During the 1930s, newspaper movie advertisements frequently employed racy and sensational language to quickly capture readers' attention amid the diverse content of the newspapers. Limited by space and black-and-white printing, advertisers relied on bold, provocative text to stand out. This approach was particularly crucial during the Great Depression, as enticing ads could persuade people to spend their limited disposable income on entertainment.
“Since newspapers are not meant to be preserved over time, the contents of newspaper advertisements need to be up-to-date, fresh, and entertaining. The big difference, which is also the most entertaining thing about them, is that film advertisements will be flashy, appealing, and include funny slogans with weird wording, in contrast with the more polished look of film [posters], which usually features an elaborate design.”1
In contrast, official studio artwork and publicity materials, such as posters, were larger, colorful, and artfully, as well as, tastefully designed. Created by professional artists, these materials highlighted and romanticized the film's stars and its most romantic and dramatic scenes.
The strategy of using sensational text in newspaper ads addressed the immediate need to engage readers and make an impact quickly. These ads often included daring language, thanks to fewer regulations on advertising content. The influence of popular pulp fiction magazines and tabloids, known for their sensationalism, further shaped these movie ads.
This approach did not come without controversy. As Thomas Doherty notes in Pre-Code Hollywood: Sex, Immorality, and Insurrection in American Cinema, 1930-1934, the provocative nature of these ads sometimes drew the ire of the era’s moral crusaders, “Scanning newspapers, handbills, and billboards, moral guardians were alerted to the awful doings in films they would never have been aware of otherwise.”
In fact, it was a giant and provocative billboard that led Philadelphia’s Cardinal Dougherty to demand Catholics boycott the movie theaters in 1934.
Ultimately, newspaper movie advertisements in the 1930s leveraged sensationalism to capture attention quickly and effectively. The racy language and provocative imagery of these ads played a significant role in encouraging people, in a time of increasing economic instability, to go to theaters.
Check out some of the spice below - - - -
Virtue (1932, Columbia Pictures) Starring: Carole Lombard, Pat O’Brien, Ward Bond, Mayo Methot, Shirly Grey, Jack LaRue Directed by :Edward Buzzell
Springfield Evening Union, December 9, 1932
The Story of Temple Drake (1933, Paramount Pictures) Starring: Miriam Hopkins, Jack LaRue, William Gargan, William Collier, Jr., Irving Pichel Directed by: Stephen Roberts
The Concordia News, May 22, 1933
Three On A Match (1933, Warner Brothers) Starring: Ann Dvorak, Joan Blondell, Bette Davis, Warren William, Lyle Talbot, Humphrey Bogart Directed by: Mervyn LeRoy
Corpus Christi Caller-Times, November 6, 1932
Babyface (1933, Warners Brothers) Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, George Brent, Donald Cook. Theresa Harris, Margaret Lindsey Directed by: Alfred E. Green
Times Union, June 29, 1933
Red Headed Woman (1932, MGM) Starring: Jean Harlow, Chester Morris, Lewis Stone, Leila Hyams, Una Merkel Directed by: Jack Conway
The Knoxville Journal, July 4, 1932
Bad Girl (1931, Fox Film Corporation) Starring: Sally Eilers, James Dunn, Mina Gombell Directed by: Frank Borzage
Corsicana Daily Sun, September 26, 1931
Night Nurse (1932, Warner Brothers) Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Clark Gable, Ben Lyon, Joan Blondell Directed by: William Wellman
A Passport to Hell (1932, Fox Film Corporation) Starring: Elissa Land, Paul Lukas, Warner Land, Alexander Kirkland Directed by: Frank Lloyd
Morgan City Review, September 10, 1932
The Age of Consent (1932, RKO) Starring: Richard Cromwell, Dorothy Wilson, Arline Judge, Eric Linden Directed by: Gregory La Cava
Evening Express, September 27, 1932
Film Advertisements in Newspapers: Extremely Rare and Ephemera https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/makino/2016/01/25/film-advertisements-in-newspapers-extremely-rare-and-ephemeral/
As someone who has seen most of the films, I can tell you that the key to Pre-Code films is not their salaciousness. That’s what the ads sell, but the movies themselves are tamer than the ads. No, the real beauty of Pre-Code films is you could tell ALL stories. Then the Code got enforced, and now you were limited to telling only SOME stories.
In real life, for instance, if a woman grew out of love with her husband, met someone else and fell in love with them, divorced their husband and married the new person, they often ended up happier. Not in a Code film, they couldn’t. You were not allowed to tell that story. She had to be punished at the end, or change her mind and be sorrowful.
In real life characters had agency. In Code films they had narrow lanes of behavior or else they got punished. Thus the storytelling became — by definition — limited.
Amazing. It sort of anticipates the kind of photos that "Playboy" would be built on.
(I did notice that Carole Lombard's name was misspelled- the "e" got dropped).