Three Days of "Night" Pt. III

And finally, the U.S. pressbook for The Night Holds Terror:

It contains 16 oversized pages of newspaper ads, blurbs and suggested publicity campaigns for the film.

The campaigns--like the ads--play upon the audience's fear of being victimized by juvenile delinquents and other criminals. The intro page states:

"'NIGHT' HOLDS SHOWMANSHIP--Title and theme of The Night Holds Terror make the film an exploitation 'natural' in this time of increasing headline concern with juvenile delinquency and crime. The Night Holds Terror can hit your town like a ton of shocks, if you pave the way through showmanship aimed at newspapers, radio/TV, public officials...and every citizen for whom The Night Holds Terror today!"

Some of the suggested campaigns include: creating safety posters which incorporate the film's title into slogans including "Beware! The Night Holds Terror!" and "Don't Stop for Hitch-Hikers--The Night Holds Terror!"; persuading local merchants to offer crime deterrents such as locks, police whistles, alarms, door chains, window bars, etc., and then having them advertise, "The Night Holds Terror, But Not For Our Customers!"; and holding an essay contest seeking the best answer to the question "If a Stranger Walked Into Your House With a Loaded Gun, What Would You Do?" (Run!)

Theatre owners were also advised to make the "pointing gun-hand" artwork (as shown on the pressbook cover above) the focal point of their lobby displays for The Night Holds Terror. "When blown-up and cut-out", the artwork is "a shocker for your inner theatre lobby", the pressbook explains. The image could also be printed on cards placed on the sidewalk to direct patrons into the theatre and be used to cover door panels, overhead boards and stair risers in the lobby.

Then, there are the spine-tingling newspaper ads:

 

 

 

And the provocative posters:

(Moviegoers were probably "Terror"-fied before they even saw the picture!)

The pressbook also contains some blurbs about the actors, including a nice write-up about Jack Kelly:

 

Well, that wraps up our look at pressbooks for The Night Holds Terror. Please stay tuned for much more about JK in TDS! :)

Three Days of "Night" Pt. II :)

Happy Monday!

Presenting an Italian pressbook for The Night Holds Terror:

I've actually had it for a little while and have shared the cover in TDS before. Here's the first inside page with a synopsis titled "Una notte senza fine" ("An endless night"):

 

The next page displays stills from the film (the text at the top translates as "Hours of uncertainty and a sudden decision"):

 



Please stay tuned for one more pressbook from The Night Holds Terror.

Three Days of "Night" :)

Hello!

Three different pressbooks for The Night Holds Terror recently joined the Kellection and I'm here to share them with you in TDS.

First up: a French-language pressbook which screams the film's title (Nuit De Terreur) on its vivid yellow and white cover. Jack Kelly and his co-star Vince Edwards are pictured in a spooky illustration:

 

The next two images show the inside of the pressbook:

 

 

Finally, here's the back cover, which shows examples of posters and hair-raising phrases to use when publicizing the film such as "Vous aussi vous pourriez vivre cette...Nuit de Terreur!" ("You, too, could live this...Night of Terror!"):

 



Please stay tuned for a look at another pressbook for The Night Holds Terror.

JK Goes "Commandos"! :)

(I've been waiting a long time to use that line!) ;>

A set of original British lobby cards and a British pressbook for Jack Kelly's World War II drama Commandos (a.k.a. Sullivan's Marauders) just landed in the Kellection, so let's take a look at this 1968 Italian-German co-production.  

According to the book Cinema Italiano: The Complete Guide From Classics to Cult  (2011) by Howard Hughes, Commandos was filmed on location on Sardinia, a large Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea, during July and August 1968. Interior scenes were filmed at Incir-De Paolis Studios. 

Here is the cast and credits list (from the British pressbook):

 

Set in 1942, Commandos stars Lee Van Cleef as testy, battle-hardened "Master Sargeant Sullivan" and JK as career soldier "Captain Valli". Although Valli is higher-ranked than Sullivan, he has no combat experience.

Sullivan resents Valli's presence at the "secret Mediterranean base" where both men are tasked with training a group of Italian-American commandos whose mission is to seize an oasis in North Africa which contains the only well for miles around, disguise themselves as the Italian soldiers holding the oasis, and secure the site for two days until the Allied landings occur.

The first part of the mission goes as planned and most of the Italians guarding the oasis are killed. Despite Sullivan's protests, Valli orders that the handful of Italians who survived the siege be imprisoned instead of being put to death.

The Captain's decision to spare the Italians comes back to bite him when the POWs escape in a truck. The truck explodes after hitting a mine, but one of the Italian escapees survives and blabs to a German patrol about the American commandos' switcheroo at the oasis.

Then, the Americans receive orders to abandon the oasis, since their mission is no longer considered necessary. However, before they can leave, the oasis is attacked by a heavily armed German outfit equipped with tanks. The ferocious battle which follows leaves only one American and one German soldier alive. (Neither Sullivan nor Valli survive.)

Although Commandos was released in Italy in 1968, it took its sweet time getting to the rest of the world. The British pressbook dates to 1972, the same year the film was exhibited in Canada.

A reviewer in the Ottawa Journal was dismissive: "...Commandos stars Lee Van Cleef and is possibly the worst war film ever made in Italy. The commandos are Americans who land in Italy, sloppily massacre an entire section of the Italian army and pose as the murdered men in order to capture a water hole in North Africa. The soldiers do a great deal of grunting and hard breathing. This is obviously director Armando Crispino's idea of neo-realism. Dreadful."

The film arrived in the US later in 1972, playing towns such as Hallettsville, Texas, and Burlington, North Carolina. It was usually paired on a double-bill with another "macaroni combat" film titled Salt in the Wound (a.k.a. Il dito nella piaga and War Fever).

Today, Commandos is sort of a cult classic, earning favorable fan reviews such as this one and this one (which has a display of color fotobustas for the film).

Of course, Commandos is worth watching because of JK. He looks great and does very well with the role of Captain Valli. But, don't take my word for it--here's a preview, and the entire flick can be purchased for peanuts online.

Incidentally, you may have noticed the "X" on the lobby cards. It signifies that Commandos was rated "Certificate X" by the British censors, meaning one had to be over 16 to see the movie in English cinemas. 

Well, Jack Kelly fans of all ages are welcome at TDS. What's coming up next? Please stay tuned! :)