‘Star Wars,’ ‘Chinatown’ and More

The movie business grew up in the pages of Variety.

There is no more comprehensive chronicle of film history than Variety – hands down, no contest, case closed. This gallery backs up that bold statement by offering an array of amazing movie and movie-related advertisements drawn from Variety’s 120 years of covering entertainment and Hollywood.

Truly, the pages presented here only scratch the surface of the jewels and historical artifacts in our voluminous archives. This is definitely not an exhaustively researched selection. These are but some of the fantastic finds that we came across while working this year on the 120th anniversary issue, published Dec. 10 in print and online.

Some of these ads are for long-forgotten obscure titles, some are for classics like “King Kong,” “Casablanca,” “Sunset Boulevard,” “Dr. Strangelove,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie,” “Chinatown,” “Star Wars,” “Platoon,” “Silence of the Lambs,” “Rushmore,” “The Matrix” and “The Talented Mr. Ripley.” Some are for movies produced far outside of the U.S.; as you’ll see, even the Soviet Union touted its Sovexport Film operation in Variety in the 1960s and ‘70s. Some of the pages presented here simply capture a moment in time.

We hope cineastes enjoy this trip through the past century of film as seen through the pages of New York-based Variety, which began publication in December 1905, and Los Angeles-based Daily Variety, which had a proud 80-year run as Hollywood’s hometown paper, published Monday-Friday from 1933 to 2013.

And remember, when you need to know what the O.G. “Star Wars” grossed in its opening weekend in markets like St. Louis, Detroit and “Cincy” – now you know where to find a handy chart.

The Wild Party (1929)

Image Credit: Variety

The original “It” girl brought home the box office for Paramount with 1929’s “The Wild Party,” directed by Dorothy Arzner.

Appropriate for its title, “The Wild Party” was one of the movies that spurred the industry’s adoption of the Hays Code a few years later to tame the debauchery depicted on screen.

From the March 27, 1929, edition of Variety.
King Kong (1933)

This ad for 1933’s “King Kong” demonstrates how movie openings were typically platformed region by region.

From the April 4, 1933, edition of Variety.
The Kennel Murder Case / Lady Killer (1933)

Warner Bros. found a clever way to tout the high-profile stars in two of its top-tier pictures released in 1933: William Powell in “The Kennel Murder Case” and James Cagney in “Lady Killer.”

From the Nov. 21, 1933, edition of Variety.
Jezebel (1938)

“Jezebel” is one of the reasons Bette Davis is Bette Davis.

She earned the second of her two best actress Oscar wins for the film directed by William Wyler. Davis lived large in our pages for most of her 81 years.

From the Jan. 5, 1938, edition of Variety.
Girls on Probation (1938)

Warner Bros. made no bones about exploiting the public’s interest in true crime and tales of mayhem. “Girls on Probation” starred the future Oval Office occupant, Ronald Reagan.

From the Nov. 2, 1938, edition of Variety.
A Tragedy at Midnight (1942)

Film noir, anyone? Great pop art style. And don’t forget to buy U.S. Defense Bonds.

From the Feb. 24, 1942, edition of Daily Variety
Bambi (1942)

The forest, and animated movies, will never be the same.

From the Oct. 9, 1942, edition of Daily Variety
Casablanca (1942)

“Casablanca” emerged as a massive wartime hit as Warner Bros. rolled it out slowly in theaters starting in late 1942.

As the Humphrey Bogart-Ingrid Bergman starrer prepared to move to bigger cities on the East Coast, Warner Bros. took out a cheeky ad depicting movie ushers getting ready to wrangle big crowds.

From the Feb. 1, 1943, edition of Daily Variety.
Hangmen Also Die! (1943)

The renowned German helmer Fritz Lang of “Metropolis” fame delivered a chilling contemporary story of surviving against the Gestapo in the film released under the title “Hangmen Also Die!” The screenplay was co-written by the celebrated German author Bertolt Brecht.

From the Oct. 9, 1942, edition of Daily Variety
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

A hearty handshake and thank you to Frank Capra, Jimmy Stewart and everyone else who gave us the gift of “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

From the April 15, 1946, edition of Daily Variety
Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Paramount didn’t exaggerate. We’ve never been able to forget Billy Wilder’s masterwork about fame, ego and aging.

