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Griffith making short films instructing people to take off their hats during the movie. Snipes have been around for nearly as long as movies have, with early filmmakers like D.
MOVIE INTERMISSION ANIMATION MOVIE
Keep Quiet During The Movie is a wonderful example of a “snipe” – short films intended to influence the audience’s behavior in some way. Keep Quiet During The Movie might be the most relevant intermission ads in the public domain, as we have even more distractions vying for our attention than we did in the ‘40s and ‘50s. A stone-cold, under-appreciated classic drive-in ad, surely one of the most essential intermission commercials of all time! The Pic Mosquito Repellent advertisement features the voice-over “”a pleasant aroma for you… but NOT for mosquitos.” Pic mosquito coils are still available, although the pic mosquito repellent intermission commercial is long gone. Pic seems kind of deadly, somewhere between a heating element and a citronella candle that they used to sell at drive-in concession stands. The J Pic mosquito repellent ad features all of the best things about intermission commercials – cute, clever cartoons, in a classy retro ‘50s style, that’s as much Tom And Jerry as The Jetsons site-specific advertisement featuring couples at the drive-in, using the Pic mosquito repellent. J Pic Advertisement (mosquito repellent) (1950s)
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It did help usher in a generation of responsible drivers, nonetheless. Go Slow is the mild-mannered, PG-rated cousin of classic educational traffic films like Blood On The Asphalt, which terrorized generations with its gory, splattery antics. Drive-ins also featured short educational films, like the kind you’d be shown in school, commonly referred to as Public Service Announcements, or PSAs.Ĭollisions Are Costly. The version of Chilly Dilly Pickle Ad in the public domain has been cleaned up drastically, removing excess magenta pigmentation and limiting the audio, for a more even viewing experience.Ĭollisions are Costly, Go Slow PSA (1950s)Ĭommercials for snack food weren’t the only intermission entertainment in the ‘40s, ‘50s, and ‘60s. Economical, too! There’s no waste – you eat every bit of the juicy goodness when you eat Chilly Dilly!” intones a square-sounding announcer, like some outtake from a Ren & Stimpy skit. Nothing quite like a trip to the concession stand for some golden buttered popcorn, some Sno Caps, a tub of soda, and, you know, A GIANT KOSHER PICKLE! The RetroFilm Vault public domain archives serve as a time capsule, offering a glimpse into the glory days of intermission commercials 10 Must-See Intermission Commercials Some other noteworthy intermission commercial studios include National Screen Service (NSS) and Pike Productions. Theatrical snipes were Filmack Studio’s bread-and-butter, with the production company producing thousands of ‘policy snipes’, asking audiences to be quiet or take off their hats. Filmack Studios was founded in 1919, with journalist Irving Mack. The first known intermission commercial was for Admiral Cigarettes (1897), directed by William Heise, a noteworthy and prolific director who produced hundreds of short films in the late 1800s. Intermission commercials are also sometimes called intermission snipes, when the short film encourages the audience to do something, like “be quiet” or “take off your hat”. Intermission commercials, also known as intermission ads, drive-in commercials, drive-in ads, or PSAs, were mostly used to tempt audiences to visit the concession stands, for treats like spiced pickles or mosquito repellent. In the heyday of drive-ins, audiences used to be treated to short, entertaining ads – known as intermission commercials.
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