MAYBE a really cool find?

Lucy by TheAntiqueHobbit posted Dec 30, 2021 at 3:01 PM

Orsen by TheAntiqueHobbit posted Dec 30, 2021 at 3:01 PM

Stuff by TheAntiqueHobbit posted Dec 30, 2021 at 3:01 PM

Fine print by TheAntiqueHobbit posted Dec 30, 2021 at 3:01 PM

Hey all! Another estate sale find here: this time it’s TONS of movie photos. Thing is I have no idea what they are.
A little background: the lady who’s estate we purchased them from apparently worked for a place called Colorcraft that produced a bunch of movie photos like these. I have hundreds from lots of famous actors (Ball and Welles pictured) and I think she may have gotten them in the process of doing her job. Some are signed by the actors. Anyone know what exactly these photos are for? They all have those disclaimers at the bottom. They’re on really photo printouts, not paper or anything.

 

Would think these types of things would be used for Press Releases, promotional materials, and such, but wait for the photo experts to chime in.

 

Night by TheAntiqueHobbit posted Dec 30, 2021 at 3:21 PM

Night by TheAntiqueHobbit posted Dec 30, 2021 at 3:21 PM

Night by TheAntiqueHobbit posted Dec 30, 2021 at 3:21 PM

Night by TheAntiqueHobbit posted Dec 30, 2021 at 3:21 PM

Night by TheAntiqueHobbit posted Dec 30, 2021 at 3:21 PM

I take back what I said before to an extent: some don’t have the disclaimers and instead just have a few numbers in the corner, as pictured.
These photos are all from a Nancy Davis (Reagan!) movie called Night into Morning. They seem like half promotional, half kind of candid? Again they’re all real photos not printouts or anything.

 

I've seen those types of photos for sale in antique malls, etc. But they are from a later period than what I collect and I don't know much about that sort of photo, nor who collects them. So can't help much there!

I also love old films/movies. Had never heard of Night Into Morning. I looked it up in Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide. The date was 1951 and it starred Ray Milland, John Hodiak, Nancy Davis, Lewis Stone, Jean Hagen, and Rosemary DeCamp. Maltin's book gives it 3 stars out of 4, so pretty good. Their brief synopsis and comment:
"Small-town professor loses family in fire, almost ruins own life through drink and self-pity. Realistic settings in modest production, with fine performance by Milland."

On Wikipedia I found out that Ray Milland plays the professor and Nancy Davis plays his secretary. She is engaged to the character played by John Hodiak. Spoiler alert: The secretary saves the morose professor from committing suicide.

 

The last one comes up as Kristine Miller. Getty images wants a bunch for the right to use it.

https://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/n...ine-miller-news-photo/526880134?adppopup=true

 

So Getty has the rights to the John Springer Collection, but Springer was a publicist, not a photographer. Not sure how that works as far as copyright is concerned.

 

Oh, I’ve got TONS of old actors. And they’re all labeled with the actors and movies they’re from so I’m good there.
My big thing is I genuinely don’t even know what they are! Like, were they mass produced, or fairly unique. Given the backstory I know they were made directly for the movie companies. The ones with Nancy Davis and stuff are all hand numbered. I have hundreds of different old actors from the 50s-60s.
Where do you even go to get something like this appraised? Our goal is ultimately to sell them.

 

Oh damn! Is that a good thing for me then? The photo I have here is hand numbered in the corner. I don’t know what the numbers mean though.

 

The printed numbers like 50-512 are the dates. Fuller Brush Girl came out in 1950.
Mikey.

 

Oh awesome! Good info! So 50-512 would be 5/12/1950?

 

I just thought the first part coincides with the years. Not sure about the second part though.
Mikey

 

If the photographs were printed prior to the opening. The movie came out in the Fall of 1950.

 

It wouldn’t surprise me if they were. I think they were from the actual filming. Some seemed to have been used for promotional stuff prior to the release.

 

Reminds me of older vintage 'press Kits' sent to theatres/film exchanges to help promote an upcoming film. Used as a press release/promotions/etc.

 

I think these were movie theater lobby cards.

 

Measurements will tell. Please provide them @TheAntiqueHobbit

 

They're slightly larger than standard computer paper? And they're on photo stock, or whatever you call the material normal photos are on.
Also, not sure they'd be for movie lobbies given the writing on them and the backstory. The person we got them from worked for a company that printed these out for the films directly for the studios. I just don't know for what purpose or what the numbering and whatnot means.

 

8 1/2 by 11 inches?

 

It varies? Some are smaller, some are a little bigger. There are some that state specifically that they're for display purposes in theaters. There are some that say they're available for reproduction in magazines and newspapers. Then there are some (generally ones that look more like candid or portrait shots) that just have numbers in the corner. Those tend to be the 10 by 8 1/2 ones.

 

Lobby cards are similar to posters but smaller, usually 11 in × 14 in (28 cm × 36 cm), also 8 in × 10 in (20 cm × 25 cm) before 1930. Lobby cards are collectible and values depend on their age, quality, and popularity.