War Comes to Heritage!

Rare War of the Worlds Style B Half Sheet to be Offered at Auction

DALLAS, TEXAS: In 1897, in the pages of Pearson's Magazine, the world was invaded by a ruthless race of beings from the planet Mars. One of the first science-fiction novels, The War of the Worlds - written by celebrated English author Herbert George Wells - has had a lasting impact on popular culture for more than a century.

By 1924, the movie rights to the novel had been optioned by Paramount, but 1938 was the year in which Wells' novel would truly enter the public consciousness. On October 31 of that year - Halloween - Orson Welles and his Mercury Theater radio troupe performed a documentary-style adaptation of the classic novel. Their performance was so convincing that panics ensued nationwide, as listeners believed that what they were hearing was real. The broadcast became legendary, Welles became a household name, and The War of the Worlds became a hot property once again.

As hot as it was, it would take another 15 years for the first movie adaptation to be made. Cecille B. DeMille was the first director attached to the project in 1924, with Alfred Hitchcock slated to helm an adaptation in the 1930s (Hitch eventually turned the job down). After the infamous radio broadcast, Orson Welles was approached to direct, but after his experiences with the radio broadcast, he wanted no part of another adaptation.

Eventually, DeMille contacted George Pal, whose work on such genre pictures as Destination Moon (1950) and When Worlds Collide (1951) had been well received. Pal accepted, and soon turned the project over to director Byron Haskin, best known for his special effects work on such pictures as A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935), The Sea Hawk (1940), The Sea Wolf (1941), Captains of the Clouds (1942), and Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). It was a fortunate choice, as 70% of the film's budget would eventually be spent on special effects sequences (An unexpected turn of events almost scuttled filming before it began, when Paramount executives found they had only optioned the rights for a silent film in 1924. Fortunately, the Wells estate was amenable, and a solution was quickly worked out).

"The film, released in 1953 starring Gene Barry and Ann Robinson, was, and is, one of the finest science fiction movies of the 1950s," said Grey Smith, Director of Vintage Movie Poster Auctions for Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries. " A tight script, fine acting, and outstanding special effects make this a movie that is just as watchable today as it was half a century ago."

"By the time the movie was released in 1953," Smith said, "there was an additional subtext that Wells had not foreseen. By the mid-50s, the Cold War was in full swing, and the threat of a Communist invasion of America was seen as very real by many people. It was this very real fear of invasion that the film tapped into, with Martians standing in for Communists, placing the film on a par with such Cold War classics as Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) and Invaders from Mars (1953)."

"As one of the most popular science fiction films ever made," Smith continued, "it's no surprise that the paper associated with it should be extremely desirable. The only problem is that the posters and advertising material that typically come available are rather unspectacular. The one sheet shows a giant Martian hand reaching toward a male and female figure, while the lobby cards show the human actors, with only the barest hint of the sleek, scary war machines."

"The Style B half sheet, however, by far the rarest piece from the film, shows the Martian war machine in all its glory," Smith said. "In fact, this is, in the estimation of many experts, the rarest poster from any 1950s sci-fi film, and is a poster hotly desired by collectors everywhere. A true rarity, many years can go by between sightings. In my career, I think I've seen more UFOs than I have WOTW Style B half sheets!"

"This particular piece has been held in a private collection for many years," Smith added, "and will no doubt return to the depths of another private hoard when all is said and done. I'd encourage everyone to bid aggressively on this beauty, as we may find real life on Mars before another one of these is offered!"

The War of the Worlds Style B Half Sheet will be offered in Heritage Auction Galleries' upcoming Vintage Movie Poster Signature Auction, to be held November 14 & 15, 2006 in Dallas, Texas. For more information, or to bid online, please visit www.HA.com/MoviePosters.

The War of the Worlds (Paramount, 1953). Half Sheet (22" X 28") Style B:
ESTIMATE: $40,000 - $60,000

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.HA.com.

To access the Heritage Press Release Archives, please visit www.HA.com/MoviePosters

Prospective consignors and sellers of vintage movie posters and related material should contact Grey Smith at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 367, or 214-252-4367, or email GreySm@HA.com.

To reserve your copy of any Heritage auction catalog, please contact Nicole Jewell at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 272, or visit www.HA.com to order by email.