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It Pays to Advertise (1931)
It Pays to Advertise (1931) poster
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It Pays to Advertise (1931)

Comedy • 1h 3m

Director: Frank Tuttle

Cast: Norman Foster, Carole Lombard, Eugene Pallette, Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher, Louise Brooks, Lucien Littlefield, Judith Wood, Morgan Wallace, Tom Kennedy, Marcia Manners, Frank Coghlan Jr., John Sinclair

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No official release

Only Unofficial Sources

No official edition exists. Anything circulating comes from unofficial sources, so there is no release this site can recommend.

Overview

To prove his thesis that any product--even one that doesn't exist--can be merchandized if it is advertised properly, a young man gets together with his father's savvy secretary to market a non-existent laundry soap. Complications ensue when his "product" turns out to be more successful than even he imagined--and now he has to deliver.

Release details

Best Video Release

Unofficial DVD

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Length
63 mins
Type
Movie

Featured in Pre-Code Films

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Director: Howard Hawks

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Indicator Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Director: Frank Capra

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony Frank Capra Boxset Blu-ray

Director: William Dieterle

Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB Forbidden Hollywood Collection: Volume 4 DVD

Director: Lloyd Bacon

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive DVD

Director: George W. Hill

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive DVD

Director: David Butler

Video format: Only Unofficial Sources

Sources: archive.org (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

The DVD isn't an official one, and according to a user review on Amazon:

This DVD comes from Archive.org, where the movie can be viewed for free. The original source, comes from the Fox Movie Channel

Director: W.S. Van Dyke

Best English-Friendly:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Best Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray, 4k scan

Director: Victor Halperin

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Director: James Whale

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Universal Complete Legacy Collection 4K Blu-ray set on September 26 2026

Best Audio:

1993 CIC Video LaserDisc

Director: William Dieterle

Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB Forbidden Hollywood Collection: Volume 4 DVD

Upcoming Release:

Warner Archive Blu-ray in Oct

More from Frank Tuttle

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Director: Frank Tuttle

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal Blu-ray

Directors: Malcolm St. Clair & Frank Tuttle

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Kino Lorber Philo Vance Collection Blu-ray

Director: Frank Tuttle

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Universal Blu-ray seems to be an old HD scan and doesn't look too good

Director: Frank Tuttle

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Kino Lorber Cary Grant Collection Blu-ray

Director: Frank Tuttle

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Director: Frank Tuttle

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

More Comedy on Blu-ray

Director: Preston Sturges

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Video Notes:

No information on French Elephant Films Blu-ray

Director: Ralph Bakshi

Best English-Friendly & Video:

OOP Germany Ascot Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Tentative alternative is US Xenon DVD

Director: Tommy O'Haver

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

OOP Canada Alliance Blu-ray

Video Notes:

International Blu-ray releases from Lionsgate/Paramount plaster the Miramax logo, cutting some scenes and the unique logo transition for the film.

Director: Peter Bogdanovich

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Eureka UK are considering doing a 4K and actively exploring the possibility: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=24363810&postcount=264

Video Notes:

Wonderful underlying remaster by Criterion and Resillion, but NexSpec encode has clipped highlights with the occasional blockiness. The Criterion Blu-Ray, sourced from their 4K remaster, ironically makes for a more consistent and overall pleasing experience.

Director: Satyajit Ray

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Criterion Box Set coming October 20th with FiM encode

Best Audio:

1994 LaserDisc (marginally)

Director: Terry Jones

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray; caps

Additional Info:

The Criterion BD, which is sold separately, has a clunky encode unlike the Criterion UHD, even if it plays better in motion than the caps would suggest. Still, provided you're equipped to play 4K discs, UHD or bust for this one. https://slow.pics/c/hmDYlKgE

Director: Paul Leni

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Theatrical/Original A negative: MoC Blu-ray

European C/D negative but better picture quality: Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

From DVDBeaver: The MoC Blu-ray is scanned from the American A negative, as opposed to the European C or D negatives used by Photoplay and others (Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray), so it is identical with the film US audiences saw in 1927

See caps for comparison

In addition, the Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has sepia tinting throughout while the MoC Blu-ray has yellow for normal scenes, blue for night scenes, and some even green tintings.

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

2025 Discotek US Blu-ray SteelBook

Video Notes:

4K Blu-ray is denoised

The 2025 SteelBook uses the same transfer as the 2014 Japan Studio Ghibli Blu-ray and 2015 Discotek US Blu-ray but with better white balance.

Best Audio:

Japan: 1995 Japan LaserDisc 

English: 2012 UK Blu-ray

Director: Ernst Lubitsch

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Researched and maintained by

vanshady

· last reviewed 10 months ago

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