From the Aug. 2, 1950, edition of Variety.
Detective Story (1951)

Eleanor Parker was a star on the rise in the early 1950s. “Detective Story” was a hit for director William Wyler. And how ’bout that vintage Paramount Pictures logo.

From the March 4, 1952, edition of Daily Variety
From Here to Eternity (1953)

Believe the hype. Deborah Kerr — her last name rhymes with “star.”

And yes, the plotline from “The Godfather” is true. This movie saved Johnny Fontaine — aka Frank Sinatra — when he was at a career crossroads.

From the March 3, 1953, edition of Daily Variety
Paths of Glory (1957)

This was a breakthrough film for director Stanley Kubrick. It also fueled Kirk Douglas’ rise as a bona fide producer of serious pictures.

From the Dec. 25, 1957, edition of Variety
Marty (1956)

This movie will break your heart to bits and also make you understand why Paddy Chayefsky’s name still resonates today.

It’s a remake of a 1953 “Philco TV Playhouse” drama that starred Rod Stieger. That version also will also break your heart into tiny pieces. For the big screen rendition, under the direction of Delbert Mann, Ernest Borgnine is never better than in this role as a lonely, insecure man who stumbles into happiness.
April Love (1957)

Because who doesn’t want to see Pat Boone and Shirley Jones holding hands in glorious Cinemascope?

From the Nov. 26, 1957, edition of Daily Variety
The 400 Blows (1959)

Please present your membership card.

This is of the movies that made François Truffaut a household name among film lovers. Truffaut didn’t need a fancy full page ad to make his mark — this was a small notice placed low on an inside page.

From the Feb. 9, 1960, edition of Daily Variety
Elmer Gantry (1960)

Sinners! Here’s how studios once teased upcoming releases. “Elmer Gantry” marks one of Burt Lancaster’s finest performances.

From the June 20, 1960, edition of Daily Variety
Smell-O-Vision (1960)

This ad appears to be touting the latest enhancement to movies that some in the film biz championed in an effort to fight the competition from television.

So while it sounds like a “Saturday Night Live” sketch, Smell-O-Vision was a real thing, at least for a moment. Michael Todd, Jr. was the son of the famed producer who was married to Elizabeth Taylor and died in a plane crash in 1958.

From the Jan. 6, 1960, edition of Variety
The Night (1961)

Moreau, Mastroianni, Vitti and Antonioni — yes, please!

From the Jan. 6, 1962, edition of Daily Variety
West Side Story (1961)

When you’re a Jet, you’re a Jet all the way. And when you’re a best picture nominee, you get a double-truck ad touting all those Oscar nominations.

Not even Robert Wise nor Leonard Bernstein nor Stephen Sondheim could have imagined how much movie and musical lovers would still love this property more than 60 years later.

From the March 29, 1962, edition of Daily Variety
The Birds (1963)

We’re scared already! Universal Pictures spared no expense to promote one of Alfred Hitchcock’s late masterpieces. This was the first of about 10 pages of ads touting every aspect of the production.

From the April 11, 1963, edition of Daily Variety
Dr. Strangelove (1963)

Stanley Kubrick delivered a Cold War era satire with a pointed (Slim Pickens’ pointed) warning about the threat of nuclear devastation with his landmark “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.”

Gentlemen — no fighting in the war room!

From the Dec. 18, 1963 edition of Variety
Dr. Strangelove (1963)

Columbia Pictures really promoted the heck out of Stanley Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove” as an awards contender. It wound up with four nominations — for best picture, best director, best actor (Peter Sellars) and for adapted screenplay.

From the Jan 22, 1965, edition of Daily Variety
The Sound of Music (1965)

The hills were alive with box office.

“The Sound of Music” was the smash hit that helped right the ship at 20th Century Fox after the disaster that was 1963’s “Cleopatra.” With coin rolling in, the studio spared no expense to tout the film’s achievements in our pages.

From the March 10, 1965, edition of Daily Variety
Blow Up (1966)

Michelangelo Antonioni’s “Blow Up” is a slightly bizarre romp that captures its Swinging ’60s moment. Today, it would be released by A24.
The Fortune Cookie (1966)

Jack Lemmon plus Walter Matthau plus Billy Wilder plus I.A.L. Diamond equals a classic comedy that resonates today.

