CECIL B. DEMILLE'S UNION PACIFIC PREMIERE - PHOTOS 1939 - HOLLYWOOD

Item #1425

This listing is for four black and white photographs, each 4" x 2 5/8", of the world premiere of Union Pacific, a Cecil B. DeMille film from Paramount Pictures. The premiere took place in Omaha - setting of the beginning of the railroad, constructed in the late 1860s. 

The epic film opened in late April 1939, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the completion of the track's construction, and in one of the photos, the cast of the film, in period dress, playfully nail a giant railroad spike, to emulate the action seen in the movie. (It is unclear which cast members are present in the photo.)

The famous golden spike from Promontory Summit was actually lent to the film's production from Stanford University, where it is still on display.

The film's premiere was part of a four-day event, "The Golden Spike Days Celebration" of the railroad. Stars Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea took a whistlestop tour by train, along with director Cecil B. DeMille, from Hollywood to Omaha. President Franklin Roosevelt inaugurated the event by pressing a telegraph key from the White House, and parades, banquets and radio broadcasts further promoted the anniversary.

The largest film premiere in history, a quarter-million people were drawn to the city, briefly doubling its population, and the National Guard had to be called out to maintain civic order. On the other side of the Missouri River, in Council Bluffs, Iowa, a monument was erected in the shape of the spike, and it stands there today.

The other three photos show downtown Omaha, including the festive marquee of the Omaha Opera House (the film actually premiered in three Omaha moviehouses simultaneously); nearby establishments have been cleverly dressed in Hollywood-style wild-west facades: the Cigars-Tobacco store has an "1841" date on it, and the Staple and Fancy Groceries is even more elaborate: it announces: "Eggs and Buffalo Hides Taken In Trade", "U.P. Checques Cashed Here", "Goods Delivered to Steamboats", etc.

Photos in excellent condition, glossy, no creases or fading.

Price: $150.00