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"Back Page: A Super Colossal Production" from the Ann Arbor News

by amy

In 1936, the Ann Arbor News produced this 16-mm silent film titled "Back Page: A Super Colossal Production." Inspired by The Front Page (1931), this tongue-in-cheek feature chronicles a day in the life of the Display Advertising Department staff as they go about securing an ad from a local business in time for the paper's daily run. 1936 marks the year the Ann Arbor News acquired its new printing press and completed the News building at 340 E. Huron--both of which feature prominently in the film. You'll even catch a glimpse of the Bell Tower under construction and also completed that year.

You may have read that the Library received the Ann Arbor News archive after the News closed last year. Although we have a lot of work to do before this material becomes available, we couldn't resist sharing this film with you right away. You can view the film above or download it here.

Comments

This is a treasure, no doubt about it. The paper's come and gone but we're still trying to figure out how to use video to tell our story 75 years later.

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