From the March 24, 1967, edition of Daily Variety
A Man for All Seasons (1966)

All hail the king and queen.

And how about that long-forgotten tagline for Columbia Pictures: The total look in entertainment.

From the March 24, 1967, edition of Daily Variety
A Man and a Woman (1966)

Heartbreak and longing never looked so sexy as it does in the hands of director Claude Lelouch and stars Anouk Aimée and Jean-Louis Trintignant.

From the March 24, 1967, edition of Daily Variety
Barefoot in the Park (1967)

It’s hard to find a better-looking pair than Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. This adaptation of Neil Simon’s Broadway play provided a big boost to Redford and Fonda’s careers.

From the Jan. 29, 1968, edition of Daily Variety
In the Heat of the Night (1967)

Sidney Poitier delivers a fabulous, for-the-ages performance in this civil rights drama that was ripped from the headlines. So does Rod Stieger.

Even though Poitier had won the best actor Oscar for 1963’s “Lillies in the Field,” he was not Oscar nominated for “In the Heat of the Night.” Stieger was nommed and he won.

From the Jan. 23, 1968, edition of Daily Variety
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Don’t forget to mail away for your tickets at the Cineramadome! Another landmark offering from Stanley Kubrick.

From the March 25, 1968, edition of Daily Variety
THX 1138 (1971)

Here’s where it all started for George Lucas, with an assist from his pal Francis Ford Coppola.

This ad ran in early 1968 but “THX 1138” did not hit theaters until 1971.

From the Jan. 26, 1968 edition of Daily Variety
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)

It’s a little creaky by contemporary standards, but Stanley Kramer’s “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” was an A-list (Sidney Poitier, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn) effort by Hollywood to address the civil rights awakening and racial tensions of the era.

From the March 22, 1968, edition of Daily Variety
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)

Beah Richards was Oscar nominated for supporting actress for her work opposite Spencer Tracy in “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.”

From the March 20, 1968, edition of Daily Variety
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

“Bonnie and Clyde” was part of the wave of late 1960s movies that changed everything about American movies.

From the March 20, 1968, edition of Daily Variety
Cool Hand Luke (1967)

Truly, one of the most inspired supporting actor campaigns of all time.

Actor George Kennedy gives an assist to “my boy Luke,” who can eat 50 eggs.

From the Jan. 26, 1968, edition of Daily Variety
Cool Hand Luke (1967)

The gospel of Paul Newman.

From the Nov. 8, 1967 edition of Daily Variety
The Graduate (1967)

This ad ran seven times in two weeks in March 1968. “The Graduate” grabbed seven Academy Award nominations, including a bid for best picture. Mike Nichols came away with the Oscar for best director.

From the March 15, 1968, edition of Daily Variety
American Zoetrope (1969)

That’s quite a development slate for Francis Ford Coppola’s independent studio venture American Zoetrope. Respect.

From the Dec. 11, 1969, edition of Daily Variety
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969)

Sydney Pollack won the first of his two best director Oscars for this earthy look at Depression-era dance contests and the desperate folks who took part in them. Fun fact: A whole bunch of this movie was shot on the Santa Monica Pier.

From the Jan. 23, 1970, edition of Daily Variety
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968)

An under-appreciated gem starring Alan Arkin and Sondra Locke, based on the Carson McCullers classic.

From the March 13, 1969, edition of Daily Variety
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

Raise your hands high and smile.

From this teaser ad, it sure looks like 20th Century Fox knew that “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” would be beyond boffo at the box office and in pop culture.

From the Jan. 1, 1969, edition of Variety
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

Undoubtedly, this ad today would go through layers of talent approval that would spin the heads of the 20th Century Fox executives who assembled it at the start of the Me decade.

From the Jan. 5, 1970, edition of Daily Variety
Midnight Cowboy (1969)

Another landmark film that changed, if not everything, then certainly a whole lot of things.

From the March 20, 1970, edition of Daily Variety
The Wild Bunch (1969)

Somebody at Warner Bros. forgot how to spell Warner Bros. in this ad to tout Sam Peckinpah’s work on the landmark “The Wild Bunch.”

From the Jan. 23, 1970, edition of Daily Variety
The Boys in the Band (1970)

“The Boys in the Band” is not a musical. It’s a terrific, milestone movie from William Friedkin.

From the March 25, 1970, edition of Variety
Trash (1970)

Andy Warhol and Joe Dallesandro would like a word with Oscar voters for their avant-garde movie “Trash.”

After that, you can check out the Kurosawa festival at the Cine-Cienega Theatre (now The Poppy nightclub) on La Cienega near Melrose Avenue.

From the Dec. 23, 1970, edition of Daily Variety
The French Connection (1971)

An out and out thriller indeed. There is not a wasted frame in William Friedkin’s cat-and-mouse crimer for the ages. Gene Hackman at his most Gene Hackman.

From the Sept. 15, 1971, edition of Variety
The Last Picture Show (1971)

Cloris Leachman shows why she was respected by all her knew her with her heartbreakingly good, Oscar-winning performance as a woman wracked by pain and regret in Peter Bogdanovich’s elegy to a changing America.

From the Jan. 20, 1972, edition of Daily Variety
Sovexport Film (1972)

We promised you an ad from Sovexport Film — and as a bonus it touts the famous sci-fi fantasy “Solaris” from helmer Andrei Tarkovsky.

This double-truck ad was placed in Variety‘s 1972 Cannes Film Festival preview section, as a precursor to shopping a bunch of film rights during the festival.

From the May 3, 1972, edition of Variety
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)

If you were releasing Luis Buñuel’s next movie, you’d take pleasure in bragging about it too.

Especially this movie, which is chock full of crazy-good surrealist fun and a career-defining perf by Fernando Rey. Excuse me, may I tell you about a dream I had?

From the May 3, 1972, edition of Variety
The Ruling Class (1972)

When you’re Peter O’Toole and it’s the early 1970s, you don’t need to put your name in your FYC ad.

From the March 13, 1973, edition of Daily Variety
Don Siegel (1972)

He made their day. Universal was so excited about signing “Dirty Harry” director Don Siegel to a multi-picture deal that they bragged about it in an ad.

From the Nov. 16, 1972, edition of Daily Variety
My Name is Nobody (1974)

After Hollywood produced a glut of movie and TV Eesterns in the late 1950s and early ’60s, it largely fell to Sergio Leone to reinvent the oater genre in the 1970s. He had help from Henry Fonda, who knew his way around a horse opera.

From the June 5, 1974, edition of Variety
Chinatown (1974)

What a movie. “Chinatown” nabbed 11 Oscar nominations, including best picture and nods for stars Faye Dunaway and Jack Nicholson. It scored one win, for Robert Towne’s unforgettable screenplay.

From the Jan. 31, 1975, edition of Daily Variety
Chinatown (1974)

Faye Dunaway’s talent agency ICM sought to reinforce the point on her Oscar nom for “Chinatown.”

From the March 24, 1975, edition of Daily Variety
Mitchell Brothers Film Group (1974)

The porn biz blossomed in the 1970s and so did the Mitchell Brothers out of San Francisco. Their rise and sordid fall was recounted in the 2000 Charlie Sheen-Emilio Estevez starrer “Rated X.”
The Happy Hooker (1975)

It was the ’70s, after all. This was quite a move for Vanessa’s younger sister.

From the Nov. 27, 1974, edition of Variety
A Woman Under the Influence (1974)

The great Gena Rowlands and John Cassavetes and their good friend, “Columbo” star Peter Falk, practically bleed out on screen with the raw emotion in this intimate drama.

From the March 24, 1975, edition of Daily Variety
Harry and Tonto (1974)

The great Art Carney won the Oscar for his work in this tender Paul Mazursky film. Co-star Melanie Mayron was robbed!

From the Feb. 11, 1974, edition of Daily Variety
Jaws (1975)

The modern blockbuster era begins as “Jaws” chews its way through box office records.

From the Aug. 13, 1975, edition of Variety
Superman (1978)

The Super Film of the Seventies, indeed.

This super-early 1976 teaser ad marked a new chapter for Marlon Brando, who famously pulled down a huge paycheck for not many minutes on screen in Richard Donner’s take on the Man of Steel.

