20th Century-Fox Dynamo

Published weekly to promote 20th-Century Fox films to American exhibitors.

American cinematographer

Billboard

Boxoffice

BOXOFFICE was the leading American exhibitor trade paper of the post-World War II era. But the publication had modest beginnings. In 1920, Ben Shlyen founded the paper, orginally titled THE REEL JOURNAL, in an office located in Kansas City's Film Row district. Like other regional exhibitor publications, THE REEL JOURNAL focused its attention on the local -- in this case, KC and the nearby territories that the city's distribution exchanges served. By the end of the 1920s, however, Shlyen had acquired or founded several more small exhibitor papers serving other US markets. In 1932, their titles all changed to BOXOFFICE, though they continued to be published in regional editions for decades to follow. -- Eric Hoyt, 2015

Boxoffice barometer

BOXOFFICE was the leading American exhibitor trade paper of the post-World War II era. But the publication had modest beginnings. In 1920, Ben Shlyen founded the paper, orginally titled THE REEL JOURNAL, in an office located in Kansas City's Film Row district. Like other regional exhibitor publications, THE REEL JOURNAL focused its attention on the local -- in this case, KC and the nearby territories that the city's distribution exchanges served. By the end of the 1920s, however, Shlyen had acquired or founded several more small exhibitor papers serving other US markets. In 1932, their titles all changed to BOXOFFICE, though they continued to be published in regional editions for decades to follow. -- Eric Hoyt, 2015

Broadcasting

This trade paper began in 1931 with a focus on radio, but as the TV industry expanded in the post-World War II era, the paper increasingly became devoted to television (even the title changed to BROADCASTING TELECASTING). Developments in technology, policy, advertising, and programming were covered. The paper's advertisements and articles reveal the intricate relationship among sponsors, stations, program suppliers, and station representatives -- the industry's term for middle-men who represented numerous local stations in negotiations with national sponsors. The success of particular stations or programming choices are frequently trumpeted in BROADCASTING'S advertisements -- always with the goal of selling more of something, such as a film program or a station's spot advertising time. -- Eric Hoyt, 2014

Cine-Journal

Cine-mundial

Description (English): Cine-Mundial, the Spanish-language version of Moving Picture World, was published between 1916 and 1948. The magazine documents Hollywood’s growing dominance in Latin American markets in the 1920s and the emergence of national film industries, such as those of Mexico and Argentina after the introduction of sound film. Far from being a mere translation of its English-language counterpart, Cine-Mundial focused on issues that were important to its readers in Latin American and Spain—the representation of Latin Americans on screen, the geo-politics of film distribution, and Hollywood’s short foray into Spanish-language film production in the late 1920 and early 1930s. Functioning as both trade publication and fan magazine, its regular columns that featured reports from national correspondents and letters from readers from every corner of the Spanish-speaking world provides invaluable insight into Latin American audiences and their reception of both imported and nationally or regionally produced films. -- Laura Isabel Serna, 2013

Close-Up

As an active film magazine, CLOSE UP lasted only a short time, from 1927 to 1933. Yet the legacy of this English-language periodical, which was published in Switzerland, continues to matter. Edited by Bryher and her husband Kenneth Macpherson, CLOSE UP became THE magazine for energetic debates about the nature of cinema and manifestos imagining new forms of filmmaking and spectatorship. The magazine published articles by filmmakers, such as Sergei Eisenstein, and female literary modernists, such as H.D. and Gertrude Stein. As film scholar Anne Friedberg explains in the anthology CLOSE-UP, 1927-1933: CINEMA & MODERNISM, 'CLOSE UP became the model for a certain type of writing about film -- writing that was theoretically astute, politically incisive, critical of films that were simply 'entertainment.' For six and a half years, CLOSE UP maintained a forum for a broad variety of ideas about the cinema; it never advocated a single direction of development, but rather posed alternatives to existing modes of production, consumption, and film style.' Like Friedberg's own writing, CLOSE UP continues to be essential reading for anyone interested in the history of film and media theory. -- Eric Hoyt, 2014

