If New York's Madison Avenue and Hollywood's Vine Street could meet, that imaginary intersection would provide the perfect vantage point for TCM's look at product placement in the movies. This promotional tactic, in which a real commercial product is seen in a fictional film, is thought of as a relatively recent development, perhaps dating to the prominent appearance of Hershey Food Corporation's Reese's Pieces in 1982's E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. Truth is, Hollywood has always worked closely with various industries in promoting the consumption of their products. With this festival, TCM looks at how these relationship evolved; creating subtle advertisements and allowing certain products to become associated with particular actors and films.

ET still stands out because the use of R**s*'s P**ces to win over the alien was a key plot point, highlighted with repeated, centered shots of the product in the kids's hand, just like a TV ad. Spielberg sux!

- tom moody 3-21-2005 4:21 am [add a comment]