COCK OF THE AIR - 1932 HOWARD HUGHES - Pre-Code Deco  PRESSBOOK  ***RARE***

Description

COCK OF THE AIR - 1932 HOWARD HUGHES Pre-Code Deco-Inspired PRESSBOOK                                         **RARE**.
Chester Morris and Billie Dove star in this notorious pre-code romantic comedy about a vain French actress who is "set up" with a charming aviation officer in Italy. Dove's character sets out to ensnare and deny the debonair officer and what ensues between the frustrated fellow and the alluring femme is the crux of the film.
This was a Howard Hughes release. As with many of the young millionaire's films, he printed his own posters at least initially by himself. This Hughes printed pressbook displays the early 1930's art-deco inspired publicity artwork to full advantage. Evidence survives that the Hays office compiled a list of suggestions for Hughes to bring the film into conformity with the censorship code....including changing the double-entendred title. But Hughes had already shipped a positive print of the film to every state in the union before even securing an MPPDA approval from the Hays office. Hays learned from the preview that Hughes had ignored all of his suggestions concerning conforming to the code!
After the censors got hold of the film for re-release, they changed or eliminated the dialogue of certain scenes.
Cock of the Air
was restored recently from elements from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Film Archive, including a 35mm nitrate fine-grain picture master of the uncensored version and a 35mm nitrate soundtrack negative of the censored version. To recreate the lost dialogue, the Governors of the Academy’s Casting Branch collaborated to cast contemporary actors to perform missing censored dialogue as originally written in the style of the original actors, and their new recordings were edited in to create a “restored” soundtrack.
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Pressbook is folded in half as originally shipped in 1932 to the distributor. The fold is clean with no separation. The binding edge is somewhat fragile with the front and rear cover nearly separated...but both present. Paper is supple for it's 88 years of age. No tape and no cuts. A tiny and unobtrusive collector's stamp on the cover.  11 pages.
Somewhat miraculously also present is the equally rare 4 page newspaper like publicity section that originally accompanied the pressbook.  A collector bound the publicity section in with additional staples before the final page of the pressbook so that it seems like one complete publication.
Paper from the initial uncensored Hughes release of this film is virtually non-existent. We have never seen another copy of this pressbook offered on the market.