This film is part of Free
Flu-ing Squad
Anthropomorphic houses pop pills to defeat colds in this cartoon cinema commercial
Overview
Thinking about home improvements? Why not try getting your house to pop a couple of pills? In this cinema ad it works far better than any lick of paint. The producers at Halas & Batchelor were dab hands at compressing sales pitches into neatly packaged, entertaining commercials. But whilst seemingly this is a fantasy about colds and flu, the rundown houses in dark smoky streets were a familiar reality to audiences in areas damaged by the Blitz, and the Great Smog of 1952 was just around the corner.
Related
Your Shopping Guide Your Shopping Guide
Advert 1930 5 mins Silent
Lingerie, wallpaper, garages - there's something on offer for everyone in these lo-fi local cinema ads from Darlington
Air to Wear Air to Wear
Advert 1957 2 mins Silent
As full of holes as his Aertex shirt, Uncle Jeff’s tall tales are captured in crayon in this animated cinema ad
Ovaltine - Train Ovaltine - Train
Advert 1985 1 mins
Ovaltina will pick you up! With an electronic 80s synth and a catchy theme tune, Ovaltina parachutes in to save the day
Love on the Range Love on the Range
Advert 1939 6 mins
An animated Western mock-opera about Horlicks? Bring it on!
Molar Mischief Molar Mischief
Advert 1946 2 mins Silent
Look out, germs at work! These loveable molar mischief making puppets really dig tooth decay.
Dolly Put the Kettle On Dolly Put the Kettle On
Advert 1947 2 mins
A spurned doll turns knife-wielding femme fatale when she doesn't get her teddy bear, in this cartoon cinema ad for tea
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.
An Airman's Letter to His Mother An Airman's Letter to His Mother
Documentary 1941 6 mins
A poignant, stirring letter from a recently deceased pilot to his mother is read by John Gielgud.
The NHS75 Celebration The NHS75 Celebration
Short documentary 2023 3 mins
Former Bristol Poet Laureate, Miles Chambers reads a poem specially commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the NHS.