Press and Publicity

See also contact sheets, negative numbers for press and on-site photos, John Brown's page (the official still photographer for the movie.), lobby cards.

## These are the sites for the present distributors:

Studio Canal

Rialto Pictures

## Marketing

See this excellent look at the marketing materials used - pressbooks/campaign book, posters, trailers, radio spots for British Lion, Warner Brothers and Abraxas distributors: Chance, Chaos, Confusion and the Marketing of The Wicker Man by  Linda Hutcheson. (Published in 2011 so before the Final Cut came out.)

## Movie Trailers/TV spots

See the marketing link above for more details on these.

**British Lion** made a trailer. It lasts 2:13. You can see it here. This would be for the "theatrical" version.

The only evidence so far of a **Warner Brothers trailer** is this pic. It appears to be the same as the British Lion trailer although is of poor quality. Also, this from Something Wicker This Way Comes by Stuart Byron: "Warners used the same trailer as was prepared for its second-feature career in England. merely changing the voiceover narration from a British to an American accent."

The Warner Brothers pressbook mentions these **tv spots**:

- one :60

- one :30

- one :10

It also mentions two **"TV excerpts**", both available from WB in Burbank.

**Abraxas** made a tv spot. It is :37. Stirling Smith narrates. It appears to be the same as the Warner Brothers trailer but is shorter, has rerranged scenes, its own voiceover and is of poor quality. This is probably for the theatrical version too, despite their having made what is now known as The Final Cut.

Summerisle Film made a trailer too. Notice the two title graphics that got cut out of the Final Cut... (1, 2)

The **Final Cut trailer**. (Rialto Pictures) This is the same version of the movie as what Abraxas made.

## Newspaper articles

The Galloway Gazette published a few articles both during the shooting and overviews of the whole film later in 1998 and 1999, as well as since then. John McEwan was the photographer in 1972. Nic Outterside, editor in the 90s, has provided some of the information and pictures used here. Photographer Peter Foster helped by keeping various negatives which hopefully might be shared in the future. Olive McDonald also provided many clippings.

25th Anniversary special features ran on 12/4, 12/18 and 12/25/98. Some of the articles and pictures are on this wiki.

See this page for some references to the film in other newspapers in the UK, US, Australia and a few other locations.

9/30/72

Callan Comes To Galloway – Mystery Film Set In Stranraer And Kirkcudbright. “A big film starring some of the top names in the international film industry is to be made entirely on location in Galloway,"

10/4/72

"Film stars Christopher Lee (second left) and Edward Woodward discuss filming location in Ballantrae with director Robin Hardy.”

10/7/72

Britt and Diane fly in to join co-stars in big film production.

Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee at cave.

10/9/72

"Bobby with a familiar face: Fishermen at Kyle meet a new bobby - Sgt Neil Howue (sic), otherwise known as Edward Woodward of TV's 'Callan' fame. Edward has the lead in a thriller which has been filmed in Plockton this week."

10/14/72

“It was actually King Street, Newton Stewart, but it might have been Sunset Boulevard or Broadway as ‘Hollywood hopefuls’ beat a path to the door of DouglasHouse on Monday evening. That was the scene of the British Lion auditions for their film The Wicker Man. Many a top star got into pictures the same small way, after all. As sisters Muriel and Julia Duncan, of Boreland Farm, Whauphill, explained: ‘We’ve always wanted to see a film star in the flesh. And now that we’ve got a chance of actually appearing in a picture along with them, well, we’ve just told Dad he’ll have to manage the farm without us for the next few weeks.”

Whithorn library ideal setting for film.

10/21/72

Front page, two pics and a blurb. Five Apples for Mr Woodward at Logan Gardens.

Monster In Our Midst article with picture.

10/28/72

FILM MEN WANT SWEET SHOP (An ad they also ran.)

Wickerman Film Star Talks to Sheila Mcnamara - Diana Decides It's The Farm For Her.

11/4/72

CHERRY TREES BLOSSOM IN NOVEMBER BUT ANWOTH MYSTERY WAS EASY TO SOLVE

Christopher Lee and Edward Woodward arm wrestling for charity pic.

11/18/72

Meet the real Britt, an interview with Britt Ekland.

11/25/72

Front page: Stranraer Will Get The First Ever Showing Of New Mystery Thriller with pic of Edward Woodward relaxing fireside at the Cally Hotel.

12/23/72

AN ANGRY TOWN HITS BACK: BRITISH LION FILM CHIEF SENDS AN APOLOGY

Sometime in 1974
A 1974 ad featuring the double bill with Don't Look Now, for the Town Hall Theater in Ireland.

