Minnesota filmmaker working to produce documentary inspired by nostalgic movie trailers
A series of timeless movie trailers has inspired a Minnesota filmmaker to produce a documentary about their history, and the company behind them.
Despite it's runtime of less than a minute, it's an icon of American cinema. You couldn't go to the movies without seeing the "Let's All Go To The Lobby" concession trailer in the 1950s and 1960s.
Independent filmmaker Justin Atkinson saw it for the first time a few decades later.
"Growing up going to the Vali-Hi drive-in theatre in Lake Elmo, I remember seeing between the features, they would do these intermission trailers," said Atkinson. "I thought these are so cool. Who made these?"
In recent years he learned it was Filmack, a Chicago-based company founded in 1919 by Irving Mack.
"These trailers were necessary to encourage people to you know, buy popcorn and soda and support this new revenue stream that was happening in the 1950s," said Atkinson.
The company made thousands of messages for theatregoers. Welcoming them, telling them not to smoke, or to keep quiet during showings.
In 2022, Atkinson went to work on telling the Filmack history, which is still relevant today.
"I think my favorite parody of the 'Let's all go to the Lobby' trailer is from the Simpsons," said Atkinson. "You have Homer Simpson walking along behind the dancing concession items and just eating them one by one."
According to Atkinson, the movie "Grease" licensed a Filmack trailer.
"The intermission countdown clock that you see behind John Travolta when he's at the drive-in and he's singing and you see on the screen behind him a Filmack Trailer," he said.
In his documentary, Atkinson also highlights Minnesota theaters that have shown the trailers for almost 70 years.
"People remember these, and they have nostalgic memories of them. Those memories need to be preserved," he said.
Atkinson is currently crowdfunding to raise $10,000 to finish "Let's All Go To The Lobby" by the end of the year.
