TRAILER HISTORY: A working history of the trailer industry
Please note that this timeline of trailer history is a work-in-progress, and we plan to update it as we find new material and resources. All suggestions for new additions are welcome!
1916
30th September: Famous Players announced the release of ‘an advance strip of film of Maurice and Florence Walton’, promoting The Quest of Life
1917
7th July: Triangle Films release “stock slides for Exhibitors to use in advertising… attractive and well colored… give the Exhibitor something that does not disgrace his screen” (MPW p.92)
28th July: 1st ‘Little Journeys to Selznick Picture Studios’ trailer released, showing “the pictures being made, the director, personal glimpses of stars, and other little touches of studio life” (MPWorld 663)
1919
28th October: National Screen Service Corporation was incorporated in Albany, NY to produce trailers for feature films.
30th September: Famous Players announced the release of ‘an advance strip of film of Maurice and Florence Walton’, promoting The Quest of Life
1917
7th July: Triangle Films release “stock slides for Exhibitors to use in advertising… attractive and well colored… give the Exhibitor something that does not disgrace his screen” (MPW p.92)
28th July: 1st ‘Little Journeys to Selznick Picture Studios’ trailer released, showing “the pictures being made, the director, personal glimpses of stars, and other little touches of studio life” (MPWorld 663)
1919
28th October: National Screen Service Corporation was incorporated in Albany, NY to produce trailers for feature films.
1922
January: Herman Robbins (General Manager, NSS) starts a tour of cities between New York and Chicago to establish new NSS centres “to give proper service to all exhibitors between here and Chicago” (Exhibitors Trade Review, 526)
1925
19th January: National Screen Service open their first office in Los Angeles
31st October: The Capitol Self-Operating Continuous Motion Picture Projector “will sell your vacant seats by showing continuously your coming and current films in your lobby” with its Special Trailer Service “on 16mm non-inflammable stock” from NSS.
1926
May: British producer E. Gordon Craig (New Era) and Leslie A. Thomson (Midlands Counties Circuit) acquire controlling interest in UK trailer company, Winads. (Kine Weekly 111, 996, p. 51). Craig announces intention to produce composite trailers that cover up to four features, in response to exhibitor demands.
June 14th-18th: Joe Pollak and William Brenner announce start of National Screen Services Ltd., British arm of company, run by Paul Kimberley. Main announcement and demonstration at the Cinematograph Exhibitors Association conference in Brighton.
17th June: Winads advertisements claim it is the ‘British Screen Service’ (in response to the launch of NSS Ltd.)
September: official launch date for NSS Ltd. (UK).
1927
11th November: John Miljan records the Vitaphone talking trailer for The Jazz Singer, at Vitaphone’s Brooklyn studio, for the 2nd run of the film.
1928
13th January: Conrad Nagel films a general Vitaphone trailer to ask audiences to applaud after musical numbers so Warner Bros. knows what audiences like!
27th January: William Collier Jr. records a special Vitaphone trailer for Warner Bros.’ The Lion and the Mouse
23rd July: National Screen Service announce new sound trailers are available for ‘Warming Up’ film, starring Richard Dix (Paramount), and ‘Lilac Time’ (First National) – likely an attempt by NSS to to catch up with Vitaphone's ‘talkie trailers’
5th December: National Screen Service Corp. floats shares in the company.
1929
28th July: Mordaunt Hall New York Times article, ‘Those Exuberant Screen Barkers’, argues trailers should be ‘set forth in a more judicious manner’ and that they should have “a conservative wording & a more rational & less sensational selection of the excerpts from the film.”
30th November: Joe Pollak sells NSS shares, and resigns from the company.
January: Herman Robbins (General Manager, NSS) starts a tour of cities between New York and Chicago to establish new NSS centres “to give proper service to all exhibitors between here and Chicago” (Exhibitors Trade Review, 526)
1925
19th January: National Screen Service open their first office in Los Angeles
31st October: The Capitol Self-Operating Continuous Motion Picture Projector “will sell your vacant seats by showing continuously your coming and current films in your lobby” with its Special Trailer Service “on 16mm non-inflammable stock” from NSS.
