1963 ad using celebrities to endorse a camera – in this case a Miranda 35mm SLR
Toronto. In the early days of minicams, makers used explorers and others who demanded perfection under extreme conditions. Post war. celebrities became popular in ads as if they used the cameras shown. Naive folk seeing the ad might choose a film camera based on ‘celebrity’ use.
Typical ads are like the ones used by Miranda – a middle range 35mm film camera using lenses made by others. At left, this 1963 ad announces “Miranda goes Hollywood” featuring a shot from the latest Gidget movie, “Gidget Goes to Rome”. From my magazine reading days, I remember one such Miranda ad featuring Jerry Lewis as the celebrity.
Like so many Japanese film cameras, the Miranda couldn’t keep up with the advancements of the competition and eventually disappeared. The name itself was sold a few times so non-camera ‘Miranda’ items may still exist. And film? It too disappeared into the mists of history, aside from the small band of current enthusiasts who appreciate the look of ‘analogue’ photos.