From the Aug. 18, 1976, edition of Variety
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

From 1957’s “12 Angry Men” to 1984’s “Garbo Talks,” helmer Sidney Lumet has an enviable C.V. Here he’s lauded for the film that earned the second of his five career Oscar nominations for best director.

From the Feb. 20, 1976, edition of Daily Variety
The Return of the King (1980)

The long arm of J.R.R. Tolkien extends to this cult-fave Rankin/Bass animated rendition of his enduring fantasy franchise — released 20 years before Peter Jackson seized the rings for a new generation.

Plus, they threw in a teaser for a “The Hobbit” animated special for NBC.

From the Aug. 18, 1976, edition of Daily Variety
The Promised Land (1975)

The renowned Polish helmer Andrezej Wajda got a profile boost in Hollywood with a Variety ad for his 1975 film that was released as “The Promised Land.” It was Oscar nommed for best foreign language film.

From the Jan. 7, 1976, edition of Variety
Network (1976)

Faye Dunaway was destined to win the best actress Oscar for her portrayal of a conniving network television executive, as rendered by the great writer Paddy Chayefsky and helmer Sidney Lumet.

From the Jan. 24, 1977, edition of Daily Variety
Taxi Driver (1976)

Travis Bickle, we’ll never forget you or your favorite breakfast. What a picture.

From the Jan. 24, 1977, edition of Daily Variety
Star Wars (1977)

It’s safe to say that in the second week of January in 1977, the film business had no idea what was about to land at the turnstiles from a galaxy far, far away. But they were warned with this teaser ad.

From the Jan. 12, 1977, edition of Variety
Star Wars (1977)

EMI may have gotten the title slightly wrong, but they were smart to get way out in front of the “Star Wars” super nova.

This ad, which ran nearly a year before the film’s May 1977 release, touts the use of EMI’s production facilities in the making of the space opera.

From the July 21, 1976, edition of Variety
Star Wars (1977)

Somebody at Lucasfilm or Variety — or both — probably got fired for the botched aspect ratio on the photo in this “Star Wars” teaser ad with the pinkest of logos.

From the Jan. 6, 1977, edition of Daily Variety
Star Wars opening weekend grosses (1977)

Headed for hyper space. House records tumble.

This isn’t an ad, but as an in-the-moment rundown of the birth of the “Star Wars” franchise at the box office, it’s simply too cool not to include.

From the May 27, 1977, edition of Daily Variety
Animal House (1978)

Universal Pictures crated a mock Variety front page to tout the release of “National Lampoon’s Animal House.”

From the March 3, 1978, edition of Variety
Coming Home (1978)

The depth of the performances by Jon Voight, Jane Fonda and Bruce Dern in Hal Ashby’s “Coming Home” forced the nation to deal with harsh realities of the Vietnam war.

From the Jan. 31, 1979, edition of Daily Variety
Coming Home (1978)

Director Hal Ashby gave us “Harold and Maude,” “The Last Detail,” “Being There” and “Coming Home,” to name a few unforgettable films. He won his only Oscar for his editing work on 1967’s “In the Heat of the Night.”

From the Jan. 4, 1979, edition of Daily Variety
Vlad Tepes (1979)

Spectacular! Strong dramatic conflict!

Finally, straight outta Romania, we got the first authentic representation of Vlad the Impaler aka Dracula.

From the Jan. 3, 1979, edition of Variety
Hair (1980)

We miss you, Treat Williams.

From the Jan. 3, 1980, edition of Daily Variety
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

The success of the “Star Wars” franchise had exhibitors crying tears of joy. And many were motivated to show their apprecition by taking out ads to hail George Lucas.

Here’s one example from a Northern California exhibitor during the run of “The Empire Strikes Back.”

From the June 26, 1980, edition of Daily Variety
Galaxina (1980)

Sadly, this movie is notorious for all the wrong reasons. If you know, you know. RIP.

From the Aug. 5, 1980, edition of Daily Variety
Fort Apache the Bronx (1981)

The great Pam Grier made a meal out of her supporting role in this Paul Newman police drama.

From the Jan. 27, 1982, edition of Daily Variety
Ragtime (1981)

Director Milos Forman explores complex issues of racial tensions in early 1900s New York in a much-loved movie that includes a powerhouse, Oscar-nommed performance by Howard E. Rollins Jr.

