What’s interesting about this batch (and last week’s) is that these are 1938 clippings promoting cartoons from 1937. Maybe they’re making up for the downtime during the strike? Note that the Aug. 17 and Aug. 31 panels are actually relevant to the cartoons they’re promoting. They’ll be even more so soon…
July-August 1938 (click to enlarge)
07-06-38
07-13-38
07-20-38
08-03-38
08-10-38
08-17-38
08-31-38
Directly above and below are a few samples of what cartoon shorts the Paramount salesmen were pushing to theaters at the time these promotional pieces appeared in print. New characters are introduced to the screen in this era in an attempt to keep things fresh. THE JEEP (above) was released on July 15th 1938; BUZZY BOOP (below) was released July 29th.
THAD KOMOROWSKI is a writer, journalist, film restorationist and author of the acclaimed (and recently revised) Sick Little Monkeys: The Unauthorized Ren & Stimpy Story. He blogs at 
Why are almost all the theatres mentioned in Texas?
Could be that’s where the most “quotable” response was coming from. Next week we’ve got a lot of Texas theaters as well as Montana and New Mexico.
I wondered that as well after last week’s post. The Varsity in Dallas was even mentioned in back-to-back months. (It would later be called the Fine Arts Theater and gain a scandalous reputation in the 70s and early 80s.) I also noticed two neighboring theatres in Denton, Texas: the Palace and the Texas Theatre. There’s even some small-town theatres in the state getting mentioned. Here’s hoping the little theatre where my grandfather watched these shorts as a member of the “Popeye Club” eventually gets a plug!
Could be that’s where the most “quotable” response was coming from. Next week we’ve got a lot of Texas theaters as well as Montana and New Mexico.
Don’t suppose there’s a quote from Toledo, OH, but I’m not holding my breath!
At least, how many more posts to go on these?
These rare promotional ads continued into 1945. Thad is posting two months per week and we are now in mid 1938. You do the math – there’s at least 40 more posts (or more) to go.
Let me once again take this opportunity to thank Thad for doing the work – and sharing these with all of us. As a Fleischer-phile who wants to see everything the studio ever did – these are a goldmine!
Can’t wait to see something for Superman coming up!
These ads are great.
Do these promotional pieces eventually advertised “Gulliver’s Travels”?