1926
May: British producer E. Gordon Craig (New Era) and Leslie A. Thomson (Midlands Counties Circuit) acquire controlling interest in UK trailer company, Winads. (Kine Weekly 111, 996, p. 51). Craig announces intention to produce composite trailers that cover up to four features, in response to exhibitor demands.
June 14th-18th: Joe Pollak and William Brenner announce start of National Screen Services Ltd., British arm of company, run by Paul Kimberley. Main announcement and demonstration at the Cinematograph Exhibitors Association conference in Brighton.
17th June: Winads advertisements claim it is the ‘British Screen Service’ (in response to the launch of NSS Ltd.)
September: official launch date for NSS Ltd. (UK).
1927
11th November: John Miljan records the Vitaphone talking trailer for The Jazz Singer, at Vitaphone’s Brooklyn studio, for the 2nd run of the film.
1928
13th January: Conrad Nagel films a general Vitaphone trailer to ask audiences to applaud after musical numbers so Warner Bros. knows what audiences like!
27th January: William Collier Jr. records a special Vitaphone trailer for Warner Bros.’ The Lion and the Mouse
23rd July: National Screen Service announce new sound trailers are available for ‘Warming Up’ film, starring Richard Dix (Paramount), and ‘Lilac Time’ (First National) – likely an attempt by NSS to to catch up with Vitaphone's ‘talkie trailers’
5th December: National Screen Service Corp. floats shares in the company.
1929
28th July: Mordaunt Hall New York Times article, ‘Those Exuberant Screen Barkers’, argues trailers should be ‘set forth in a more judicious manner’ and that they should have “a conservative wording & a more rational & less sensational selection of the excerpts from the film.”
30th November: Joe Pollak sells NSS shares, and resigns from the company.
1930
6th March: The Ohio Trade board agreed not to censor trailers as long as all the material featured was from the feature film.
19th April: NSS opens Seattle office, adding to those in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, London and others. Reports it is serving 7000 clients.
17th June: Film Daily ‘A trailer to advertise a trailer is the latest… [made] to precede the Floyd Gibbons trailer ballyhooing the Byrd South Pole epic’
1931
September: NSS publish a book called Building Patronage for exhibitors.
1932
12th September: Film Daily reports that NSS have moved into new New York premises in Film Centre, 9th Ave (from W 46th).
1933
30th September: National Screen Service take over competitor Exhibitors Screen Service
1934
23rd April: MGM announce plans to distribute its own trailers. Having produced its own trailers for several years, with NSS distributing, MGM state that from January 1935 they will take this all in-house.
30th June: NSS' George Denbow states that 8,500 theatres across the US are using NSS trailers (Film Daily).
11th September: National Screen Service produced a trailer for the RKO Technicolor short LA Cucaracha, the 1st trailer made for a film of this length
1935
14th February: Warner Bros. announce $1m suit against NSS for producing and distributing trailers that ‘exploit’ WB films. Although it had no contract with MGM and Warners, NSS continued to produce and distribute trailers for films from those studios. These trailer did not feature footage but used stills and off-screen dialogue.
1936
15th March: NS Accessories is formed as partnership of NSS and Charles L. Casenave. Company to handle ‘speciality advertising accessories’ using the full facilities and personnel of NSS.
10th May: New York Times article ‘Renovating the Trailer’ claims that the “new Blurbs Are Too, Too Genteel… Hollywood has gone subtle. Trailers… assuming the veil of modesty". Also notes that Hays censors were concerned about a trailer for Paramount’s Desire (1936).
1938
5th April: Film Daily reports that NSS General Manager Sam Dembow has resigned to join advertising agency Fanchon & Marco as VP/director.
1939
4th October: Film Daily reports on the telecast of 2 trailers for Frank Capra's Mr Smith Goes to Washington.
