Dors Delights!

Posted on June 3, 2012 by russ

One of the great things about vintage movie posters is you come across actors and actresses that you never knew existed — for example, take British bombshell, Diana Dors. Considered by many to be England’s answer to Marilyn Monroe, Dors was boffo at the British box office — but her career across the pond never fully took flight (mainly due to an over-controlling first husband and other Hollywood politics, I’m sure). She passed away in 1984 at the age of 52.

Regardless, even if you haven’t seen any of her films, the posters and titles alone are entertaining — Blonde Sinner, The Unholy Wife, Tread Softly Stranger, and Passport to Shame, to name a few. And if Ms. Dors was good enough for the late great Richard Dawson (her second hubby, the kissy-kissy host of Family Feud and The Running Man), then she’s good enough for me!

Mondo Movie Posters!

Posted on April 18, 2012 by russ

“It’s sexy time!”, to paraphrase Borat, as we delve into the strange, sensational, hyper-sexualized film genre known as Mondo (not to be confused with the other Mondo gang at Alamo Drafthouse).

Before Reality TV, the creation of Italian mondo cinema in the 1960s gave birth to a weird world of exploitation documentaries that covered many taboo subjects, including sex, death, and pretty much anything else that could either turn you on or creep you out (thank you, Russ Meyer!).

But the one good thing to come out of all this depravity is a remarkably gorgeous portfolio of movie posters, featuring artwork from such mainstream International designers as Manfredo Acerbo and Constantin Belinsky. (Images courtesy of Film Art Gallery and EMP.)

You Broke My Heart, Man-fredo…

Posted on April 11, 2012 by russ

Manfredo Acerbo, who signed his posters with just his first name, had a talent for design with his loose, sophisticated, painterly style. Certainly, there are other Italian poster artists with much higher profile credits on their résumé (namely, Ercole Brini), but Manfredo’s work is just as pretty — even if the films themselves were not.

Operation Kitchen Sink!

Posted on April 10, 2012 by russ

You gotta love movie posters that give you lots of information about the movie — but is there such a thing as too much information? Here’s some unnamed Italian artists who threw in everything and the kitchen sink in showing off their designs…(EMoviePoster)

Deep Vertigo?

Posted on April 2, 2012 by russ

I’m getting dizzy from looking at this Deep Red-handed ripoff of Saul Bass’s classic Vertigo one-sheet.

Scary Heritage Sale!

Posted on March 23, 2012 by russ

Movie posters are part of our heritage — and nobody displays that better than Heritage’s Dallas Vintage Movie Poster Auction this weekend March 23-24. No doubt there will be some fierce bidding wars over this year’s scary wares!

Jano vs. Nano

Posted on March 13, 2012 by russ

In boxing, they say styles make fights. Well, you could say the same thing about movie posters (although most movie poster fans are lovers not fighters.)

But if there were a brawl to break out among two International movie poster artists — Italian stallion, Silvano (“Nano”) Campeggi, and Spanish designer, Jano (Francisco Fernández Zarza), would be an excellent battle. (MoviePosterDB)

Sophia Bardot!

Posted on February 22, 2012 by russ

Vanity Fair has taken time out from covering the Oscar flavors of the month in their Hollywood Issue to profile the 77-year-old bombshells, Brigitte Bardot and Sophia Loren –– two strong-willed women who went onto live productive lives far from the bright lights of Hollywood.

If you want to check out the rest of these legendary ladies’ beautiful one-sheets, be sure to check out Eatbrie’s impressive collection (scroll down the left side). (EMoviePoster)