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Sam Goes Shopping

1 Jan 1939
Sound
6m

Stanley Holloway recounts the exploits of Sam Small, whose wife sends him shopping for... what was it again?

Popular comedian and monologuist Stanley Holloway recounts another exploit of Sam Small, his most celebrated character, in this fun promo for the Co-Operative Wholesale Society. Sam goes shopping for his wife and forgets what she wants - except that it begins with a 'D'. Holloway is seen at the start and end of the film, and the appearance of a young Terry-Thomas is a surprise dividend...

From the late 1920s, actor and musical performer Stanley Holloway had begun to record, and incorporate in to his stage act, comic monologues featuring (among many other subjects) the misadventures of Sam Small. The character proved enormously popular, and Holloway kept Sam alive into the early 1950s.

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Celebrity Sells

A celebrity endorsement is one of the advertisers' most powerful weapons.

For generations, movie stars, television personalities and sporting heroes have all bought in to selling out. A famous face can trigger a string of associations that advertisers hope will reflect well on the product. And for new faces, an advertising gig can be the path to recognition, and a career which enables you to be the star turn.

Behind the camera, too, advertising commissions can kickstart a career or offer a lucrative sideline. Directors like Alan Parker, Ridley Scott and Hugh Hudson got an early boost from advertising work, and many continued to shoot ads long after they 'made it' in features.