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Press Release - November 19, 2004

Heritage Vintage Movie Poster Auction Sets New World Record!

Dallas, Texas: Heritage Movie Poster Auctions (HMPA) set a new world record in their most recent sale, when a Title Lobby Card from Universal Studio's classic 1935 film, The Bride of Frankenstein, sold for $46,000.

"This is a new high water mark for lobby cards," said Grey Smith, Director of HMPA. "Bride of Frankenstein is a legendary movie, considered by many to be the best of the classic Universal horror films, and paper from this title is extremely rare and highly desirable. I was confident that this card would perform well, but these results are far beyond what anyone could have expected."

"We're starting the process of claiming a Guinness World Record for this sale," Smith continued. "To my knowledge, no other dealer in vintage posters holds such a record."

The card was described as being in Very Fine condition and carried a pre-auction estimate of $12-15,000.

Speaking of the sale as a whole, Smith said, "I'm very pleased with the participation and the results. We had 1,026 bidders participate in the sale for 710 lots, 243 of them successfully. On the whole, the sale realized $766,032.10, with 91.4% of the lots sold. Personally, I was pleased to see so many pieces sell for well above their pre-auction estimates. Overall, it was a sale that demonstrated both the strength and depth of the vintage movie poster market."

Highlights of the sale included:

The Bride of Frankenstein (Universal, 1935).
Title Lobby Card (11" X 14"). James Whale's lasting contribution to the cinema was a sense of humor and style, on full display in "The Bride of Frankenstein." The film was a major hit for Universal and many critics feel it is the best film to emerge from the horror series of pictures created by the studio. Karloff reprises his role as the Monster, and Elsa Lancaster, with a shock white streak of hair, co-stars as the monster's mate. The card is in spectacular condition, with only two pinholes in each of the upper corners (one in the art and one in the border of each corner), and one pinhole in each of the two lower corners. There is also one pinhole in each of the upper and lower center borders. These flaws are extremely minor and do not detract from the overall impact of the card. The most intrusive defect in the card are from a "Suitable Only for Adults" stamp in the bottom border and a very slight bleed from another stamped card that imprinted against the letters at the top of the card where it says, "The Monster Demands a Mate!" Colors are bright and borders exhibit only the most minimal foxing spots. There is no restoration on this card. One of the best copies we know of for this legendary and highly collectible card. Very Fine. PRICE REALIZED: $46,000.

The Outlaw (United Artists, 1943).
Six Sheet (81" X 81"). Without a doubt, "The Outlaw" was the most controversial film made during the 1940s. The film wasn't even finished being shot when trouble started. The PCA (Production Code Authority) wouldn't give approval to the script until changes were made. Howard Hawks, the film's original director, left the project and Howard Hughes had to take over the shooting. When Joseph Breen at the PCA finally saw a rough cut of the film, he labeled it salacious for the number of overt shots of Jane Russell's breasts and cleavage. Hughes was forced to re-edit the film and after cutting 40 minutes out of the movie, the PCA finally gave the film a certificate of approval. But Hughes kept trying to get his version released and submitted his own cut of the film to various state censor boards, but had even worse results. Some of the states out-right banned the film from release! 20th Century Fox, who had been set to distribute the film, dropped the picture from release in late 1941 to avoid the controversy. Finally, Hughes had had enough of trying to get his version released and decided to release the PCA version of the film himself. On February 5, 1943, the film opened at San Francisco's Geary Theatre to a national furor. People turned out in droves to see the film and it became a commercial success for Hughes and made Jane Russell a national sensation. The poster campaign was as controversial as the movie. Hughes' publicity man, Russell Birdwell, created provocative posters of Russell and plastered them all over San Francisco. Some of the posters used the tagline, "How would you like to tussle with Russell?" while others billed it as, "The picture that couldn't be stopped!" It was a sensation. Some of the posters also advertised that Jane Russell could be seen in person at the theatre, which was the truth. Hughes had been so incensed at the PCA's changes in the film that he had Russell and her co-star Jack Beutel perform a live, twenty minute scene that had been cut from the film following each screening! This went on for the entire six-week run of the film at the Geary. So here is a fantastic opportunity to acquire one of the most spectacular six sheets ever created! The poster is historical as it is from that six-week run at the Geary when Jane Russell was appearing in person. It is also the ultimate pin-up as Russell reclines in the hay (an iconic image if there ever was one) even bigger than life. Since these posters were only used in the San Francisco area and it was normal for six sheets to be posted outdoors, subject to the weather, it is amazing that any survived. However, several did survive, and one of those copies is being offered here. The first copy to be auctioned was sold at Christie's South Kensington in March, 2003, and was advertised as the only copy known to exist. That copy sold for an amazing 52,875 pounds sterling (almost $83,250.00). This poster is in unused, very fine condition. Very Fine/Near Mint. PRICE REALIZED: $32,200.

