Set of seven lobby cards for the film “Moscow Strikes Back” (1942)
Extent and Medium
.1: Height: 11.000 inches (27.94 cm) | Width: 14.000 inches (35.56 cm)
.2: Height: 11.000 inches (27.94 cm) | Width: 14.000 inches (35.56 cm)
.3: Height: 11.000 inches (27.94 cm) | Width: 14.000 inches (35.56 cm)
.4: Height: 11.000 inches (27.94 cm) | Width: 14.000 inches (35.56 cm)
.5: Height: 11.000 inches (27.94 cm) | Width: 14.000 inches (35.56 cm)
.6: Height: 11.000 inches (27.94 cm) | Width: 14.000 inches (35.56 cm)
.7: Height: 11.000 inches (27.94 cm) | Width: 14.000 inches (35.56 cm)
Creator(s)
- Republic Pictures ()
- Tsentralnaya Studiya Dokumentalnikh Filmov (Production Company)
- Artkino Pictures (Production Company)
- Artkino Pictures (Distributor)
- Ken Sutak (Compiler)
Biographical History
The Cinema Judaica Collection consists of more than 1,200 objects relating to films about World War II and the Holocaust as well as Jewish, Israeli, and biblical subjects, from 1923 to 2000, from the United States, Europe, Israel, Canada, Mexico, and Argentina. The collection was amassed by film memorabilia collector Ken Sutak, to document Holocaust-and Jewish-themed movies of the World War II era and the postwar years. The collection includes posters, lobby and photo cards, scene stills, pressbooks, trade ads, programs, magazines, books, VHS tapes, DVDS, and 78 rpm records. Sutak organized these materials into two groups, “Cinema Judaica: The War Years, 1939–1949” and “Cinema Judaica: The Epic Cycle, 1950–1972” and, in conjunction with the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Museum (now the Dr. Bernard Heller Museum in New York), organized exhibitions on these two themes in 2007 and 2008. Sutak subsequently authored companion books with the same titles.
Archival History
The lobby cards were donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2018 by Ken Sutak and Sherri Venokur.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Ken Sutak and Sherri Venokur
Scope and Content
Set of seven lobby cards for the documentary film, “Moscow Strikes Back,” released in the United States in October 1942. Lobby cards are promotional materials placed in theater lobby windows to highlight specific movie scenes, rather than the broader themes often depicted on posters. Narrated by Edward G. Robinson, Hollywood’s biggest Jewish star, the film was one of four to win an Academy Award for Best Documentary in 1942. It depicted the Battle of Moscow and the Soviet Union’s counteroffensive against the German invaders, beginning in December 1941. The footage was shot by cameramen with the Soviet army, some of whom were killed in the process. It was then edited into the final product in the United States, largely by Russian-Americans. When “Moscow Strikes Back” was released, Allied forces were faring poorly, suffering a string of defeats in North Africa and the Pacific The film became a major morale booster for the American public. This object is one of more than 1,200 objects in the Cinema Judaica Collection of materials related to films about World War II and the Holocaust as well as Jewish, Israeli, and biblical themes.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
Restrictions on use. Copyright status is unknown.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
.1 Lobby card printed on rectangular, off-white paper. The card has a white exterior border on all four sides, and a large photographic image in the center. The image depicts six uniformed, Soviet soldiers holding rifles while wearing telogreika coats and ushanka hats. They are sitting in a truck bed, smiling down at a woman in a black coat and green hat, who is passing them food off a white plate. Framing the bottom edge of the image is a rectangular, yellow border that curves upward at the left end and widens at the right. A red burst, mimicking an explosion, is centered at the left and extends outward along the border, which contains the film title and production credits in black and red ink. Blue printing information is in the lower right margin. The paper is very discolored and has several pinholes in the margins. There is light ink transfer from another image on the back. .2 Lobby card printed on rectangular, off-white paper. The card has a white exterior border on all four sides, and a large photographic image in the center. The image depicts a snowy encampment scene with a single soldier dressed all in white, holding a rifle, and standing in right profile. He is standing behind a low, snow-covered barrier, surrounded by heavy artillery and crates. Visible in the background are a Czech hedgehog anti-tank barrier, a low, single-story wooden building, and a green, tree-covered ridge. Framing the bottom edge of the image is a rectangular, yellow border that curves upward at the left end and widens at the right. A red burst, mimicking an explosion, is centered at the left and extends outward along the border, which contains the film title and production credits in black and red