If ever there was an image that seemed unlikely to make history, it’s this. And I mean it.

This was the first ad for “Mike” in Film Daily, I believe. Doesn’t tell you anything, except that it’s a “riot’ - a comedy, you presume. But why would a comedy make history? Remember the target audience: this was an ad aimed at the industry, at distributors and exhibitors. History = more money than you’ve ever seen. This image must have meant something we don’t quite get, but let’s guess: maybe the donkey is Mike. Maybe one of the kids is Mike. The old man on the right isn’t Mike; neither is the fellow on the left, who appears to be the requisite Rich Villain. The kids look rustic and rural, and perhaps poor, so it’s heartwarming as well as riotous.

This was just the beginning.