BEHIND THE CUP. (1939, sound, 40min, color, 35mm)
Sponsor/production Co.: Hills Bros. Coffee inc. producers/camera: Ken Allen, t. Carroll Wilson. resources: Copyright 23Aug39 Mu9607; “Behind the Cup in Cinecolor proves Hit Show in the West,” Bus Scrn 2, no. 1 (1939): 26–27; “Advertisers’ Films draw Huge Crowds at nation’s two Big Fairs,” Sales Mgmt 45 (July 1, 1939): 34–47. Holdings: Si/nMAH, uCLA.
Promotional film created for the 1939 San Francisco World’s Fair. Based on an earlier film by company photographer and filmmaker Ken Allen, Behind the Cup tells the story of Hills Bros. Coffee from cultivation in El Salvador to roasting and blending at the San Francisco plant. Company employees handled every aspect of its production. “A unique feature in con- nection with the showing of Behind the Cup,” commented Business Screen, “is the introduction of coffee aroma into the theatre through the ventilating system at a point in the picture where the action shows a can of Hills Bros. coffee being opened.” note: Shot in Cinecolor.