The Surprising Origin of the Movie Trailer

Claim A says the first trailer promoted a 1913 silent film serial. Claim B says the first trailer was made for a Broadway show. Claim B is true, and Claim A is completely made up.

In November 1913, Nils Granlund, advertising manager for the Marcus Loew theater chain, had a bright idea. He wanted to promote a new musical called The Pleasure Seekers, opening at the Winter Garden Theatre.

So Granlund made a short promo film out of rehearsal footage of the show and screened it in theaters. A wire story of the day called it "an entirely new and unique stunt."

The pitch was that the films could replace much of the billboard advertising for shows. Loew's liked the results and adopted the practice.

The name came a little later. Early movie promos ran after the feature, literally trailing it. That worked poorly, since audiences often headed for the exits once the film ended. Eventually promos moved up front, but the name stuck.

Claim A is wrong because the very first trailer promoted a stage musical, not a film serial. Promos for movies came afterward, with Granlund's Charlie Chaplin promo in 1914.

Think you knew where trailers began? Send this to a friend who swears they know movie history and see if they get it right.