December: the average trailer runs 170 feet, or around 2 minutes.
6th March: The Ohio Trade board agreed not to censor trailers as long as all the material featured was from the feature film.
19th April: NSS opens Seattle office, adding to those in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, London and others. Reports it is serving 7000 clients.
17th June: Film Daily ‘A trailer to advertise a trailer is the latest… [made] to precede the Floyd Gibbons trailer ballyhooing the Byrd South Pole epic’
1931
September: NSS publish a book called Building Patronage for exhibitors.
1932
12th September: Film Daily reports that NSS have moved into new New York premises in Film Centre, 9th Ave (from W 46th).
1933
30th September: National Screen Service take over competitor Exhibitors Screen Service
1934
23rd April: MGM announce plans to distribute its own trailers. Having produced its own trailers for several years, with NSS distributing, MGM state that from January 1935 they will take this all in-house.
30th June: NSS' George Denbow states that 8,500 theatres across the US are using NSS trailers (Film Daily).
11th September: National Screen Service produced a trailer for the RKO Technicolor short LA Cucaracha, the 1st trailer made for a film of this length
1935
14th February: Warner Bros. announce $1m suit against NSS for producing and distributing trailers that ‘exploit’ WB films. Although it had no contract with MGM and Warners, NSS continued to produce and distribute trailers for films from those studios. These trailer did not feature footage but used stills and off-screen dialogue.
1936
15th March: NS Accessories is formed as partnership of NSS and Charles L. Casenave. Company to handle ‘speciality advertising accessories’ using the full facilities and personnel of NSS.
10th May: New York Times article ‘Renovating the Trailer’ claims that the “new Blurbs Are Too, Too Genteel… Hollywood has gone subtle. Trailers… assuming the veil of modesty". Also notes that Hays censors were concerned about a trailer for Paramount’s Desire (1936).
1938
5th April: Film Daily reports that NSS General Manager Sam Dembow has resigned to join advertising agency Fanchon & Marco as VP/director.
1939
4th October: Film Daily reports on the telecast of 2 trailers for Frank Capra's Mr Smith Goes to Washington.
December: the average trailer runs 170 feet, or around 2 minutes.
1941
July 28th: ‘Home office employees of National Screen Service gave a carnival-dance Friday night at the Hotel Edison with the entire proceeds being donated to the company’s London employees. Radio announcers whose voices have been used in National Screen trailers, including Ben Grauer, Andre Baruch, Mark Hawley, Alois Havrilla and Del Sharbut, made personal appearances at the affair.’ (‘NSS Employees Help Their London Buddies’ Motion Picture Daily July 28 1941, p. 2)
1943
November: NSS UK advertisement fir Christmas and New Year trailers, as well as a ‘New Technicolor H.M. The King Trailer’ which ‘opens with a Flying Union Jack, followed by the crests of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, then appears with H.M. The King in the centre. Added to this are the crests of the Dominions – Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The crests disappear, leaving H.M. The King in the centre with the words “God Save The King”. A colourful production that will be appreciated by your audience.’
1944:
December: NSS help to distribute Ministry of Food series “Food Flashes” (145 flashes distributed by NSS: Kine Weekly Dec 21 1944, 4)
1945
February: A labour agreement is signed between NSS Ltd. (UK) and the Association of Cine-Technicians ‘on behalf of that company’s employees engaged in the production and processing of films’. Agreement runs from Jan 1 and stabilises ‘minimum salary rates and working conditions for the various grades of employees, including cine-camera, editing, negative cutting, and art departments.’. Based on existing agreements elsewhere in industry (Kine Weekly 336, 1973 (Feb 8 1945), p. 33)
May 1st: NSS begin to handle all Columbia's accessories.
