Dad and Dave Come to Town (1938)

For those of you wondering who Dad and Dave were, they were characters – father and son – who featured in four Australian movies made between 1932 and 1940.  In many ways they were a precursor to the Beverly Hillbillies, though the humour in them relied heavily on slapstick.  All four movies were successful Down Under, and even today are highly regarded.

Dad and Dave Come to Town was the third movie in the series, and this poster reflects both the storyline and the carefree approach to the material.  Emphasis is given to the difference that city life has on Dad and Dave’s appearance in the movie, both of their gruff exteriors replaced by noticeably airbrushed “makeovers” (though Dave changes from slightly dangerous looking to appropriately dim looking).  For enthusiasts, seeing Dad and Dave transformed into “city slickers” would have been an irresistible attraction.

The contrast between the rural community they come from and the big city is further highlighted by the warm farmyard scene juxtaposed with the dark outline of the city at the bottom – can it be a good influence on our heroes, or will they prove to be more than a match for city ways?  And as if to reinforce the idea of the city’s wicked ways and its corrupting influence, there’s a couple of scantily clad women alongside the cityscape (as well as a very worrying looking mannequin), all carefully posed to promote the risqué nature of the humour in this particular outing.

What grabs the eye the most though is the colourful garishness of the poster itself, the bright yellows and reds bursting forth from the blue background like typographic explosions (and be honest, how often do you see the word ‘cripes’ given such prominence in a poster?).  The depth and richness of these primary colours makes the whole poster that much more appealing and easy to look at.  It’s the perfect way to enrich an already lusciously presented poster and its alluring images.

Agree?  Disagree?  Feel free to let me know.