Indy Flashback: The Classic Trailers

Raiders of the Lost Ark, of course, is the only Indiana Jones film without "Indiana Jones" in the official title. It's hard to quibble with the original decision, as Raiders' producers could hardly have been expected to guess that its whip-wielding hero would become a sensation in his own right. But it's still kind of funny to watch this original theatrical trailer for Raiders, which basically ignores Harrison Ford in favor of the fearsome, mysterious Ark of the Covenant, "protected by forces beyond imagination" and "desired above all treasures on earth." Of course, it turned out that, with Raiders as with the rest of the franchise, no one gave a damn about what exactly Indy was chasing so long as he chased it with wisecracking flair. (This alternative trailer is more on target.)

By the time Temple of Doom rolled around, Paramount had gotten the idea, with the voiceover guy intoning: "If adventure has a name, it must be Indiana Jones." Indeed. Check out the original Temple of Doom and Last Crusade trailers after the jump.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom



Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade