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Press books were popular from 1920 to 1940. They were produced as a promotional tool for cinemas by film distributors. They included images and short feature texts about the film, cast and crew, and ‘making-of’ details.

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The 1930s were a formative decade for Ray Harryhausen. When asked for a list of his favourite films, Harryhausen wrote down 15, most of which come from this period. In addition to She (Kong was a given) Ray also included RKO's The Most Dangerous Game, a film that was shot at the same time as Kong, also starred Fay Wray and used many of the same sets. Other films on the list clearly had a lasting influence on Harryhausen from the spectacle of The Last Days of Pompeii (1935) and its Willis O'Brien special effects, to James Whale's iconic Bride of Frankenstein (1935).