The Phantom of the Opera (Universal, 1925).
Insert (14" X 36"). Lon Chaney stars as the vengeful composer, who lives in the catacombs under an Opera house in Paris, in what is certainly his most famous and horrifying role. The film was shot in 1923, but was shelved for nearly two years before it was released. Many of the top executives at Universal didn't think the film would do very well, but they were wrong. The film was a tremendous success at the box office and became the prototype for the horror film cycle at Universal during the 1930s. The unmasking scene still ranks as one of the most shocking of the horror genre. There are surface creases, tears, border chips, small holes, and some paper loss in the upper left corner. The poster has had professional restoration and conservation, minimizing these defects. Offered here is a scarce opportunity to acquire an ultra-rare poster for this Universal Horror classic. Fine on Paper. PRICE REALIZED: $23,000.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (RKO, 1937).
One Sheet Style C (27" X 41.25"). Disney invested $1,500,000 and three years of hard work, along with the combined talents of 570 artists, into the production of this animation classic. The film was a huge success, earning $8,500,000 depression-era dollars, that not only saved the company financially, but also laid the foundation for the animation empire that was to follow. Considered to be one of Disney's top works, this film remains a favorite among fans everywhere. There are several longer tears in the bottom portion of the poster, creases, border chips, tears, and small holes. The very upper left corner was replaced which extended slightly into the "H" of "His." Appears to be touch-up to some of the colors on the poster. This poster was printed on a heavy stock paper which ultimately made it more fragile over time. The poster has been professionally restored, rendering the defects difficult to detect. This gorgeous Style C one sheet is the rarest of all of the Disney posters and features Snow White fleeing the murderous huntsman depicted with the Gustaf Tenggren illustration. Very Good/Fine on Paper. PRICE REALIZED: $15,812.50.

The Philadelphia Story (MGM, 1940).
Three Sheet (41" X 81"). Katharine Hepburn left Hollywood in 1938 with the stigma of "box office poison", returning to Broadway in a play that was written especially for her, Philip Barry's "The Philadelphia Story." The play opened at the Shubert Theatre in New York on March 29, 1939 to rave reviews from audiences and critics alike. Soon, offers began pouring in from Hollywood for the screen rights, which Hepburn had purchased with borrowed money from her ex-lover Howard Hughes. She accepted MGM's offer, which incidentally, was not the highest, but would give her approval of her leading men and director. She got her choice of director, George Cukor, but not her choice of leading men, Spencer Tracy and Clark Gable. She had to settle for Cary Grant, who insisted on top billing, and James Stewart. The film opened to enormous critical acclaim and broke box office records around the country. Among its Oscar nominations in 1940 were Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. James Stewart (Best Actor) and Donald Ogden Stewart (Best Screenplay) took home the honors, and though Hepburn didn't win the Oscar for her performance, the "box office poison" slur would be forever refuted. There has been minor touch-up to the fold lines, otherwise this gorgeous poster is in extraordinary condition. Very Fine+ on Linen. PRICE REALIZED: $10,350.

Betty Boop with Henry (Paramount, 1935).
One Sheet (27" X 41"). Max and Dave Fleischer began their career in animation shortly after World War I as chief rivals to Walt Disney at Columbia and United Artists. Under the banner of Paramount, they created a number of characters, including Popeye and Betty Boop. Before the Hayes Commission came into power, Betty was the symbol of the flapper era, wearing short skirts with garters showing. After the Hayes Commission, Betty, like the rest of Hollywood, was censored and she began to be drawn with longer skirts! Owning a Betty Boop One Sheet is one of the pinnacles of collecting animation posters. Very few are known to exist, especially in this unrestored Near Mint condition. PRICE REALIZED: $9,775.

Cocoanuts (Paramount, 1929). Autographed Still (8" X 10").
Shelby Chapman was the sound mixer on the Marx Brothers' first film for Paramount, shot at their Long Island Studios in 1929. Offered here is a very rare autographed sepia toned still signed by all four brothers. It is inscribed at the top in Harpo's hand "The Best 'Chap' we know." Signed "Zeppo Marx," "How's the sound? Best Wishes, Groucho," "Ray Cozuie! Chico," and "Harpo." Rarely do photos appear that have all of the brothers signatures together as Zeppo left the team in their move to MGM in 1935. This may be one of the few existing photos if not only photo that was signed on the set of their first film. Accompanied by COA from PSA/DNA. The photo has had an area of two inches by two inches in Zeppo's and Groucho's waist and legs restored where there was slight surface damage. Fine-. PRICE REALIZED: $10,200.

The Bride of Frankenstein (Universal, 1935).
Lobby Card (11" X 14"). Colin Clive and Ernest Thesiger make their final preparations to bring the Monster's Mate to life in this memorable scene from James Whale's classic horror film. Thesiger has cadaverous intensity as he stares down upon his creation. Lobbies from this title are in high demand. Two pinholes in each of the corners along with very minor light corner creases to each of the upper corners, are this card's only distractions. The lower border also bears a stamp "Suitable only for adults." Very Fine. PRICE REALIZED: $8,912.50.

For more information about Heritage's auctions, and a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit www.HeritageGalleries.com.

Prospective consignors and sellers of vintage movie posters and related material should contact Grey Smith at 214-668-6928 or email GreySm@HeritageMoviePosters.com.

To order the next three sale catalogs, visit Heritage's website to pay by credit card, or send a check or money order payable to Heritage Galleries in the amount of $100 (a fraction of Heritage's actual cost-to-produce the catalogs) to: Customer Service, c/o Heritage Galleries, 3500 Maple Avenue, 17th Floor, Dallas, TX 75219.

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