1/19/74

The Wicker Man Gets A Mixed Reception At Local Premieres

“Sergeant Howie seemed to be an exemplary officer. He was also an exemplary churchman. Of what denomination, we never quite established. Of a Calvinistic nature, in contrast to the frankly amoral islanders, he nevertheless appeared to be taking part in an Episcopalian Communion service at one point. And near the end when he fears he could be sacrificed to pagan gods, he grits a manly set of teeth and prays that he suffers not the pains of hell because he dies unshriven. It seems the sort of worry that would have been old-fashioned to one of Chaucer’s Roman Catholic Canterbury pilgrims – and heaven knows they would never have turned down the chance of the rollicking pastimes  offered by the Summerislanders.”

12/4/98

Ex:S documentary and soundtrack on Trunk Records.

(shot on 10/4/72, published on 12/4/98) "Film stars Christopher Lee (second left) and Edward Woodward discuss filming location in Ballantrae with director Robin Hardy.”

12/18/98

When Galloway was turned into a giant movie set.

map showing locations

Picture of the Mochrum graveyard (then thought to be the site of the orgy)

12/25/98

Tommy McShane pic

(no date but 1998 most likely) Wicker Man author back in Galloway

6/11/99

Ekland issues a belated apology

## Newspaper listings

Occurrences of The Wicker Man appearing in newspapers.com search.

## Posters

See the wiki page for that. Also see this link for more details on these.

## Pressbooks

British Lion, Warner Brothers, Abraxas and Summerisle Films had pressbooks. (British Lion's is called a "campaign book".)

Full British Lion pressbook (campaign book) here.

Pictures of the Warner Brothers pressbook: cover, pages 1 and 2, and 3 and 4. Full version here.

## Press photo info.

Codes used for the various press photos and the descriptions of them.

A page from the "Information folder" for the movie.

## Radio ads

See the marketing link above for more details on these.

The **Warner Brothers** pressbook mentions:

- one :60

- one :30

They could be obtained from Eugene Gromek of Suski Productions, NYC

**Abraxas** made 14 radio spots, 4 one minute spots and 10 30-second spots. All are narrated by Stirling Smith. Christopher Lee has a voiceover in one. (We know of some others but aren't sure how they fit in.)

The Meadowbrook Cinema is the Meadowbrook Cinema 6 in Jackson, MS, where it played from Nov 3 - 22 of 1977. The University Cinema is in Baton Rouge, LA. It was not the American premiere there.

### One minute spots (links to downloadable mp3s)

1: schoolhouse scene, Meadowbroook Cinema 6

2: Howie meets LS scene, Meadowbrook Cinema 6

3: CL quote from below, Meadowbrook Cinema 6 "

Christopher Lee voiceover: "I am Lord Summerisle. You say we are barbaric humans. You say our sexual rituals are perverse. You say we committed murder. I say you are fools! I say we know the true way of the greatest gods! I say YOUR sexual practices are deviant. We love the flesh, even as we burn it. Ah, the sweet smell of burning flesh!"

4: University Cinema, Baton Rouge, all talk, Rod Stewart mentioned, the American premiere! (11/17/77)

### 10 30-second spots

Christopher Lee narrates #1 & #2 which appear to be the same. Stirling Smith narrates the others. There is a slight difference in delivery between #7 & #8. There were no Friday the 13th showings in 1977. This probably refers to the Shreveport, LA 1/13/78 opening.

1- Narrated by Christopher Lee, uses background music, “Miss Rose: we believe the soul…”, lead you to a climax, “you are about to commit murder, think what you’re doing”

2 - appears to be the same

3 - “Howie: the truth has withered away”, Stirling Smith narrates , “what kind of mother, final scenes”, Meadowbrook Cinema

4 - “Hear ye the words of the lord”, Grand Prize Paris,  “library scene, final scenes”, Meadowbrook Cinema

5 - “Hear ye the words of the lord”, Stirling Smith,  “I think rowan was murdered”, “final scene”. Meadowbrook Cinema

6 - American premiere at University Cinema, (Baton Rouge, it played there 11/17/77 and maybe before and after those dates), 4/5/77 National Enquirer, quote about Rod Stewart, (nothing from movie used)

7 - weird Stirling Smith effect, there are some places the old gods never died, Fri 13th, the movie opens

(nothing from movie used)

8 - weird effect for Stirling's voice, there are some places the old gods never  died, same as above.

9 - weird effect, deeper voice, same as above

10 - weird effect, Fri 13, the Wicker Man waits for you.