Valentine’s Day Is For Lovers Author & Hollywood Historian Mary Mallory
Valentine’s Day Is For Lovers
By Historian and Book Author Mary Mallory
Before the invention of television and the internet, publicity stills sold movies to filmgoing audiences during the heyday of classic movies from the 1920’s through the 1950s. Film studios produced and distributed millions of free publicity images to magazines and newspapers to build awareness of upcoming movies or to promote promising or popular performers.
During this period, newspapers published multiple daily editions seven days a week to update breaking news stories with fresh information. Some magazines published weekly, while others printed monthly editions. Thanks to advertising, print media churned out large issues requiring huge amounts of photos to illustrate their many pages.
Film studios obliged, creating a system to benefit both themselves and these news media, providing free movie stills as illustrative material in exchange for credit. This quid pro quo system benefited both parties; studios provided stills of all types of subjects and situations which print publications could employ to illustrate a variety of stories. Movie studios shot not only scene stills and portraits to distribute, but also fashion, cooking, sports, travel, leisure, hobbies, and holiday photos to cover whatever topic magazines or newspapers might require.
Holiday stills remained evergreen, providing eye-catching and delightful reminders of the season. These images demonstrated fashionable examples of decoration, cooking, and styling while also featuring humorous depictions of seasonal tropes or dramatic, artistic images capturing the holiday. Valentine’s Day photos offered opportunities to highlight everything from humor to sex to romance, appealing to either men or women.
Touching photos of silent actress Janet Gaynor and the Our Gang kids show them with Valentine Cards, reminding viewers to send sweet remembrances to friends and relatives. Trying to appeal to men, Valentine’s Day images focus on either humor or sex, from Charlie McCarthy as a Cupid wearing butterfly wings to sultry, swimsuit-clad Yvonne De Carlo colorfully adorning a giant heart. Photos geared to women feature creative design, such as the one of Bette Davis as Jezebel inside a heart-shaped candy box or the straightforward shot of Audrey Hepburn shooting an arrow through a giant heart.
Whatever the mood or style, Valentine’s Day photos shot by movie studio photographers promoted not only romantic or filial love but also adoration and passion for movies, a subtle but powerful tool to publicize the entertainment industry.
Mary Mallory is a historian, archivist, and writer specializing in Los Angeles and Hollywood history. She serves as Secretary for Hollywood Heritage's Board of Directors and gives presentations to a variety of organizations and museums. Mary has written four books, including Hollywoodland, and blogs for the LA Daily Mirror.
https://www.hollywoodheritage.org/online-store/Images-of-America-Hollywoodland-p133327975