so correct, jim.
michael has the argument and logic backwards actually. if the film
had been taking place, in say, 1949, and the marquee was displaying a
poster for a film from 1952, THAT would be a problem, as that 1952
film wouldn't even have existed yet.
jeff
On Aug 31, 2009, at 1:49 PM, James Richard wrote:
Michael,
There are lots of mistakes made in movies, but the one you mention
isn't one of them.
You have forgotten how the movie industry operated in the 1940's
and early 1950's. In those days, movies were the only source of
media entertainment besides radio (television was just getting
started, most people did not have one and the limited amount of
broadcasting done was only in a few big cities). Naturally, no VHS
tapes or DVDs.
The way a typical film was distributed and exploited in those days
was:
1) A world premier in one or two cities. This could last for a
month or two, even for an average film, while the studio gauged
public response and the Big Papers and Radio Shows got out their
reviews so the publicity band wagon could being to work. The reason
they waited at least 3 or 4 weeks was to decided how many expensive
prints of the film they should make for distribution.
2) The initial first-run release came next, where the film would be
shown in the larger metropolitan areas, starting with the big
theaters in the downtown area. Sometimes they would release the
film on one coast and it would work it's way across the country in
first-run release -- this was to take advantage of later reviews
coming out and allow the film to build up "word of mouth" support.
Even a typical film might spend 3 to 6 months in first-run in the
major cities, starting at the downtown houses and then working its
way to the smaller houses in the outlying districts. For a popular
film, the first run could be 6 months to a year or longer. COURAGE
OF LASSIE was a popular film.
3) After the initial Big City first run, the film started making
its way out to the large towns and then the small towns. This was
still the first run and it was not limited to not just the
theaters, remember there were a *lot* of drive-ins as well back
then and for some reason the drive-ins often did not get a lot of
the films until *after* it had finished showing at the local movie
houses. This second stage of the first run would go on for a year
or more with a typical film.
So, the "initial run" of a typical film could easily last 1 to 2
years. But, most films didn't stop there. After the initial run,
anything that had done remotely well was re-packaged as part of a
double bill. If a film was very popular, within a year or two of
finishing its initial first run, it might be re-released and start
the process over again, although completing the cycle more quickly
this time around.
On this basis alone, it would have bothered no one at the time to
be watching a movie set in 1951 and see on the screen a clip or
poster for a film released two years earlier in 1949 being
portrayed as "current" -- particularly something very popular.
COURAGE OF LASSIE would have still been running in many places in
1951.
But even that is not the full explanation. There's also how films
were made and released:
It often took a year or two from completion until a film was
finally released to the screen. The studio execus played around a
lot which planning release schedules well in advance, making sure
on film did not interfere with another, etc. Some films sat on the
shelves for quite a few years, but a year or two was common. So, a
film released in 1951 would have been shot in 1949 or maybe 1950,
with everyone knowing it probably wouldn't hit the theaters until
1951. So your writers, if they are going to include a current date
reference in the script, would have anticipated that and had the
character say "1951". Obviously they couldn't go too far beyond the
anticipated release date or the character might have been saying
"after all, it's 1953" when the audience was watching in 1951 or
1952 and that would have definitely sounded wrong.
But, since they were filming in 1949 or 1950, they would only have
had access to a film which was current then -- as COURAGE OF LASSIE
was.
We are used to films finishing shooting and editing and immediately
going into release, with a theatrical run of a modern typical film
being only 4 to 6 weeks these days, after which it immediately goes
to premium TV channel release for a few weeks and finally is on the
store shelves as a DVD in 2 or 3 months. Even super-popular
blockbusters are getting to DVD in 90 days now. A very few might
take 4 to 6 months before becoming DVDs, but that's increasingly
rare. But back in the old days it was a much slower, drawn-out
process that took years.
-- JR
Michael B wrote:
in the 1951 movie, THE UNKNOWN MAN, there is a line in the movie
that it was actually taking place in 1951. Yet, when walter
pidgeon was talking to a movie theatre employee, the movie poster
shown in the scene was THE COURAGE OF LASSIE----1949 !!!
CLEARLY, THAT COULDN'T BE.
isnt it great to see the old posters in real time ?
wasn't it great to see the clip of the film & posters of that
great 1942 film in THE SUMMER OF 42 ???
michael
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