''Let's All Go to the Lobby'' (officially known as ''Technicolor Refreshment Trailer No. 1'') is a 1957 animated musical advertisement played in theaters before the beginning of the main film or before

intermission An intermission, also known as an interval in British and Indian English, is a recess between parts of a performance or production, such as for a theatrical play, opera, concert, or film screening. It should not be confused with an entr'acte ( ...

, featuring animated food items urging the audience to buy snacks sold in the theater

lobby Lobby may refer to: * Lobby (room), an entranceway or foyer in a building * Lobbying, the action or the group used to influence a viewpoint to politicians :* Lobbying in the United States, specific to the United States * Lobby (food), a thick stew ...

. It was produced for Filmack Studios and directed by

Dave Fleischer Dave Fleischer (; July 14, 1894 – June 25, 1979) was an American film director and producer, best known as a co-owner of Fleischer Studios with his older brother Max Fleischer. He was a native of New York City. Biography Fleischer was the ...

. Filmack has continued selling copies in the decades since its production. The company estimates that 80% of independent theaters have screened the film at various points, and it is likely the most viewed

snipe A snipe is any of about 26 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill, eyes placed high on the head, and cryptic/ camouflaging plumage. The ''Gallinago'' snipes have a ...

. In 2000, ''Let's All Go to the Lobby'' was selected for preservation in the United States

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...

by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Content

The film consists of six shots. The most recognizable of these depicts four animated food items (from left to right: candy bar, popcorn, candy, and a soft drink) singing and walking leftwards. In the foreground before these characters are silhouettes of audience members, creating an illusion of depth, a standard technique of the medium. In a later shot, a group of four consumers are depicted enjoying their purchased food items. The eponymous song of the film is set to the same tune as "We Won't Be Home Until Morning", " The Bear Went Over the Mountain", " For He's a Jolly Good Fellow", and "

Marlbrough s'en va-t-en guerre "Malbrough s'en va-t-en guerre" (Marlborough has left for the war), also known as "Mort et convoi de l'invincible Malbrough" (The death and burial of the invincible Marlborough), is a popular folk song in French. History The burlesque lament on ...

" (). While the origins of the melody are lost, it was already well-enough known in the early 19th century to be used for a passage in '' Wellington's Victory'' (1813) by

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

. Daniel Eagan argues that " th its simple, repetitive lyrics and streamlined animation, ''Let's All Go to the Lobby'' has a hypnotic pull that is as compelling today as it was fifty years ago." He also notes that by choosing not to simply photograph the offered items, the creators of the film avoided using

brand name A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

s for the products for sale.

Background and history

The

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

-based Filmack Studios, originally known as Filmack Trailer Company, was founded in 1919 by Irving Mack. The company specialized in the production of

newsreel A newsreel is a form of short documentary film, containing news stories and items of topical interest, that was prevalent between the 1910s and the mid 1970s. Typically presented in a cinema, newsreels were a source of current affairs, inform ...

s and promotional material for theaters. The film is technically known as a snipe, which is defined as material displayed on a

projection screen A projection screen is an installation consisting of a surface and a support structure used for displaying a projected image for the view of an audience. Projection screens may be permanently installed, as in a movie theater; painted on the ...

without being part of the featured presentation. This includes

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

material, previews of coming attractions, courtesy requests for the audience, and notices concerning the

concession stand A concession stand (American English, Canadian English), snack kiosk or snack bar (British English, Irish English) is a place where patrons can purchase snacks or food at a cinema, amusement park, zoo, aquarium, circus, fair, stadium, b ...

of the movie theater. By the 1950s, the sales of the concession stands represented a significant portion of movie theaters'

revenue In accounting, revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of goods and services related to the primary operations of the business. Commercial revenue may also be referred to as sales or as turnover. Some companies receive reven ...

. Filmack commissioned a series of

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

trailers aimed at informing audiences about a theater's newly installed concession stand. ''Let's All Go to the Lobby'' was one of these films. The trailer was animated by

and produced by Filmack Studios. Fleischer was identified as the creator of this short film in a list of Filmack's releases which reported that "Both trailers were produced exclusively for Filmack by Dave Fleischer..." Specific details for his involvement are lacking, and the rest of the production crew remains unknown. Production may have started by 1953, but Robbie Mack (a later owner of Filmack) estimates it was completed . The release date is typically estimated to 1957. The original production records are considered lost. Filmack sold to various theater owners the right to use the film, which it still owns. The lyrics were written by Jack Tillar.

In popular culture

The clip of the singing concessions has frequently been parodied in advertisements of the 2000s. These include a 2006 spot for

Chipotle Mexican Grill Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (, ), often known simply as Chipotle, is an American chain of fast casual restaurants specializing in bowls, tacos and Mission burritos made to order in front of the customer. Chipotle operates restaurants in the Uni ...

where a burrito attempts to join the characters, a 2011 spot for the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was f ...

where the characters are mobsters voiced by the cast of ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...

'', and a 2013 GEICO commercial where the characters are chided for speaking on their cell phones. It has also been spoofed in popular entertainment including '' Late Show with David Letterman'', ''

2 Stupid Dogs ''2 Stupid Dogs'' is an American animated television series created and designed by Donovan Cook and produced by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons. It originally ran from September 5, 1993, to May 15, 1995, on TBS as a part of their ''Sunday Morning in Fr ...

'', ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...

'', '' The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part'', and the

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...

film ''

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters'' (also known as ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Movie Film for Theaters'') is a 2007 American adult animated surreal black comedy film based on the Adult Swim animated series ''Aqua Teen Hunger Fo ...

''. It also appears in fictional depictions of theaters.

Lionsgate Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...

produced a quarantine-themed version of the snipe to accompany special presentations of films streamed online during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

Footnotes

Notes

References

Sources

External links

*
''Let's All Go to the Lobby''
essay by animation historian Thad Komorowski on the

website
''Let's All Go to the Lobby''
at Filmack * {{DEFAULTSORT:Let's All Go To The Lobby 1957 films 1957 animated films 1957 short films 1950s American animated films 1950s animated short films United States National Film Registry films Films set in a movie theatre Audiovisual ephemera Short films directed by Dave Fleischer Food advertising characters 1950s neologisms Quotations from film Quotations from music Quotations from animation American advertising slogans 1950s English-language films