I like this daybill, I have a copy also.There is something interesting about it's Australian release that i will write about soon. Just need to confirm some information first. To be continued ...
Hondo
The mind plays tricks. I was confusing this title with Murder At 45 R.P.M, so this means I don't have any information except to say Murder at 3 A.M. was released in Sydney by Ray Films in 1957.
Two More independent Sol M. Wurtzel Productions originally released by 20th Century Fox in Australia that were re-released in the 1950s by Ray Films.
Fighting Back ( 1948 ) & Tucson ( 1949 ) are the two films in question. The original 20th Century Fox logos has been covered up by the Ray Films logo for their re-release. Another Sol M.Wurtzel Production was pictured at the beginning of this thread with the Ray Films logo also added to the original Trouble Preferred ( 1948 ) daybill poster for it's Australian re-release in the 1950s. The using of the original artwork has produced some of the most attractive posters Ray Films had that ever promoted their film releases.
I think it is important to be clear about the origin of some of these Ray Films posters. Tucson, Fear in the Night, Trouble Preferred and various others are all original first release daybills with Ray Films snipes added for the re release of the film. The snipes can easily be removed and that would revert the posters to their original release condition.
These daybills are not unlike some US lobby cards that have hand written NSS details added to the original cards for a later re release. The interesting question is how and when did they get the original posters to use for the re release. The printers did not keep posters. After the posters were printed, the plates were wiped and re used so they did not reprint the artwork. The distributors might have kept some posters but would there have been enough to use for a re release - who knows I guess?
I imagine in some cases, the original posters survived and could be re used with the added sticker but in others cases, like Take It Big and possibly Murder at 3am, maybe original posters did not survive so they printed a specific different poster for the Ray Films release. Those are clearly re releases.
I don't disagree with John's comments but I would like just to mention that Murder At 3am doesn't fit into the picture as it was an original printed daybill for a first release for this British film. Some other re-releases they handed like The Girl From San Lorenzo which was originally released in Australia by United Artists had a copy completed from the original poster this time in duotone for the Ray Films release. Ray Films also produced ( not often though ) some nice first release daybills such as The Bonnie Parker Story & Mother Riley Meets The Vampire along with Murder At 3 a.m.
The re-using of original posters appears to have only happened with Sol M. Wurtzel Productions / 20th Century Fox along with Pine _ Thomas productions / Paramount with films from the 1940s released up to 1949 in the U.S.A.
Port Of Wickedness ( aka Barbary Coast ) A rare Ray films one sheet re-issue poster from the 1950s of Barbara Coast ( 1935 ) with the title changed to Port Of Wickedness and the image very similar to the U.S.1954 re-issue one sheet also retitled Port Of Wickedness. Ray Films one sheets are rarely seen and the only other one that springs to mind I remember seeing is The Knave Of Hearts ( 1954 ).
An original Richardson designed Paramount released daybill of Swamp Fire ( 1946 ).
A circa 1954 re-release by Ray Films altered the original daybill by removing the three references to Paramount Pictures. They then added a snipe crediting Ray Films as being the distributor.
An original Magic Town ( 1947 ) Australian RKO Radio released daybill.
A 1950's Australian re-release of Magic Town by Ray Films that used the original RKO daybill. Ray removed the three reference to RKO by snipe coverage and also trimming at the bottom of the poster.
Two more very rare Ray Films Australian printed one sheet film posters of Knave Of Hearts (1954) and The House Of The Arrow (1953) appear below. This now makes a total of four located Ray Films Australian one sheet poster images.
Ray Films was an independent Australian film distributor that operated during the 1950's decade only. They did import a considerable number of first release and re-release films during this period of time. Obtaining screening bookings with the major film theatre chains was often a problem, so this combined with the introduction of television in Australia in Sydney on the 16/9/1956 possibly then contributed to the winding up of Ray Films circa 1959.
Ray Films re-released a known number of nine Samuel Goldywn 1930's and the 1940's originally released films in Australia during the 1950s. The following Australian daybills were printed for seven of the titles released here. Wuthering Heights The Westerner The Real Glory The Goldwyn Follies Dead End The Pride Of The Yankees Port OF Wickedness (original title Barbary Coast)
Two other Goldwyn films that are known ro have also been re-released here in the 1950's are The Adventures Of Marco Polo And Raffles the 1940 version. No daybills located for either of these films, but the following newspaper advertisements confirm their-releases here. . (Trove / NLA)
I have been unable to find any other Goldwyn titles that were re-released here by Ray Films in the 1950's. to establish if any other titles were also released here. My thinking is that there weren't any additional titles
Something to mention here is that on the above The Adventures Of Marco Polo 1957 newspaper advertisement, that although only appearing pre fame in a small supporting role of a maid in the film, Lana Turner shares top billing with Gary Cooper on the add.