ink. Blue printing information is in the lower right margin. The paper is discolored and there are several pinholes in the margins. .3 Lobby card printed on rectangular, off-white paper. The card has a white exterior border on all four sides, and a large photographic image in the center. The image depicts three mechanics in dark blue jumpsuits working on a warplane, with a pilot climbing out of the cockpit. One mechanic is on a narrow ladder leading into the nose of the plane, while the other two are working on the gun carriages under the belly. In the background is a wide, open, snowy field with a low, brown building and a line of trees on the horizon. Framing the bottom edge of the image is a rectangular, yellow border that curves upward at the left end and widens at the right. A red burst, mimicking an explosion, is centered at the left and extends outward along the border, which contains the film title and production credits in black and red ink. Blue printing information is in the lower right margin. The paper is discolored and has several pinholes in the margins. There is light ink transfer from another image on the back. .4 Lobby card printed on rectangular, off-white paper. The card has a white exterior border on all four sides, and a large photographic image in the center. The image depicts a group of children in heavy coats, hats, and boots, standing on a muddy mound and digging with shovels. A wooden structure is behind them on the right side of the image. Directly behind them is a train car with a man in a black suit, watching them through the window, and a tall gray building rising in the background. Framing the bottom edge of the image is a rectangular, yellow border that curves upward at the left end and widens at the right. A red burst, mimicking an explosion, is centered at the left and extends outward along the border, which contains the film title and production credits in black and red ink. Blue printing information is in the lower right margin. The paper is discolored and has several pinholes in the margins. .5 Lobby card printed on rectangular, off-white paper. The card has a white exterior border on all four sides, and a large photographic image in the center. The image depicts a snowy field with a curved row of heavy artillery pointed up into the air. Underneath the guns are the shadowy figures of soldiers in heavy winter clothing. Framing the bottom edge of the image is a rectangular, yellow border that curves upward at the left end and widens at the right. A red burst, mimicking an explosion, is centered at the left and extends outward along the border, which contains the film title and production credits in black and red ink. Blue printing information is in the lower right margin. The paper is discolored and has several pinholes. .6 Lobby card printed on rectangular, off-white paper. The card has a white exterior border on all four sides, and a large photographic image in the center. A group of soldiers dressed in heavy white clothing is depicted from behind, running across a snowy field. In the background, a large, fiery, orange-and-yellow cloud rises from the horizon, with billowing, black smoke covering most of the sky. Framing the bottom edge of the image is a rectangular, yellow border that curves upward at the left end and widens at the right. A red burst, mimicking an explosion, is centered at the left and extends outward along the border, which contains the film title and production credits in black and red ink. Blue printing information is in the lower right margin. The paper is discolored and has several pinholes in the margins. There is light ink transfer from another image on the back. .7 Lobby card printed on rectangular, off-white paper. The card has a white exterior border on all four sides, and a large photographic image in the center. The image depicts a colorfully dressed crowd looking at eight people hanging from the gallows. The condemned are all dressed in black and largely indistinguishable. Standing on a raised platform in front of them, is a man wearing a dark green coat and hat, addressing the crowd. The surrounding landscape is covered in snow, and a group of low buildings is barely visibly in the background. Framing the bottom edge of the image is a rectangular, yellow border that curves upward at the left end and widens at the right. A red burst, mimicking an explosion, is centered at the left and extends outward along the border, which contains the film title and production credits in black and red ink. Blue printing information is in the lower right margin. The paper is discolored and has several pinholes in the margins.
People
- Robinson, Edward G., 1893-1973.
Subjects
- War films.
- Soldiers in motion pictures.
- History in motion pictures.
- Armed Forces in motion pictures.
- Foreign films.
- Lobby cards.
- Russians in motion pictures.
- Documentary films.
- Nonfiction films.
- Soviet Union.
- United States.
- Academy Awards (Motion pictures)
Genre
- Display Cards.
- Posters
- Object