User:Sydney Perkins/Sandbox/National Screen Service

National Screen Service Type Distribution company Status Defunct Founded 1920 Defunct 2007

The National Screen Service (NSS) was a company that distributed trailers and paper accessories, such as posters and lobby cards, for the majority of theatrical motion pictures in the United States from the 1940s to the mid-1980s. Originally founded in 1920 to produce and distribute trailers for the major film studios, NSS branched out into the distribution of other accessories while continuing its trailer business, effectively monopolizing the distribution of theatrical advertising materials in the U.S. They also produced and distributed many snipes and policy trailers and designed credits sequences for a number of films, including King Kong Escapes.

Overview

The National Screen Service distributed posters, trailers, pressbooks, stills, lantern slides, admats, and other accessories for the releases of nearly all kaiju and tokusatsu films from the major and mini-major U.S. film studios during the Showa era. While NSS normally printed and distributed paper materials produced by and occasionally in cooperation with the studios, NSS produced the trailers themselves with few exceptions. Their trailers would often use design motifs, taglines and title logos in the studios' advertising materials.

The National Screen Service did not produce and distribute trailers for all major companies; MGM and Warner Bros. produced and distributed trailers for their films until 1957 and 1967, respectively, when each transferred those duties to NSS. Columbia began to produce and distribute their own trailers, posters and accessories starting in 1960; in response, NSS began to produce and distribute their own trailers for Columbia films to meet the needs of exhibitors on a "weekly service plan" that stipulated a supply of trailers for Columbia films in order to prevent the need to pay an additional fee for Columbia's own trailers.

Following the widespread transition from one-screen theaters to multiplexes in the U.S. during the 1980s, there came to be less space available to advertise individual films. This led to a decline in the use of poster sizes other than the one-sheet, and subsequently the decline in the National Screen Service's business, as film distributors started to use their own in-house facilities for the few accessories needed.

National Screen Service-distributed material can be identified by an "NSS Stock Number" located at the bottom of posters and accessories. This code features the last two digits of the year of a film's release, followed by a stock number assigned to each film, restarting at 1 each year and continuing in ascending order with each project. For example, the NSS Stock Number for Godzilla, King of the Monsters! is 56 / 214, meaning it was the 214th film that the NSS worked on in 1956. In later years, the NSS Stock Numbers appear much less frequently on materials.