Comments
Fighting Back ( 1948 ) & Tucson ( 1949 ) are the two films in question. The original 20th Century Fox logos has been covered up by the Ray Films logo for their re-release. Another Sol M.Wurtzel Production was pictured at the beginning of this thread with the Ray Films logo also added to the original Trouble Preferred ( 1948 ) daybill poster for it's Australian re-release in the 1950s. The using of the original artwork has produced some of the most attractive posters Ray Films had that ever promoted their film releases.
I think it is important to be clear about the origin of some of these Ray Films posters. Tucson, Fear in the Night, Trouble Preferred and various others are all original first release daybills with Ray Films snipes added for the re release of the film. The snipes can easily be removed and that would revert the posters to their original release condition.
These daybills are not unlike some US lobby cards that have hand written NSS details added to the original cards for a later re release. The interesting question is how and when did they get the original posters to use for the re release. The printers did not keep posters. After the posters were printed, the plates were wiped and re used so they did not reprint the artwork. The distributors might have kept some posters but would there have been enough to use for a re release - who knows I guess?
I imagine in some cases, the original posters survived and could be re used with the added sticker but in others cases, like Take It Big and possibly Murder at 3am, maybe original posters did not survive so they printed a specific different poster for the Ray Films release. Those are clearly re releases.
I don't disagree with John's comments but I would like just to mention that Murder At 3am doesn't fit into the picture as it was an original printed daybill for a first release for this British film. Some other re-releases they handed like The Girl From San Lorenzo which was originally released in Australia by United Artists had a copy completed from the original poster this time in duotone for the Ray Films release. Ray Films also produced ( not often though ) some nice first release daybills such as The Bonnie Parker Story & Mother Riley Meets The Vampire along with Murder At 3 a.m.
The re-using of original posters appears to have only happened with Sol M. Wurtzel Productions / 20th Century Fox along with Pine _ Thomas productions / Paramount with films from the 1940s released up to 1949 in the U.S.A.
Is the one sheet of Murder At 3am similar and as nice as the daybill ?
I think it's nicer
I like the design and effectiveness of the daybill over the one sheet. Do you agree Ves ?
Love the ''Kill-Crazy Prowler Strikes Again!'' & ''Another beauty falls victim to crazed killer!
An original Richardson designed Paramount released daybill of Swamp Fire ( 1946 ).
A circa 1954 re-release by Ray Films altered the original daybill by removing the three references to Paramount Pictures. They then added a snipe crediting Ray Films as being the distributor.
An original Magic Town ( 1947 ) Australian RKO Radio released daybill.
A 1950's Australian re-release of Magic Town by Ray Films that used the original RKO daybill. Ray removed the three reference to RKO by snipe coverage and also trimming at the bottom of the poster.
Two more very rare Ray Films Australian printed one sheet film posters of Knave Of Hearts (1954) and The House Of The Arrow (1953) appear below. This now makes a total of four located Ray Films Australian one sheet poster images.
Ray Films was an independent Australian film distributor that operated during the 1950's decade only. They did import a considerable number of first release and re-release films during this period of time. Obtaining screening bookings with the major film theatre chains was often a problem, so this combined with the introduction of television in Australia in Sydney on the 16/9/1956 possibly then contributed to the winding up of Ray Films circa 1959.
The following Australian daybills were printed for seven of the titles released here.
Wuthering Heights
The Westerner
The Real Glory
The Goldwyn Follies
Dead End
The Pride Of The Yankees
Port OF Wickedness (original title Barbary Coast)
Two other Goldwyn films that are known ro have also been re-released here in the 1950's are The Adventures Of Marco Polo And Raffles the 1940 version. No daybills located for either of these films, but the following newspaper advertisements confirm their-releases here.
.
I have been unable to find any other Goldwyn titles that were re-released here by Ray Films in the 1950's. to establish if any other titles were also released here. My thinking is that there weren't any additional titles
Something to mention here is that on the above The Adventures Of Marco Polo 1957 newspaper advertisement, that although only appearing pre fame in a small supporting role of a maid in the film, Lana Turner shares top billing with Gary Cooper on the add.