Der Kinematograph

Germany’s first film trade journal, Der Kinematograph, played a prominent role in the film publishing landscape during the late Wilhelmine and Weimar periods and remains a key source for film historians today. The journal’s early history exemplifies the gradual emergence of cinema from the cinematograph, since it began as supplement to the popular variety journal Der Artist before becoming an independent publication dedicated to all aspects of the burgeoning film industry. As other scholars have pointed out, Der Kinematograph played an important role in the development of film criticism, especially after the ascension of Alfred Rosenthal to the position of chief editor in 1923. But it also covered a wide variety of topics from film history to technology to economic and juridical questions. The journal could also provide an interesting case study for the film politics of the Weimar period. In the early-1920s, it came under the control of the Scherl Verlag, run by the conservative media mogul Alfred Hugenberg (the Rupert Murdoch of his day), who would also acquire the UFA studio in 1927. This made it a prime target for left-wing groups such as the Volksverband für Filmkunst (Popular Association for Film Art), who saw Rosenthal and Hugenberg as key representatives of a capitalist mass media system dedicated to dumbing down the masses. In 1933, Der Kinematograph, like other film publications, was purged of Jewish colleagues, and the journal itself folded in 1935. —Michael Cowan, 2020

Exhibitor's Trade Review

In late-1916, Exhibitor's Trade Review entered a crowded market of weekly motion picture trade publications that already included the Moving Picture World, Motion Picture News, Exhibitor's Herald, and Motography, along with theatre and vaudeville-oriented papers that covered film, such as Variety, the Billboard, and the New York Clipper. To gain market share and differentiate itself from competitors, Exhibitor's Trade Review pursued a variety of tactics -- some constructive (gathering allies among exhibitor organizations), others destructive (smearing the reputations of competing trade papers and certain film companies that refused to buy advertising). Despite the behind-the-scenes controversies, though, Exhibitor's Trade Review appears to have, in the words of Alan Gevinson, 'established itself legitimately in its role as advisor to and fighter for the independent exhibitor.' All the issues that mattered to independent exhibitors were covered, including censorship, taxes, distributor contracts, piano accompaniment, and, of course, the films. In 1926, Exhibitor's Trade Review ceased weekly publication and only offered the daily service, Exhibitor's Daily, which was acquired a few years later by Martin Quigley as he attempted to consolidate the industry's trade papers under his control. -- Eric Hoyt, 2014

Exhibitors Herald

Founded in 1915 by a Chicago printing company as a regional trade paper for Midwest exhibitors. In 1916, editor Martin Quigley bought out the owners, and over the next 15 years, he grew EXHIBITORS HERALD into one of the most important national, weekly trade papers in the film business. Quigley acquired MOTOGRAPHY in 1917 and MOVING PICTURE WORLD in 1927. In 1930, he acquired MOTION PICTURE NEWS and the new 'consolidated' publication became MOTION PICTURE HERALD. From the pulpit of his editorial page, Quigley preached the need to improve the motion picture industry and improve the quality of the films. He skillfully served as a mediator in disputes -- between distributors and exhibitors, between the film industry and the Catholic Church (Quigley was one of the architects of the Production Code). Quigley claimed that EXHIBITORS HERALD represented the 'independent exhibitor' and sections like 'What the Picture Did for Me?' certainly provided a forum for theater owners. But plenty of exhibitors viewed Quigley as a servant to the studios and large theater chains. In response, publications such as SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, INDEPENDENT EXHIBITORS FILM BULLETIN, HARRISON'S REPORTS, and BOX OFFICE were either formed or grew significantly in the years following Quigley's brief moment of consolidation in 1930. -- Eric Hoyt, 2014

Film Daily

This leading industry publication, published out of New York, was founded in 1915 by Wid Gunning (who called his publication Wid's Daily until 1922). The Film Daily documented the rise of the Hollywood studios, the transition to sound, and the evolution of the American film industry (the paper finally shuttered in 1970). The Film Daily included feature reviews, news stories, and advertisements, but its extensive coverage of short films in the 1920s and 30s distinguished it from other trade papers of the period. -- Eric Hoyt, 2011/2013

Film year book

FilmIndia

Harrison's Reports

'A reviewing service free from the influence of film advertising... devoted chiefly to the interests of the exhibitors.' From 1919 to 1962, HARRISON'S REPORTS served as a watchdog for the interests of U.S. independent movie theaters. Founder and editor P.S. Harrison used his 4-page sheet (occasionally 8-pages) to praise films that he considered good for theaters and audiences and to excoriate bad pictures, 'immoral' theater operators, films on 16mm and TV, and any company or policy that made life more difficult for exhibitors. -- Eric Hoyt, 2014

Heinl radio business letter

A private newsletter published out of Washinton, D.C. Robert D. Heinl meticulously tracked FCC actions and other policy developments and provided frequent updates to subscribers of the newsletter. A fascinating source for seeing how policy developments and regulations were received and interpreted within the commercial broadcasting industry. -- Eric Hoyt, 2018

