Thoroughly Modern Millie

Artist: Other
Format: UK Quad (30"x 40")
Condition: Excellent
Year: 1967

Description

The appearance of the 1967 Julie Andrews musical "Thoroughly Modern Millie" in the collection may at first seem surprising. However, this is not the general release poster but the poster Advance. Whereas general release posters were printed in many thousands the print run for Advance posters was limited (these were displayed months in advance of the featured films being shown in cinemas as a form of advanced publicity). Often poster Advances bore only limited artwork but in this case we  can enjoy a multi-coloured display.

What makes this Advance poster of particular interest is the fact that it represents a fairly early form of corporate tie-in merchandising. These days, commercial sponsorship & product placement in films is an established fact of life but in the 1950's-60;'s this phenomenon was nascent only. In this case, the British Motor Corporation (BMC) were keen to exploit the potential to pun the title "Thoroughly Modern Millie" with the juxtaposition of that British 1960's icon, the Mini car!

The Poster design is a curious amalgam of art-deco &  "flapper" references to the "roaring 20's" that the film depicts & yet the infusion of Pop-Art would have resonated with contemporary 1960's audiences too. A scarce poster which cleverly combines diverse marketing objectives.