December: William B. Brenner (US VP in charge of operations) visited NSS Ltd. (UK) to announce John R. McPherson is new American representative and joint managing director, NSS Ltd. Brenner also announces a new NSS Ltd. studio in Perivale, after London office was bombed during the war. At this stage, NSS Ltd. "makes a trailer for every film produced or shown in England... NSS Productions, an affiliate, handles the physical distribution, mainly, of British Ministry of Information shorts." (Film Daily Dec 26 1945, pp.1, 11)
1946
September: NSS Corp. trailer producer James Majorell arrived in London, part of a bid to introduce new facilities and laboratory equipment to the UK. (Motion Picture Daily Sept 4 1946, p. 10)
July 28th: ‘Home office employees of National Screen Service gave a carnival-dance Friday night at the Hotel Edison with the entire proceeds being donated to the company’s London employees. Radio announcers whose voices have been used in National Screen trailers, including Ben Grauer, Andre Baruch, Mark Hawley, Alois Havrilla and Del Sharbut, made personal appearances at the affair.’ (‘NSS Employees Help Their London Buddies’ Motion Picture Daily July 28 1941, p. 2)
1943
November: NSS UK advertisement fir Christmas and New Year trailers, as well as a ‘New Technicolor H.M. The King Trailer’ which ‘opens with a Flying Union Jack, followed by the crests of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, then appears with H.M. The King in the centre. Added to this are the crests of the Dominions – Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The crests disappear, leaving H.M. The King in the centre with the words “God Save The King”. A colourful production that will be appreciated by your audience.’
1944:
December: NSS help to distribute Ministry of Food series “Food Flashes” (145 flashes distributed by NSS: Kine Weekly Dec 21 1944, 4)
1945
February: A labour agreement is signed between NSS Ltd. (UK) and the Association of Cine-Technicians ‘on behalf of that company’s employees engaged in the production and processing of films’. Agreement runs from Jan 1 and stabilises ‘minimum salary rates and working conditions for the various grades of employees, including cine-camera, editing, negative cutting, and art departments.’. Based on existing agreements elsewhere in industry (Kine Weekly 336, 1973 (Feb 8 1945), p. 33)
May 1st: NSS begin to handle all Columbia's accessories.
December: William B. Brenner (US VP in charge of operations) visited NSS Ltd. (UK) to announce John R. McPherson is new American representative and joint managing director, NSS Ltd. Brenner also announces a new NSS Ltd. studio in Perivale, after London office was bombed during the war. At this stage, NSS Ltd. "makes a trailer for every film produced or shown in England... NSS Productions, an affiliate, handles the physical distribution, mainly, of British Ministry of Information shorts." (Film Daily Dec 26 1945, pp.1, 11)
1946
September: NSS Corp. trailer producer James Majorell arrived in London, part of a bid to introduce new facilities and laboratory equipment to the UK. (Motion Picture Daily Sept 4 1946, p. 10)
1951
16th September: Alan Ames ‘Utilizing Video’ article, New York Times: Born Yesterday TV trailers are ‘the most outstanding and successful television campaign to date’
1953
6th March: NSS' Esther Harris presents paper ‘The Production of Trailers’ to the Theatre Division of the British Kinematograph Society. The paper is later published in British Kinematography in October 1953.
26th March: in a speech, the head of NSS Ltd. (UK branch), Arnold Williams stated 25 million people saw NSS trailers each week; NSS send out 9400 trailers every week. In 1952, 660 trailers were made, 91 in colour; NSS stores 469,500 ft. of trailers and titles in Perivale studio.
1954
May: The Cine Technician report on NSS Ltd. (UK) mentions Arnold Williams (MD), Esther Harris and MIke Stanley Evans 'and their teams.' ‘As skilled, yet as limited, as the art of the miniature painter, the value of their work is seen by the fact that 92 per cent of our cinemas show a Trailer sent out by N.S.S... N.S.S. have become the experts in the handling of these small consignments of film’. NSS Ltd. (UK) has a special films / filmlets section directed by ‘the two Normans’ Norman Hemsley and Norman Johnston.