Hollywood

Home Movies

Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin

East Coast exhibitor publication. Founded in 1934 by the Independent Exhibitors' Protective Association in response to the perceived shortcomings of Motion Picture Herald and the Motion Picture Theatre Owners (MPTO). Served as a news source, reviewing service, and forum for independent exhibitors to share their many grievances. -- Eric Hoyt, 2014

Inside facts of stage and screen

A VARIETY-esque combination of vaudeville, theatre, and film news for the West Coast showbiz community. -- Eric Hoyt, 2017

International projectionist

International Projectionist presented the technology of cinema sound and image projection while addressing the issues and concerns of union projectionists. -- David Pierce, 2013

Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers

The Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers (SMPE)Êdocuments the technological progress of the film industry, highlighting technical developments in production and exhibition. Of special interest are articles about special effects, theater practices, lighting, and the introduction of the 16mm format. Initially titled "Transactions of the Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers."Digitized by the Prelinger Library and the Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division.

Kinematograph year book

Modern Screen

Motion Picture

Motion Picture Daily

A New York-based daily trade paper published by Martin Quigley. The companion to Quigley's better known weekly publication, MOTION PICTURE HERALD, and a direct competitor to THE FILM DAILY, which was also published out of New York. Established in 1930, MOTION PICTURE DAILY enjoyed a circulation of roughly 5,000 readers most years of its four decades in print (a nearly identical circulation to THE FILM DAILY, but only one third of the readership of MOTION PICTURE HERALD, which reached a wider audience of exhibitors). In the 1930s, the MOTION PICTURE DAILY's editor, Maurice Kann, called on the movie industry to shift more production back to the East Coast. Any productions that filmed in New York received ample attention. New York City never regained its production lead over Hollywood, but the major studios used the Big Apple for their corporate and distribution headquarters. As a result, MOTION PICTURE DAILY tended to focus on economic and regulatory issues confronting the film industry. -- Eric Hoyt, 2014

Motion Picture Herald

Founded in 1915 by a Chicago printing company as a regional trade paper for Midwest exhibitors. In 1916, editor Martin Quigley bought out the owners, and over the next 15 years, he grew EXHIBITORS HERALD into one of the most important national, weekly trade papers in the film business. Quigley acquired MOTOGRAPHY in 1917 and MOVING PICTURE WORLD in 1927. In 1930, he acquired MOTION PICTURE NEWS and the new 'consolidated' publication became MOTION PICTURE HERALD. From the pulpit of his editorial page, Quigley preached the need to improve the motion picture industry and improve the quality of the films. He skillfully served as a mediator in disputes -- between distributors and exhibitors, between the film industry and the Catholic Church (Quigley was one of the architects of the Production Code). Quigley claimed that EXHIBITORS HERALD represented the 'independent exhibitor' and sections like 'What the Picture Did for Me?' certainly provided a forum for theater owners. But plenty of exhibitors viewed Quigley as a servant to the studios and large theater chains. In response, publications such as SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, INDEPENDENT EXHIBITORS FILM BULLETIN, HARRISON'S REPORTS, and BOX OFFICE were either formed or grew significantly in the years following Quigley's brief moment of consolidation in 1930. -- Eric Hoyt, 2014

Motion Picture Magazine

Motion Picture News

Motion Picture News was the leading film industry trade journal during the 1920s. Founded in 1908 as a counterweight to the dominant Moving Picture World, the News was the voice for the independent, non-Trust, producers. Later Motion Picture News expanded its coverage to the entire industry, supporting the independent exhibitor with objective film reviews, summaries of programs at theatres across the nation, activities of regional exchanges in the cities with regional exchanges, and excellent coverage of the coming of sound and screenings and stage shots at the major New York City theatres. -- David Pierce, 2013

Motion Picture Reviews

Movie reviews by members of the Los Angeles branch of the American Association of University Women.

Motography

Movie Classic

Originally Motion Picture Classic (first issue 1915), renamed Movie Classic in September 1931. Sold as 'The Newsreel of the Newstands'; on par with Picture Play and Screenland in terms of content, quality, and circulation (solid but below that of Photoplay, et. al.) until it was absorbed by Motion Picture in 1937. -- Anne Helen Petersen, 2013. Secondary sources consulted: Inside the Hollywood Fan Magazine by Anthony Slide and MovieMags.com.

