More Samplings Of A Showman's Art
Just a couple of nicely designed theatre ads that bespeak the fine showmanship that characterized the early forties. I really like "Forget The War!" as a header --- and that twenty-one cent admission must have been quite a lure. The kid on the telephone for the Valentine Theatre is a nice touch as well, and what a surprise it must have been for Mr. and Mrs. Bob Goldenetz to open the newspaper and discover that they’re to be admitted free with the ad and a "service charge". That last proviso has me a little baffled --- just what is a service charge for a movie theatre? It had to be a nominal amount, since the admissions were so low to begin with.
The "service charge" might have been a state or even local tax specific to movie theatre admissions. This might have been a penny or so. I've seen old passes and tickets from various states which actually quantified their worth -- i.e., 48 cents for the admission, 2 cents for the tax.
ReplyDeleteAnother wonderful flashback! I love looking at those old ads. Even the ones in the '70s show what a morew tolerant and wide-ranging film culture we had, and have sadly lost....
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