1955
September: NSS Ltd. (UK) producing television commercials for Oxo, featuring Harry Corbett and Sooty.
1956
9th July: ‘The Value of Trailers’ Film Bulletin 24, 14, p5: ‘A recent report by Sindlinger covering 84 weeks of attendance at first-run theatres in Oklahoma County, Okla., points up the importance of trailers as a selling medium. The researchers found, for instance, that 342 out of every 1000 people attending the theatres surveyed were motivated primarily by the trailer to return for the next attraction. Another significant factor in the report was that of all those who returned to the theatre for the next program, regardless of motivation, almost 85 per cent could “play back” something they remembered from the trailer they had seen on their previous visit. These figures add verification… that it is impossible to place too much emphasis on the value of trailers to sell pictures.' (5, 8)
July: Business Screen Magazine article on NSS ‘Television and Industrial Films Division’ doing road safety ads for New Jersey Bureau of Traffic Safety (64) – spots are 1 minute 20 seconds (65).
16th September: Alan Ames ‘Utilizing Video’ article, New York Times: Born Yesterday TV trailers are ‘the most outstanding and successful television campaign to date’
1953
6th March: NSS' Esther Harris presents paper ‘The Production of Trailers’ to the Theatre Division of the British Kinematograph Society. The paper is later published in British Kinematography in October 1953.
26th March: in a speech, the head of NSS Ltd. (UK branch), Arnold Williams stated 25 million people saw NSS trailers each week; NSS send out 9400 trailers every week. In 1952, 660 trailers were made, 91 in colour; NSS stores 469,500 ft. of trailers and titles in Perivale studio.
1954
May: The Cine Technician report on NSS Ltd. (UK) mentions Arnold Williams (MD), Esther Harris and MIke Stanley Evans 'and their teams.' ‘As skilled, yet as limited, as the art of the miniature painter, the value of their work is seen by the fact that 92 per cent of our cinemas show a Trailer sent out by N.S.S... N.S.S. have become the experts in the handling of these small consignments of film’. NSS Ltd. (UK) has a special films / filmlets section directed by ‘the two Normans’ Norman Hemsley and Norman Johnston.
1955
September: NSS Ltd. (UK) producing television commercials for Oxo, featuring Harry Corbett and Sooty.
1956
9th July: ‘The Value of Trailers’ Film Bulletin 24, 14, p5: ‘A recent report by Sindlinger covering 84 weeks of attendance at first-run theatres in Oklahoma County, Okla., points up the importance of trailers as a selling medium. The researchers found, for instance, that 342 out of every 1000 people attending the theatres surveyed were motivated primarily by the trailer to return for the next attraction. Another significant factor in the report was that of all those who returned to the theatre for the next program, regardless of motivation, almost 85 per cent could “play back” something they remembered from the trailer they had seen on their previous visit. These figures add verification… that it is impossible to place too much emphasis on the value of trailers to sell pictures.' (5, 8)
July: Business Screen Magazine article on NSS ‘Television and Industrial Films Division’ doing road safety ads for New Jersey Bureau of Traffic Safety (64) – spots are 1 minute 20 seconds (65).
1961
14th September: at the 25th anniversary celebration of NSS Ltd. (UK), the company is hailed as “an institution inseparable from the trade”.
1965
15th January: The Code Authority of the US National Association of Broadcasters reviews TV & radio commercials for Sex & the Single Girl & Goldfinger
1966
26th November: NSS Ltd. (UK)’s year in review: includes the production of trailers for One Million Years BC, Fahrenheit 451, The Trap, Funeral in Berlin, & ‘Goal–World Cup 1966’.
