4 page herald. Taken as a whole, this was an impressive promotional campaign that copied the William Castle zeal for movie promotion and took it into overdrive, tapping into Alfred Hitchcock’s cheeky macabre sense of humor to sell, sell, sell the movie. (Comic book reader version: Download Psycho Pressbook)
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The Care and Handling of Psycho (1960)
The Care and Handling of Psycho was a supplement to the regular pressbook. In this guide we can see how much William Castle's impresario and huckster driven movie promotion was embraced by Alfred Hitchcock, who also had a natural and unabashed gift for playing up the terror with his dry humor and physical presence.
Comic book reader version: Download Care and Handling of Psycho
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The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) Pressbook
One of the more impressive classic movie pressbooks in my collection is The Day the Earth Stood Still. Large format, 24 pages, and with a newspaper-styled herald attached. A great pressbook for a great movie. Enjoy.
Comic book reader version: Download Day the Earth Stood Still Pressbook
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Below the Sahara (1953)
Mexican Lobby Card
I bet you thought YouTube started all those silly self-indulgent pet tricks like riding an ostrich. Well, here's proof they started in 1953 (at least). This Mexican lobby card for Mas Abajo Del Sahara manages to create quite a bit of liveliness with a little color and energetic cartoon illustrations. And I like apes, so there.
