General Research Guides
Film Daily and Predecessors Microfilm Collection
This microfilm collection includes the complete run of The Film Daily, a major film industry publication, and its predecessors (Wid's Film and Film Folk, Wid's Independent Review of Feature Films, and Wid's Daily) from 1915 to 1970. It also includes a complete run of The Film Daily Year Book from the same period.
Film Daily provided up-to-the-minute trade news, details of film releases, films in production, films made and not released, changes in studio ownership and management, analysis of financial trends and how they affected the film industry, and other news pertinent to the business of filmmaking.
Film Daily also provided news of interest to film exhibitors. Every issue of the newspaper included news and reviews of newly-released films; box office revenues; changes in theater chain ownership and management; and news of developments in sound, color, and presentation.
Information on censorship struggles was also provided by coverage of the activities of the Hays Film Office, the Catholic League of Decency, the Dies Committee, and other censorship organizations.
Also included in the coverage is news of actors and directors, producers and composers, cinematographers and set designers, and other cast and crew. Special reports from theaters in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Portland, St. Louis, and San Antonio provide extended and detailed views of theatergoing in those cities.
Film Daily also reviewed films, analyzing the commercial prospects of each film in consideration. These reviews are indexed annually in the Film Daily Year Books. The Year Books provide a "snapshot" of the movie industry in any given year, summarizing the important developments and news of the past year.
Film Daily is not indexed, but the online guides below provide the dates of coverage for each microfilm reel.
Where is the Film Daily microfilm collection?
Further Information
This Research Guide By:
-
Matt Bailey
- Media Resources Coordinator
- x7670
- mbailey@carleton.edu
- Library 465