From the Jan. 2, 1982, edition of Daily Variety
Prince of the City (1981)

This movie gives us Treat Williams’ single-best performance on screen — sorry “Everwood” stans. And thank you, Sidney Lumet.

From the Jan. 4, 1982, edition of Daily Variety
Endless Love (1981)

Those on the older end of the Gen X spectrum will never forget the hubbub this Franco Zeffirelli movie caused in pop culture just as they headed in to middle school and high school.

“Endless Love” also arrived just as Brooke Shields was seemingly everywhere selling us on the virtues of her Calvin Klein jeans. And none of us can forget Lionel Richie’s title tune because that sturdy love ballad has been the soundtrack to dances, weddings and many other special occasions ever since it shot up the charts some 45 years ago.

From the Jan. 20, 1982, edition of Daily Variety
Excalibur (1981)

This one from the great John Boorman is as good as sword-and-sandal movies come.

From the Jan. 4, 1982, edition of Daily Variety
Whose Life Is It Anyway (1981)

John Cassavetes, the ultimate multihyphenate, we lost you far too soon.

From the Jan. 20, 1982, edition of Daily Variety
Zoot Suit (1981)

Multihyphenate Luis Valdez and Edward James Olmos made their mark in Hollywood with this film adaptation of Valdez’s play revisiting a hard chapter of Los Angeles’ history.

From the Jan. 4, 1982, edition of Daily Variety
Reds (1981)

In Warren Beatty’s hard-bitten Russian revolution drama “Reds,” Diane Keaton proves with an Oscar-nommed performance that she could handle drama as effortlessly as comedy. RIP.

From the Jan. 4, 1982, edition of Daily Variety
Diner (1982)

Barry Levinson’s autobiographical dramedy about his youth in Baltimore launched or greatly accelerated the careers of Steve Guttenberg, Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon, Ellen Barkin, Daniel Stern, Paul Reiser and Tim Daly. Not to mention his own as a writer, director and producer.

From the April 13, 1982, edition of Daily Variety
Poltergeist (1982)

Thanks to director Tobe Hooper’s skill at building tension, tract-house suburbia would never be the same.

From the March 29, 1982, edition of Daily Variety
Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982)

Filmed in Detecto Vision!

This movie holds up better on a rewatch as a spoofy tribute to hard-boiled detective movies than it was received in its day. Carl Reiner and Steve Martin took a big swing.

From the March 10, 1982, edition of Daily Variety
A Christmas Story (1983)

The backstory of this film chestnut has been well told over the years, and deservedly so.

“A Christmas Story” is not only the greatest Christmas movie of all time (on this we’ll have no argument, please); it’s high on the list of greatest movies of all time.

We salute you, Bob Clark and Jean Shepherd.

From the Jan. 11, 1984, edition of Daily Variety
A Christmas Story (1983)

Darren McGavin was one of the greats.

He excelled at playing bad guys and good guys and occasionally befuddled guys. But he was never better than in his role as the Old Man in “A Christmas Story.”

From the Nov. 18, 1983, edition of Daily Variety
Sundance Institute (1984)

Here’s a handy list of people who were instrumental in helping Robert Redford establish the Sundance Institute in 1980 and launch the inaugural U.S. Film Festival in Park City, Utah five years later.

That event quickly became known in the indie film biz by the shorthand of “Sundance.” It was formally rebranded as the Sundance Film Festival as of the 1991 gathering.

From the Sept.7, 1984, edition of Daily Variety
Blue Velvet (1986)

We’re guessing that it was director David Lynch who made sure that this photo of his “Blue Velvet” stars Isabella Rossellini and Kyle MacLachlan was shaded with a particular blue tint. RIP to a maestro of cinema and surrealism.

From the Sept. 24, 1986, edition of Daily Variety
Masters of the Universe (1987)

As we await director Travis Knight’s take on Mattel’s twisty action hero universe in 2026, here’s a reminder of an earlier live-action iteration from Cannon Films. The cast is a motley crew that includes Dolph Lundgren, Frank Langella, Courteney Cox, Meg Foster and Billy Barty.

From the Oct. 22, 1986, edition of Variety
Platoon (1986)

Oliver Stone assembled Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Forest Whitaker, Johnny Depp, Kevin Dillon, Keith David and John C. McGinley for a high-octane Vietnam war movie. It made an impact and won Stone the first of his two Oscar trophies for best director.