Filmography

Title	One sheet	NSS Stock Number	Distributor	Trivia
King Kong (1942 reissue)		42 / 267	RKO Pictures
Mighty Joe Young		49 / 220	RKO Pictures
King Kong (1952 reissue)		52 / 206	RKO Pictures
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms		53 / 358	Warner Bros.
Mighty Joe Young (1953 reissue)		53 / 362	RKO Pictures
Godzilla, King of the Monsters!		56 / 214	Trans World	Same title logo used across the posters, accessories, trailer, and the title card of the film itself.
King Kong (1956 reissue)		56 / 263	RKO Pictures
Half Human		57 / 179	DCA
King Kong (1957 reissue)		57 / 283	RKO Pictures
Mighty Joe Young (1957 reissue)		57 / 355	RKO Pictures
The Black Scorpion		57 / 523	Warner Bros.
Rodan		57 / 510	DCA	The insert, half sheet and lobby cards use the title Rodan! The Flying Monster. The trailer uses Rodan, and it is the same title logo as the film's title card. The theatrical trailer features unique special effects shots not seen in the U.S. or Japanese versions. Theatrical trailer printed on dye-transfer film.
The Giant Behemoth		59 / 52	Allied Artists
The Mysterians		59 / 139	MGM	The poster and accessories number log features an additional 1962 stock number for the film (62 / 440), apparently created when RKO General gained the theatrical reissue rights to the film. This stock number doesn't appear on any known posters. The distributor associated with both stock numbers in the posters and accessories log is RKO. A variation of the one sheet exists that says "RKO Radio Pictures Presents" instead of "M•G•M presents", features the RKO logo in the corner, and is missing a stock number. A variation of the theatrical trailer exists that is missing the text "M-G-M PRESENTS" and "®MCMLVIII BY RKO TELERADIO PICTURES, INC.". Theatrical trailer printed in flat (1.85:1) and scope (2.35:1) variants.
Gigantis, the Fire Monster		59 / 179	Warner Bros.	All posters and lobby cards are duo-tone. The posters use red and yellow while the lobby cards use red and pink.
The H-Man		59 / 109	Columbia Pictures	Theatrical trailer printed in 1.85:1 (flat).
Battle in Outer Space		60 / 122	Columbia Pictures	Theatrical trailer printed in 1.85:1 (flat).
The Sword and the Dragon		60 / 253	Valiant
Gorgo		61 / 36	MGM	Same title logo used across the posters, accessories and trailer.
Konga		61 / 42	American International Pictures
Mothra	n/a	62 / 250	Columbia Pictures	Columbia began handling posters, accessories and trailers for their releases starting September 1, 1960; however, the National Screen Service continued to produce and distribute its own trailers for Columbia product free of copyrighted material, hence the film has a stock number and a black-and-white trailer free of material from the film itself.
Varan the Unbelievable		62 / 380	Crown-International Pictures	Same title logo used across the posters, accessories, trailer, and the title card of the film itself. Theatrical trailer printed in 1.85:1 (flat).
King Kong vs. Godzilla		63 / 215	Universal Pictures	A very similar version of the "GODZILLA!" title from the theatrical trailer was reused in the theatrical trailer for Godzilla vs The Thing. Theatrical trailer printed on dye-transfer film in scope (2.35:1) and flat (1.85:1) variants.
Gorath		64 / 209	Brenco Pictures	Although the stock number is for 1964, the earliest known screenings of Brenco's release version were in November 1963. Theatrical trailer printed in scope (2.35:1) and flat (1.85:1) variants.
The Human Vapor		62 / 400	Brenco Pictures	Although the stock number is for 1962, the earliest known screenings of Brenco's release version were in November 1963. Theatrical trailer printed in 1.85.:1 (flat).
Godzilla vs The Thing		64 / 277	American International Pictures	The question mark motif appears in the posters, accessories and theatrical trailer. A very similar version of the "GODZILLA!" title from the theatrical trailer for King Kong vs. Godzilla was reused. Theatrical trailer printed on dye-transfer film in scope (2.35:1) and flat (1.85:1) variants.
Atragon		65 / 30	American International Pictures	Although the stock number is for 1965, the earliest known screenings of Brenco's release version were in December 1964. Theatrical trailer printed on dye-transfer film in 1.85:1 (flat).
Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster		65 / 289	Continental Distributing	The title logo is used in the posters, accessories, trailer, and the title card on the film itself. All posters and lobby cards are in yellow and red duo-tone. Theatrical trailer printed in a scope (2.35:1) variant and on dye-transfer film in a flat (1.85:1) variant.
Frankenstein Conquers the World		66 / 67	American International Pictures	Theatrical trailer printed on dye-transfer film in 1.85:1 (flat).
The Human Vapor (1968 reissue)		68 / 176	Brenco Pictures	Theatrical trailer printed in 1.85.:1 (flat).
King Kong Escapes		68 / 186	Universal Pictures	Theatrical trailer printed on dye-transfer film in 1.85:1 (flat).
Mad Monster Party?		68 / 42	Embassy Pictures
Destroy All Monsters		69 / 217	American International Pictures	Theatrical trailer printed in 1.85:1 (flat).
Latitude Zero		70 / 119	National General Pictures	Posters, accessories and the trailer use the title logo from the title card. Theatrical trailer printed in 1.85:1 (flat).
Yog, Monster from Space		71 / 188	American International Pictures	Posters, accessories and trailer use the same title logo. Theatrical trailer printed in 1.85:1 (flat).
Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster		72 / 40	American International Pictures	Posters, accessories and trailer use the same title logo. Theatrical trailer printed in 1.85:1 (flat).
Tidal Wave		75 / 121	New World Pictures	Theatrical trailer printed in 1.85:1 (flat).
A*P*E		76 / 208	Worldwide Entertainment Corporation	Posters, accessories, and trailer use the same title logo used for the title card. Theatrical trailer printed in 1.85:1 (flat).
King Kong (1976 film)		76 / 212	Paramount Pictures

External links

• National Screen Service Poster and Accessories Number Log

References

This is a list of references for Sydney Perkins/Sandbox/National Screen Service. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: ^[1]

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