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Cinema Advertising Comes of Age

The 1930s saw screen advertising find its voice. That wasn't just down to the arrival of the 'talkies', but to the increasing professionalism of ad agencies and production companies. 

Through WWII and the postwar austerity years and into the 'never had it so good' 1950s - when it had to compete with the new commercial television service - cinema advertising offered a bigger bang for your advertising buck.

31 items in this collection

Symphony in Colour (Persil Advert)

  • 1942

Music Hath Charms

  • 1935

The Warning (Gibbs S.R. Toothpaste)

  • 1941

Every Man His Own Housewife (Persil Advert)

  • 1940

Let's Ask the Ladies

  • 1937

Murder in the Air

  • 1935

Bee Wise!

  • 1946
The key word in the book of fashion is simplicity

Sketchbook of Fashion (Knights Castile Advert)

  • 1940

Aladdin and the Junior Genie

  • 1942

Signs of the Times No.3

  • 1950

Fable of the Fabrics

  • 1942

It all Depends Which Way You Look at It (Solidox Advert)

  • 1941

Signs of the Times No 196

  • 1945

A Thief in the Night

  • 1930

Change for the Better

  • 1949
Use Rinso and help defeat Hitler! Soap brand Rinso deploys some savvy wartime advertising.

Little Miss Muddlehead (Rinso Advert)

  • 1943

What's Missing from this Picture?

  • 1946-01-01

Signs of the Times

  • 1948

Signs of the Times

  • 1950

Mousewife's Choice

  • 1948

Mrs Mopp's Birthday

  • 1942

The Trawl in Action

  • St Austell Bay
  • 1950

Signs of the Times No.2

  • 1950

Molar Mischief (Solidox Advert)

  • 1946

Shippam's Guide to Opera

  • 1955

Put Una Money for There

  • 1956
A curious blue lake, a wonder tablet, a river boat and a picnic essential - sounds like the beginning of a story!

Signs of the Times No.58

  • 1941

Says Sirdani

  • 1945

Thief in the Night (Persil Advert)

  • 1944

Changing Hues

  • 1922

Cinema Commercial - Candy Cushions

  • 1920