From the Feb. 24, 1987, edition of Daily Variety
Platoon (1986)

The record shows that “Platoon” campaigned hard in the FYC derby for the 1986 film year. The Orion-distributed picture landed eight nominations and four wins, including the top prize of best picture for producer Arnold Kopelson.

From the Jan. 15, 1987, edition of Daily Variety
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)

Welcome to Hollywood, Pedro Almodóvar! With this movie and 1989’s “Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!”, the singular Spanish multihyphenate grabbed the mainstream U.S. industry’s attention. And he’s never let go.

From the Nov. 8, 1989, edition of Variety
Flatliners (1990)

Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, William Baldwin, Kimberly Scott and Hope Davis as medical students in a popcorn fantasy drama helmed by Joel Schumacher? Sure. It was a popcorn hit.

From the Nov. 27, 1990, edition of Daily Variety
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Orion campaigned hard for all aspects of “The Silence of the Lambs” in the FYC derby for the 1991 film year. The Jodie Foster-Anthony Hopkins starrer from Jonathan Demme packed a punch with five big Oscar wins including best picture.

From the Jan. 21, 1992, edition of Daily Variety
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Jodie Foster won the second of her two best actress Oscars for her work in “The Silence of the Lambs.”

From the March 10, 1992, edition of Daily Variety
My Own Private Idaho (1991)

It was River Phoenix’s tour de force, but Keanu Reeves also got a supporting actor FYC push for Gus Van Sant’s intense film about young addicts.

From the Jan. 22, 1992, edition of Daily Variety
Speed (1994)

“Speed,” the actioner that starred Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, is one of those crowd-pleasing films that defines its era to a tee.

From the Jan. 3, 1995, edition of Daily Variety
Clueless (1995)

Whatever, schmatever — “Clueless” brought in the box office and kicked off a wave of interest in young adult-friendly movies and TV shows.

From the July 31, 1995, edition of Variety
The Fifth Element (1997)

French director Luc Besson tried to build his own sci-fi universe with this fantasy actioner starring Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman and Milla Jovovich.

From the Feb. 23, 1998, edition of Variety
The Full Monty (1997)

Lookout world…

Fox Searchlight Pictures scored at the specialty box office with this cheeky British comedy.

From the Oct. 13 1997, edition of Variety
Shakespeare in Love (1998)

For Gwyneth Paltrow stans…

From the Jan. 18, 1999, edition of Variety
Rushmore (1998)

“Rushmore” was brutally snubbed by Oscar voters in its day. Disney’s Touchstone Pictures pursued a late-December qualifying release strategy ahead of a platformed rollout in early 1999. But the Oscar miss put the brakes on the film’s momentum. Final box office was OK, not great.

More than 25 years later, however, this coming of age story endures as a favorite among fans of Wes Anderson, Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman.

From the March 24, 1999, edition of Daily Variety
The Sixth Sense (1999)

“The Sixth Sense” was a bona fide sleeper at the box office. It went all the way to Academy Award noms for best picture, best director and original screenplay for M. Night Shyamalan and supporting actor noms for Haley Joel Osment and Toni Collette.

From the Dec. 6, 1999, edition of Daily Variety
The Cider House Rules (1999)

Michael Caine won the second of his two best supporting actor Oscars for his work on Lasse Hallström’s World War II drama, which also nabbed a nom for best picture.

From the Jan. 27, 2000, edition of Daily Variety
The Green Mile (1999)

Michael Clarke Duncan earned a best supporting actor Oscar nomination for his work opposite Tom Hanks in the Stephen King adaptation.

From the Feb. 2, 2000, edition of Daily Variety
The Matrix (1999)

“The Matrix” not only delivered socko box office, it seemed to usher in a new era of video game-influenced genre storytelling. And it for sure marked the peak of the duster coat-loving producer Joel Silver’s box office clout with Warner Bros. and other studios.

From the April 4, 2000, edition of Daily Variety
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

This Anthony Minghella gem made Jude Law a boldface name and added momentum to Matt Damon’s career, on the heels of his breakout in 1997’s “Good Will Hunting.”

From the March 9, 2000, edition of Daily Variety