Rabid Lobby Card

I may be stretching the definition of cards here, but with all the celebrity deaths today, I think it's appropriate to widen the definition.

When movies are released into theaters, they typically are accompanied by posters and billboards and all sorts of advertising. The advertising that most of us don't see is the lobby card. They are typically 11 inches by 14 inches, but have known to be 8 inches by 10 inches.

I couldn't tell you the last time I actually saw a lobby card on display, but they still make them. One of the lobby cards that I'd like to show today is for the David Cronenberg film, Rabid, from 1977. Yes, it features the now late Marilyn Chambers in one of her few mainstream roles.

Anyone who has been to my house has been amazed at my wall of movies. I am a movie buff, but some things still elude me. I haven't seen Rabid since I was a teenager. I couldn't really recall what it was about, but I remember a motorcyclist and rabies. It's not a movie to show the kiddies. The lobby card made me instantly remember to motorcyclist. A quick search on IMDB confirms the part about a strain of rabies.

Most lobby cards feature a scene from the movie or a publicity shot from on the set. Usually they are black and white, but some have had color over the years. I always found the lobby cards very interesting. It was always something extra to take from a favorite movie. Especially, the ones that featured a candid shot of the actors still technically in character.

You can pick up lobby cards fairly cheap. I like the ones of oddball movies the most. They usually feature the candid photos or the deleted scenes. I'm going to have to track down Rabid, now that my hazy teenage memories of the film have resurfaced.