IRENE

Original British 17 inch x 22 inch Trade Advertisement for the 1940 Herbert Wilcox Musical IRENE, based on the 1919 stage musical by James Montgomery and starring Anna Neagle, Ray Milland, Roland Young, Alan Marshal, May Robson, Billie Burke, Arthur Treacher and Marsha Hunt.

Genteel Dame Anna’s a New York Irish upholsterer romanced by playboy Milland in Long Island society.

The advert is in fine condition with one vertical centre fold. There are 2 sets of minor staple hole wear along the centre fold.

Trade advertisements are colourful posters aimed at cinema managers, which were either slipped in, or part of, the weekly film trade journals which were available to them by subscription but were not sold to the general public. The large size Trade advertisements are about the size of US half sheet posters and have a centre fold which is usually hard to discern when flat. Most were designed to be pulled out, and some were attached by staples. Most have the date in tiny letters in one of the top corners.
The publishers own copies from the 1930’s were destroyed by fire and water damage during the Blitz and Wartime paper drives decimated those held by cinemas making them quite rare.