Movie Makers

Movie Makers, the official publication of the Amateur Cinema League, documented and championed home movies and production by local film clubs. During 27 years of publication, Movie Makers provided extensive coverage of the growth of 16mm, the availability of Hollywood films to the home, filmmaking style, amateur production, and color cinematography. -- David Pierce, 2013

Moving Picture World

Moving Picture World, founded in 1907 by J.P. Chalmers, was one of the motion picture industry's first trade papers. Published on a weekly basis in New York City, Moving Picture World informed exhibitors about films available for rental and editorialized on behalf of the growing industry (improving the quality of movies through higher filmmaking standards, not government censorship, was a frequent topic). The paper reached its height in the mid-to-late-1910s--a fact reflected in the circulation figures and the huge amount of advertising that filled every issue during the period. In the 1920s, Moving Picture World lost ground to other competing weekly trade papers -- including Variety, Exhibitor's Herald, and Motion Picture News. In 1927, Moving Picture World ceased publication when it was acquired by Martin Quigley's Exhibitor's Herald. Across the 20 year run of Moving Picture World, readers can watch the transition from short film programs to feature films and witness the transition from the dominance of Edison's Trust to the rise of the "Independent" film companies that ultimately became the Hollywood studios. Silent film historians have utilized and cited Moving Picture World more frequently than any other trade paper, and the publication still has many insights left to offer. -- Eric Hoyt, 2012/2013

NAEB Newsletter

The official newsletter of the National Association of Educational Broadcasters (NAEB) -- the predecessor to NPR, PBS, the CPB. Led primarily by faculty and staff at large Midwestern universities, the NAEB envisioned uses of broadcasting to improve society and educate both children and adults. The newsletter chronicles the NAEB's activities in advocating to the FCC for educational stations to obtain greater access to the public airwaves, coordinating the distribution of educational recordings, and planning the production of ambitious programs, such as 'People Under Communism' and 'The Jeffersonian Heritage,' which starred Claude Rains as Thomas Jefferson. This newsletter was digitized as part of the 'Unlocking the Airwaves' project, a collaboration among the University of Maryland, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Wisconsin Historical Society, with funding from the NEH. -- Stephanie Sapienza & Eric Hoyt, 2019.

NBC transmitter

Devoted to the interests of NBC and its affiliate stations.

New York Clipper

The New York Clipper was one of the first theatrical trade newspapers in the United States. Founded in 1853, the Clipper offered weekly coverage of legitimate theatre, vaudeville, the circus, and other forms of entertainment (which, by the early-20th century, included motion pictures). In 1923, the Clipper was acquired and absorbed by one of its New York competitors: Variety. -- Eric Hoyt, 2013

Paramount Press Books

Photoplay

The leading Hollywood fan magazine of the 1920s and 1930s. Photoplay offered readers portraits of their favorite movie stars and stories about their personal lives. The magazine played an important promotional function for the Hollywood industry, but its editors and reviewers could also be highly critical of Hollywood. Beginning in 1921, Photoplay bestowed its annual 'Medal of Honor' for the film readers voted as the best of the year. -- Eric Hoyt, 2011.

Picture Play Magazine

Began publishing in 1915; mid-level fan magazine on par with Movie Classic and Screenland. Cost a twenty five cents an issue up until pricing pressure from New Movie (c. 1932) incited an across-the-board price decrease to 10 cents. Merged with Charm in 1941, which would later become Glamour magazine (1959). -- Anne Helen Petersen, 2013. Secondary sources consulted: Inside the Hollywood Fan Magazine by Anthony Slide and MovieMags.com.

Radio Broadcast

Radio Broadcast supported home listeners of the new technology of radio – for building or buying a receiving set to explaining the technology used by the new radio stations. Throughout the magazine shows the cultural influence of radio as it evolved from hobbyist to mainstream. -- David Pierce, 2011

Radio Digest

Radio Mirror

Radio Mirror (later known as Radio and Television Mirror) was a fan magazine for radio listeners and later TV viewers that includes profiles of the stars, visits to radio and television studios, and program listings. The early years in the 1930s show the interaction of motion pictures, recordings, the stage, radio and even politics. The role of radio in World War II is well covered in the 1940s, and by the 1950s the focus shifts to television and a new generation of personalities. -- David Pierce, 2013

Radio and television mirror

Radio Mirror (later known as Radio and Television Mirror) was a fan magazine for radio listeners and later TV viewers that includes profiles of the stars, visits to radio and television studios, and program listings. The early years in the 1930s show the interaction of motion pictures, recordings, the stage, radio and even politics. The role of radio in World War II is well covered in the 1940s, and by the 1950s the focus shifts to television and a new generation of personalities. -- David Pierce, 2013

Radio annual

Radio broadcast ..

