Birdman of Alcatraz, the classic 1962 John Frankenheimer Kansas Leavenworth prison convict crime biography melodrama ("Inside the rock called Alcatraz they tried to chain a volcano they called 'The Bird Man'!"; "Based on the book by Tom Gaddis"; the true story of double murderer Robert Stroud, sentenced to life in prison, who after years of anger, adopts a baby bird, and ends up becoming one of the world's foremost bird experts, all done while serving his life sentence in Leavenworth Prison) starring Burt Lancaster (in his nominated for Best Actor Academy Award role), Karl Malden, Thelma Ritter (in her nominated for Best Supporting Actress Academy Award role), Edmond O'Brien ("as Tom Gaddis"), Telly Savalas (in his nominated for Best Supporting Actor Academy Award role), Neville Brand, and Betty Field.
Note that there has always been controversy about the posters for this movie! I have often heard them described as Saul Bass, and they certainly look like they probably were done by him. But, I recently was talking to noted poster expert Dan "The Poster Man" Strebin, and he told me that his understanding is that ALL the posters on this movie were drawn by Bob Peak! Now, of course, the art looks nothing like the Bob Peak we know from later years, and this movie is from a much earlier time than most Bob Peak art, but Dan says that Bob Peak said himself that this was his work. Perhaps at the start of his career he imitated Bass' style. Also note that the window card for this movie, which somewhat resembles the other posters, but has a clearly different image, IS signed by Bob Peak, so it is possible that his artwork was solely used for the window card, and that could explain why he remembers doing a campaign for the movie.
Important Added Info: Note that this poster has a snipe correcting the spelling of Mr. Savalas' first name from "Tony" to "Telly". Also note that we have seen other examples of this poster where the snipe solely covers Mr. Savalas' first name, but this snipe makes his name larger, and also that of Betty Field (we have also seen a third version of this snipe that covers over the name of screenwriter Guy Trosper [who also produced the film]).
Overall Condition: good. There is a snipe in the credits area at bottom. There are creases throughout the poster.
BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT 1sh '56
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, the 1956 Fritz Lang crime film noir ("What kind of man would frame himself for MURDER?"; "Put them all together they spell M-U-R-D-E-R!"; "Tonight I dropped my cigarette lighter at the scene of the crime. Tomorrow I will plant another piece of evidence. If all goes well I will be accused of Murder. But remember -- they must convict me."; "A man gambles with justice and covers the bet with his life!"; "Because of the terrific suspense please don't tell anyone how this picture ends."; "Story and Screenplay by Douglas Morrow"; about a newspaperman who frames himself for murder to get a great newspaper story, but then the only one who knows the truth dies!) starring Dana Andrews, Joan Fontaine, Sidney Blackmer, Philip Bourneuf, Shepperd Strudwick, Arthur Franz, and Barbara Nichols
Overall Condition: fair to good. There is rippling and discoloration throughout the poster from exposure to moisture. There is writing on the back of the poster that bleeds through to the front in the title area at bottom.
BETWEEN TIME & ETERNITY 1sh '60
Zwischen Zeit und Ewigkeit (released in the U.S. in 1960 as "Between Time and Eternity"), the 1956 Jose Antonio Nieves Conde & Arthur Maria Rabenalt German/Spanish sex melodrama ("She fled respectability for the pleasures of the world!"; "What makes a woman flee from respectability to taste the forbidden pleasures of the world?"; "She shared her secret... And her man!"; "He made her forget... But only for a night!"; "Soft lights... Strong arms... Are they the answer?"; "Another place... Another love, then what?"; "She tried to blot out her frightening secret in every pleasure spot in the world..") starring Lilli Palmer, Willy Birgel, Carlos Thompson, Ellen Schwiers, and Robert Lindner
Overall Condition: very good.
BLOW OUT 1sh '81
Blow Out, the 1981 Brian De Palma murder mystery crime thriller (set in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; "Murder has a sound all of its own"; "Written & Directed by Brian De Palma"; about a sound-effects man who records a car accident that turns out to be a politically motivated murder) starring John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow, Dennis Franz (best remembered as Detective Andy Sipowicz from TV's "NYPD Blue"), Peter Boyden, and Curt May
Overall Condition: good to very good. The poster was folded in half an extra time resulting in a vertical foldline at left and right.
The Secret War of Harry Frigg, the 1968 Jack Smight World War II (WWII) military crime comedy ("It's not who you con.... It's how you do it!") starring Paul Newman (billed as "Paul Newman is Harry Frigg"), Sylva Koscina, Tom Bosley (best remembered as Howard in TV's "Happy Days" and in the title role in TV's "Father Dowling Mysteries"), Andrew Duggan, John Williams, Werner Peters, and James Gregory
