Movie Previews on the Radio

We know that is was a big deal when "the movies learned to talk", but talking pictures does bring up the question of which is the most important part of a talking picture; the talking or the picture?

Radio and Movies both had their Golden Ages at about the same time. The radio was almost a younger sister to the glamour of Hollywood, but the two mediums complimented each other more than they competed.

Part of the fun of going to the movies is seeing the previews of coming attractions. Not only are they fun to watch, they help you decide what picture you want to see next time.

During the Golden Age of Radio, you could only see the Coming Attractions when you went to the movies, so how could you decide? The studios realized that if they made a preview for the radio, more people would hear about their films and want to come see them. Previews tried not to "give away" as much as the movie anthology shows like Lux Radio Theater or Academy Award Theater.

Instead, they were essentially extended commercials for the films, usually featuring the stars of the film (which was usually but not always the case on the anthology programs).

This collection includes previews of some of the studio's best efforts as well as a few lesser known films which really needed some help at the box office.

See also: Radio Fillers, Leo is on the Air, Hollywood is on the Air, Memoirs of Movies, MGM Theater,  and Paramount is on the Air.