George Pal’s Cavalcade of Colours, Music and Dolls: 1930s Advertising Films in Transnational Contexts

Abstract

In this chapter the role of the advertising films which George Pal produced in Europe before his successful career in Hollywood is reassessed. Pal’s move from the Netherlands to the USA in 1939 was a turningpoint in his filmmaking practice as he changed from producing predominantly advertising to entertainment films. The mutual relationship between the advertising filmmaker and the commissioning client is considered, and focuses on three aspects: the balance between appealing entertainment and the advertising message; the national and international circulation and marketing contexts; and the role of materiality and innovative technology. The relationship between the Philips Company and the Pal Studio is discussed in more detail as their collective marketing strategies indicate transnational advertising prior to World War II.