1968
30th April: A teaser trailer for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is announced, eight months ahead of the film’s theatrical release
1969
September: NSS’ Top 10 trailer bookings (1964-69): 1. Cat Ballou (14,411 theatres); 2. Red Line 7000 (11,105); 3. Goldfinger (11,093); 4. The Russians Are Coming (10.987); 5. Shenandoah (10,828); 6. Nevada Smith (10,778); 7. Sons of Katie Elder (10,551); 8. Von Ryan’s Express (10.440); 9. Tickle Me (10,303); 10. Bonnie & Clyde (10,246)
September: NSS’ Paul Lazarus says Tammy & the Bachelor trailer was Universal’s most played (18,094 theatres) & highest grossing ($60,105) trailer. 2nd highest Universal trailer: Written on the Wind; 3rd: Come September. The poorest performing was the trailer for Andy, with 88 bookings and $566.33 gross.
14th September: at the 25th anniversary celebration of NSS Ltd. (UK), the company is hailed as “an institution inseparable from the trade”.
1965
15th January: The Code Authority of the US National Association of Broadcasters reviews TV & radio commercials for Sex & the Single Girl & Goldfinger
1966
26th November: NSS Ltd. (UK)’s year in review: includes the production of trailers for One Million Years BC, Fahrenheit 451, The Trap, Funeral in Berlin, & ‘Goal–World Cup 1966’.
1968
30th April: A teaser trailer for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is announced, eight months ahead of the film’s theatrical release
1969
September: NSS’ Top 10 trailer bookings (1964-69): 1. Cat Ballou (14,411 theatres); 2. Red Line 7000 (11,105); 3. Goldfinger (11,093); 4. The Russians Are Coming (10.987); 5. Shenandoah (10,828); 6. Nevada Smith (10,778); 7. Sons of Katie Elder (10,551); 8. Von Ryan’s Express (10.440); 9. Tickle Me (10,303); 10. Bonnie & Clyde (10,246)
September: NSS’ Paul Lazarus says Tammy & the Bachelor trailer was Universal’s most played (18,094 theatres) & highest grossing ($60,105) trailer. 2nd highest Universal trailer: Written on the Wind; 3rd: Come September. The poorest performing was the trailer for Andy, with 88 bookings and $566.33 gross.
1970s
1980s
1996
January: Fox spend $1.3 million on a 30-second Independence Day spot tjat airs during the Superbowl – the first studio and film to do so.
1998
12th June: UK Carton Communications buys National Screen Service Ltd. for £2.2million
17th November: The 1st teaser trailer for Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace is released in cinemas in the US. In response to fan demand (and fan bootleg videos appearing online) Lucasfilm release the trailer online. 3.5 million download it, shattering previous Internet records.
1999
7th December: Esther Harris (National Screen Service Ltd.’s UK trailer supremo) is given a lifetime achievement award from Women in Film & Television.
January: Fox spend $1.3 million on a 30-second Independence Day spot tjat airs during the Superbowl – the first studio and film to do so.
1998
12th June: UK Carton Communications buys National Screen Service Ltd. for £2.2million
17th November: The 1st teaser trailer for Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace is released in cinemas in the US. In response to fan demand (and fan bootleg videos appearing online) Lucasfilm release the trailer online. 3.5 million download it, shattering previous Internet records.
1999
7th December: Esther Harris (National Screen Service Ltd.’s UK trailer supremo) is given a lifetime achievement award from Women in Film & Television.
2003
August: Empire magazine’s Top 50 Greatest Movie Trailers Of All Time crowns Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace as its No. 1 film trailer. 2: Independence Day; 3. Comedian; 4. Monsters Inc.; 5. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Older trailers did feature: Psycho (8), Jaws (9), A Clockwork Orange (11), and Written on the Wind (15)
August: Empire magazine’s Top 50 Greatest Movie Trailers Of All Time crowns Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace as its No. 1 film trailer. 2: Independence Day; 3. Comedian; 4. Monsters Inc.; 5. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Older trailers did feature: Psycho (8), Jaws (9), A Clockwork Orange (11), and Written on the Wind (15)
2010s
9th October 2017: The final trailer for Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (Johnson, 2017) is released.
9th October 2017: The final trailer for Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (Johnson, 2017) is released.