Tuesday, January 28, 2014

1937-38 RKO Exhibitor Book




Collector Rick Payne has done it again by providing us with this rare find! A 1937-1938 RKO Exhibitor Book with Actual Production Photographs of the Seven New RKO Radio Pictures to be Released During the Ned Depinet Drive. (Ned Depinet was an RKO executive.)

The high-quality book is spiral-bound with a maroon cloth cover and gold lettering. There's 34 pages plus 7 interleaved black card stock dividers, each with a different film title. Measures about 11.5" x 14.5". Like studio production annuals, it's principal purpose was to build enthusiasm for bookings and promotion at the local theatre level.



The first film presented in the book is Snow White.



The pages consist of black and white photographic prints (like the ozaloid prints used for Disney model sheets within the Studio).



Images and info courtesy of the Rick Payne Collection via dadric's attic.


The other six films featured in the book were Radio City Revels, Bringing Up Baby, Hawaii Calls, Vivacious Lady, Joy of Living, and Having Wonderful Time. The Hollywood stars pictured included Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart, Ginger Rogers, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Irene Dunne, Lucille Ball, Red Skelton and more.

2 comments:

  1. Hake's Americana often has lots of different exhibitor's books from various years and various studios, they are really cool. If I had more money and more room, it would be fun to have a bunch of them!

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    1. I'll have to search Hake's for exhibitor's books. They have a lot of great items, but I never specifically looked for these.

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