Promoting The Seventh Sin

Like any other Hollywood classic, Eleanor Parker's 1957 film The Seventh Sin got it's fair share of publicity.

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First, you have the build-up. A year and a half before The Seventh Sin was released theatrically came the announcement that Eleanor Parker would star in the film. Ava Gardner was originally attached to the picture.

Second, you have a nice poster advertising the film. Taglines like "The world forgives many things but not...The Seventh Sin" and "MGM's drama of modern morals in reckless Hong Kong" are there to pique interest. An adult entertainment label is also clearly visible which lets one know right away that the film is risqué‎.

A photo with caption to generate even more interest:

A quick, generally positive review/summary of the film:

A pair of crisp black & white promotional photos:

I don't think that The Seventh Sin was as big a financial hit as MGM may have wanted. Solution? Play it on TV! Here is an ad for a television rebroadcast of the film from a decade after it was released:

Lizzie in the newspapers

In 1957, Eleanor Parker starred in the camp classic Lizzie. Based on a book by author Shirley Jackson, Lizzie tells the story of a woman with multiple personalities. This allowed Eleanor Parker to really have fun with a triple role, though most of the film deals with battle between her weak, demure personality and her bad girl personality. Lizzie was made Bryna Productions, the production company owned by Kirk Douglas, and as such was afforded a wide release and a fair amount of newspaper coverage. The following are some examples of newspaper ads and articles concerning Eleanor Parker and the movie.

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Here are three original newspaper advertisements for Lizzie:

A pair of promo images of Eleanor Parker:

And some reviews and articles about Lizzie:

How Eleanor Parker was cast in Of Human Bondage

Here's a great newspaper clipping in which the great writer/director Edmund Goulding tells the story of how Eleanor Parker came to be cast in the 1946 film adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's Of Human Bondage. The role had originally been played by Bette Davis in the 1934 version so Eleanor Parker had some big shoes to fill by taking on the part.

Naked Jungle in the newspapers

In 1954, Eleanor Parker co-starred with Charlton Heston in the classic adventure film The Naked Jungle. The following is a collection of original newspaper promotional materials for the movie.

Eleanor Parker: Star finds beauty more than skin deep

Here's an article from the summer of 1954 which finds actress Eleanor Parker talking at length about beauty, self-improvement, perfume, happiness and also the film she was making at the time, Valley of the Kings. The article reads a bit like a self-help piece, seemingly somewhat aimed at younger readers, but is nonetheless quite interesting as a look inside the 1950s mindset.

Valley of the Kings in the newspapers

Here is a selection of contemporary newspaper materials concerning the 1954 film Valley of the Kings. Eleanor Parker and Robert Taylor starred in this adventure film set in Egypt and it was the second of three onscreen pairings of the two Hollywood stars (1952's Above and Beyond being the first and Many Rivers to Cross from 1955 being the third). One of the selling points for Valley of the Kings was the fact that the production actually went to Egypt to film (though assuredly much of it was filmed on soundstages back home).

Eleanor Parker: Flashback

Here's a newspaper clipping from 1990 which quickly recounts the career of Eleanor Parker:

Madison Avenue in the newspapers

Here is a small collection of press items concerning the 1962 film Madison Avenue.

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First, a couple of original advertisements for the film:

Here's a pair of clippings about Madison Avenue, the first discussing casting issues surrounding the film and the second a random piece of press discussing the movie's stars:

This isn't so much a review as it is a professionally written summary of Madison Avenue:

The Woman in White in the newspapers

In 1946, Eleanor Parker starred alongside Alexis Smith, Sydney Greenstreet and Gig Young in The Woman in White. The film was not released until 1948 but by then Eleanor Parker was an even bigger star and the film received a fair amount attention in the press. The following is a selection of newspaper clippings concerning The Woman in White, it's stars and the movie's original theatrical run:



Some images of Eleanor Parker and her Woman in White co-stars:

A pair of original advertisements for The Woman in White:

Here's a clipping announcing the casting for the film in 1946:

Finally, here is a review of The Woman in White from 1948: