View-Master Movie Preview Reels : eBay Guides

 

Movie preview reels were issued by View-Master® in the early 1950's to promote the release of several 3-D and "flat" movies. The movie companies allowed View-Master® photographers on the filming sets. National Screen Service distributed the reels and a special lighted lobby display viewing cabinet (made of painted sheet metal) allowing movie-goers to preview the film with realistic 3-D pictures.

 

 

View-Master® collector's prize these reels because they were never released to the public.

 

Arena, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1953
Polly Bergen
Lee Van Cleef
Jean Hagen
Harry Morgan
Gig Young

 

Beneath the 12-Mile Reef, 20th Century Fox, 1953
Richard Boone
Peter Graves
Terry Moore
J. Carroll Naish
Gilbert Roland
Robert Wagner

 

The Charge at Feather River, Warner Brothers, 1953
Guy Madison
Vera Miles

 

Creature from the Black Lagoon*, Universal-International, 1954
Richard Carlson
Julie Adams
Richard Denning
Antonio Moreno
Nestor Paiva
Whit Bissell
Bernie Gozier
Henry A. Escalante

 

Dangerous Mission, R.K.O., 1954
William Bendix
Piper Laurie
Victor Mature
Vincent Price

 

Devil's Canyon, R.K.O., 1953
Whit Bissell
Jay C. Flippen
Arthur Hunnicutt
Robert Keith
Virginia Mayo
Stephen McNally
Dale Robertson

 

Drums of Tahiti, Columbia, 1954
Cecile Brown
Patricia Medina
Dennis O'Keefe

 

Flight to Tangier, Paramount, 1953
Corinne Calvet
Joan Fontaine
Jack Palance

 

Fort Ti, Columbia, 1953
George Montgomery

 

The French Line, R.K.O., 1954
Arthur Hunnicutt
Kim Novak
Gilbert Roland
Jane Russell
Craig Stevens

 

The Glass Web, Universal-International, 1953
John Forsythe
Beverly Garland
Kathleen Hughes
Edward G. Robinson

 

Gun Fury, Columbia, 1953
Phil Cary
Roberta Haynes
Rock Hudson
Lee Marvin
Donna Reed

 

Hannah Lee: An American Primitive, Released as Outlaw Territory, Realart Pictures, 1953
Macdonald Carey
Joanne Dru
John Ireland

 

House of Wax, Warner Brothers, 1953
Charles Bronson
Paul Cavanaugh
Carolyn Jones
Phyllis Kirk
Frank Lovejoy
Vincent Price

 

Inferno, 20th Century Fox, 1953
Rhonda Fleming
William Lundigan
Robert Ryan

 

It Came From Outer Space, Universal-International, 1953
Richard Carlson
Charles Drake
Russell Johnson
Barbara Rush

 

Jesse James vs. the Daltons, Columbia, 1954
Bret King
Barbara Lawrence

 

Kiss Me Kate, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1953
Bob Fosse
Kathryn Grayson
Howard Keel
Ann Miller
Tommy Rall
Bobby Van
James Whitmore
Keenan Wynn

 

Lost Treasure of the Amazon, Released in U.S. as Jivaro, Paramount, 1954
Rhonda Fleming
Fernando Lamas

 

The Maze, Allied Artists, 1953
Richard Carlson
Veronica Hurst

 

Miss Sadie Thompson, Columbia, 1953
Charles Bronson
Jose Ferrer
Rita Hayworth
Aldo Ray

 

Money From Home, Paramount, 1953
Jerry Lewis
Dean Martin

 

The Nebraskan, Columbia, 1953
Philip Carey
Lee Van Cleef
Roberta Haynes
Jay Silverheels
Regis Toomey

 

The Robe, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1953
Richard Boone
Richard Burton
Dean Jagger
Victor Mature
Michael Rennie
Jean Simmons

 

Sangaree, Paramount, 1953
Arlene Dahl
Fernando Lamas

 

Second Chance, R.K.O., 1953
Linda Darnell
Robert Mitchum
Jack Palance
Roy Roberts
Reginald Sheffield

 

Son of Sinbad, R.K.O., 1955
Mari Blanchard
Sally Forrest
Vincent Price
Dale Robertson
Lili St. Cyr

 

The Stranger Wore a Gun, Columbia, 1953
George MacReady
Lee Marvin
Randolph Scott
Claire Trevor

 

Taza, Son of Cochise, Universal-International, 1954
Jeff Chandler
Rock Hudson
Barbara Rush

 

They Called Him Hondo, Released as Hondo, Warner Brothers, 1953
James Arness
Ward Bond
Geraldine Page
Michael Pate
John Wayne

 

Those Redheads From Seattle, Paramount, 1953
Gene Barry
Teresa Brewer
Rhonda Fleming
Guy Mitchell
Agnes Moorehead
The Bell Sisters

 

Wings of the Hawk, Universal-International, 1953
Julia Adams
Van Heflin
Abbe Lane

 

The reels were mailed to theatres in a 4 1/2" mailing envelope printed on both sides and rubber stamped with the movie title.

 

The reels for "Beneath the 12 Mile Reef" and "The Robe" were only made as "test reels" and were never sent to theatres.

The "Creature from the Black Lagoon" reel may not exist. The View-Master® Theatrical Lobby Display was featured in the movie "presskit" sent to promote the film at theatres but no "Creature" reel has surfaced.

 

The last classic Universal monster was the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Filmed and released in 3-D in 1954, Universal-International created a special campaign to promote the film using a View-Master® movie preview reel.

 

The movie presskit for Creature from the Black Lagoon has a photo of the View-Master® display cabinet that a theatre could use in its lobby to promote the 3-D playdate of the film. Even though the promotional items are shown in the presskit, it is unknown if the items were ever actually manufactured. No Creature movie preview reel has ever surfaced. No one seems to have one of the display cabinets either.

 

The display cabinet was described in the presskit:
"The cabinet holds three permanently attached viewers, each containting seven scenes mounted on a revolving reel. Patron presses lever to change scenes. Cabinets are 48" long, 1" high, 10" deep and may be fastened to lobby walls or mounted on stands. You buy the cabinet with three viewers outright for $24.50 each, F.O.B. New York City. Set of three reels (each containing seven scenes) for insertion in viewers, are available separately along with display cards. Order cabinet, reels and printed display card from your National Screen Service branch." (Note: The description in the presskit of the display being 1-inch high was probably an error by the people who assembled the presskit. It probably should have been listed as 1-foot high, based on the photo showing the cabinet.)

 

 

The View-Master® Movie Preview Reels were also issued on sets of 14 high quality 35mm 2x2 slides by a company named 3-D Enterprises.