Let's All Go to the Lobby

I first saw and heard a portion of this now-iconic intermission trailer that sang about "to get ourselves a treat" on AMC on Saturday afternoons in between features and various shorts back in the mid-'90s. I didn't even know this was listed on IMDb until I accidentally stumbled unto a listing of this on wikipedia after the listing for the feature Grindhouse had something in the category of this trailer called "theatre snipes" in the blue print in the article that allowed you to click on to go there. Produced by animation legend Dave Fleischer from the Filmack Studios in my birthtown of Chicago, Ill., this is such an iconic film that it has been deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and put in the United States National Registry preservation list. It's also been parodied quite a bit. So on that note, "Let's all go to the lobby/ Let's all go to the lobby/ Let's all go to the lobby to get ourselves a treat..."

Let's All Go to the Lobby (1957)

**** (out of 4)

The National Film Registry is one of the most important awards any movie can get as it's pretty much a club that Congress brought into play back in 1989 that meant the most important films ever made would have a safe place throughout time. This meant that the film would be seen as something important and best of all is that it would be preserved for future generations. You might wonder how a 40-second short could make such a list but after you see the film you'll know why. I don't care what generation you're from or how jaded you are, this little intermission clip is without question one of the most charming films ever made and once you hear that song it'll be stuck in your head for weeks. I go to the movies quite a bit but I never buy any of the food products but I must admit that if theater owners started showing this I might find myself going out to the lobby and picking something up. The animation isn't anything ground-breaking but the sight of these items going through their walk makes you want to get up with them. Certainly one of the all-time classics no matter how long or short it is.

An animated chorus line of treats (popcorn, drink, candy, etc.) dances down a theater aisle while singing a jingle that encourages the audience to visit the concession stand.

I can't count how many times I have seen this. While I never purposely sought it out, it has appeared in movies featuring theater scenes, and when I go to theater events it sometimes plays there, too. This has to be one of the bet-known advertisements, because anyone who has seen a fair amount of movies has to have run into this ad sooner or later.

Is it effective? I have no idea. It never made me buy soda or popcorn. But it's memorable, which makes it a strong little film, whether useful for selling things or not.