Radio Broadcast supported home listeners of the new technology of radio – for building or buying a receiving set to explaining the technology used by the new radio stations. Throughout the magazine shows the cultural influence of radio as it evolved from hobbyist to mainstream. -- David Pierce, 2011

Screenland

Mid-range fan magazine. Ran from 1920 to 1952, at which point it changed its name to Screenland Plus TV-Land. Merged with Silver Screen in 1971 and ceased publication. -- Anne Helen Petersen, 2013. Secondary sources consulted: Inside the Hollywood Fan Magazine by Anthony Slide and MovieMags.com.

Showmen's Trade Review

Established in 1933 by Charles 'Chick' Lewis, who previously edited the 'Manager's Round Table' section in Quigley's MOTION PICTURE HERALD. Lewis originally called his new publication SHOWMEN'S ROUND TABLE, but after a lawsuit from Quigley, he changed the title to SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW (STR). Over the next two decades, STR proved to be a formidable competitor to Quigley's HERALD and steadily grew in circulation. It's easy to see why exhibitors wanted to subscribe. STR's editorial voice, reviews of features and shorts, 'Box Office Slant' tips for how to promote movies, and concise and well organized 'Booking Guides' made it a trustworthy and highly useful magazine for exhibitors. -- Eric Hoyt, 2014

Silver Screen

Sponsor

Subtitle varies: The Buyers of broadcast advertising; The weekly magazine TV/radio advertisers use; the national weekly of TV & radio advertising

TV Radio Mirror

Radio Mirror (later known as Radio and Television Mirror) was a fan magazine for radio listeners and later TV viewers that includes profiles of the stars, visits to radio and television studios, and program listings. The early years in the 1930s show the interaction of motion pictures, recordings, the stage, radio and even politics. The role of radio in World War II is well covered in the 1940s, and by the 1950s the focus shifts to television and a new generation of personalities. -- David Pierce, 2013

TV forecast

A predecessor to TV GUIDE, TV FORECAST was published in Chicago from 1948 to 1953. The title FORECAST referred to the anticipated weekly schedule of television programming, but we can also think about it as speculations, predictions, and fever dreams about what the medium would become -- some of which were realized, others of which were quickly forgotten. -- Eric Hoyt, 2019.

The Edison phonograph monthly

Reprint, with an introduction added, of a periodical published 1903-1916 in New York by the National Phonograph Co

The Exhibitor

Regional trade paper that began in Philadelphia, but expanded to include editions for other markets.

The New Movie Magazine

Relatively short-lived magazine that nonetheless played a crucial role in the gossip industry. Launched in 1929, it cost only ten cents, when the majority of high-end magazines sold for a quarter. It was also primarily sold through Woolworth’s five and dime stores; the combination of cost and accessibility led to its dominance, by 1933, over all other magazines (circulation: 650,000). As a result, the other magazines decreased their price to match New Movie’s. New Movie had less content and poorer quality drawings and illustrations, but the content similar in tone and quality to that of the high end magazines. Ceased publication in 1935. -- Anne Helen Petersen, 2013. Secondary sources consulted: Inside the Hollywood Fan Magazine by Anthony Slide and MovieMags.com.

The Picture Show Annual

The international photographer

International Photographer, published by the Hollywood local of the film industry union for cameramen and camera operators, reported news of the arts and crafts of the motion picture, with an emphasis on cinematography. -- David Pierce, 2011/2013

The radio annual

The talking machine world

Transactions of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers

Preceeded by an unnumbered issue published in 1916 called: Incorporation and by-laws

Universal Weekly

The organ of the Universal Film Manufacturing Company. Previously titled MOVING PICTURE WEEKLY.

Variety

Founded in 1905 by Sime Silverman, Variety is the best known and most important trade paper in the history of American entertainment. Variety began as a New York weekly publication covering vaudeville, however, its scope expanded over time to include legitimate theatre, burlesque, motion pictures, radio, and television (transitions that the MHDL will eventually document within this record). In 1933, Daily Variety was launched in Los Angeles to offer in-depth coverage of the motion picture industry and serve as a competitor to The Hollywood Reporter, which was founded 'on the Coast' in 1930. In March 2013, Variety's owner ended the print edition of Daily Variety, though as of this writing, the weekly publication and a website offering non-stop news updates still exist. Variety may ultimately be best remembered for its integration of show business slang into entertainment trade coverage. Boffo. Hokum. Quickies. Svelte. Climaxer. Tenpercenter. Coastlander. Skein. We're still feeling zowied. -- Eric Hoyt, 2013