WLS Channel 7 - The 3:30 Movie - "Northwest Mounted Police" (Promo, 1972)

Here's something very rare - a [sound modified] promo for an upcoming 3:30 Movie presentation (in two parts) of the 1940 film "Northwest Mounted Police" (directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Gary Cooper and Paulette Goddard) on WLS Channel 7, from within the venerable afternoon movie showcase's early years.

Pretty neat find, showing different 3:30 Movie title graphics than we've seen before. Anyone remember this version? Could it have only been used for the promos or was it in the opening too after the guy in the director's chair minimized and the title came in?

Whatever the case, the show title typesetting itself (in Helvetica Bold), and close spacing of the lines and individual letters, surely dated to the Fall of 1968 when what had been The Big Show changed its name - and was also within the guidelines for spacing of movie show titles for ABC-owned stations in this period (think the oft-seen early logo for The 4:30 Movie, with either the director's chair icon or the 'Circle 7' logo to the immediate left of the number '4', on both New York's WABC Channel 7 and Detroit's WXYZ Channel 7).

Modification Notice Source was a silent 16mm filmstrip saved by Cathy Mustari. I added the music as it's the best guess I have for what it might have used at the time.

Artwork by Cathy Mustari, who later became WFLD Channel 32's art director (she worked at WLS-TV in their Art Department from 1970 to 1974).

According to The 3:30 Movie Epguide, this movie only aired once (in two parts) so this promo would have to date to the week of June 19th 1972 since Part 1 aired on Thursday, June 22nd 1972 and Part 2 on Friday, June 23rd 1972. It would have also had a voiceover by any of the station's staff announcers of the time (including Fred Kasper, Mike Rapchak, Al Parker, Art Hellyer, and Wayne Atkinson).

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