Tweet Minor question about Paramount still codes

I think that at Paramount an NNN - 2/N code can be any publicity still related to film NNN that is not a scene still. It may be a candid, a gag shot, a costume shot, etc.

This seems to be more consistent to what I'm seeing and would make sense as exhibitors would want scene stills to sell the film, but some, with the principals in costume could also have promotion value for the exhibitor.

I have assumed that the 2/N coded stills were primarily for newspaper and magazine publication but you are probably right that some exhibitors would also find them useful.

Bruce mentioned that F was for Famous Players and L was for Lasky. I think M was for Morosco and also used for the other smaller production units Bosworth, Realart, etc. Here's an example, with Marguerite Clark in Girls:


Here's an example with both a star based code and a numerical code :

May McAvoy, Mary Jane Irving, and Walter McGrail in Top of New York

You are right, Derek, M was for Morosco, Bosworth, Realart, and Select. PAV was for Pine-Thomas, A for Artcraft, Art for Artcraft films with Dorothy Gish, R was for Realart, A with a number was for Arbuckle shorts (also with still codes starting at 7000), MMM for Mary Miles Minter, WW for Walter Wanger, S for B. P. Schulberg, PL for Pommer Laughton, MP for Emanuel Cohen, F for for Talking pictures in New York,, HS for Harry Sherman.