Never Before in the History of Motion Pictures...
Broadcast Sat 27 Mar 2010, 10:30
160/44; 32 MB; sound quality excellent
Patrick Humphries takes an affectionate look at the little known story of movie trailers from their early beginnings as simple slides into the spectacular special effect filled fanfares of today.
In a bygone age film was such a novelty what mattered most was not what you were going to see but the simple fact you were going to the cinema. As the movie going public became more selective this fast growing industry realised the huge importance of publicising their wares more effectively and the trailer was born.
Patrick talks to those who both currently and formerly have been responsible for bringing us the hyperbole, bombast and outlandish headlines we've come to expect from movie advertising. He uncovers the story of Esther Harris who dominated British trailer making from the late 1920s up until the 1980s. We hear from the 'Queen of Trailers,' herself in a never before broadcast interview in which this wonderfully eccentric ninety year old explains over a cup of tea how her extraordinary career began and the problems she encountered with censors and occasionally directors including Michael Winner who she recalls told her, "you're a bloody nuisance you know but you've got style!"
Producer: Katrina Fallon.
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