Mike posted a follow up image on CATHS facebook page...
Unfortunately the reflection makes it hard to see the image, but looks like another OS????
For anyone that may be interested the two posters clealy visible on either side of the above image are of So This Is Harris! This 28 minute short appeared to have supported King Kong in major city bookings as well with many other cinema bookings around Australia.
I wonder if the OS
used out the front of the Triumph Theatre shared above is the US OS and not the
aussie?
Chris said
Just like the US six sheets, Style A OS and the
two half sheets.
The U.S.A. one sheet.
Due to my earlier mentioned two King Kong one sheet posters having one with the King Kong title appeariing in what appears to be white, while the other one being in a very dark appearance, one has to wonder if both an Australian and an imported U.S. one sheet version were used here.
Now to complicate matters even more. A completely different one sheet? The RKO Radio logo, Edgar Wallace title and Fay Wray's pose are different from the U.S. one sheet image. If this is a one sheet then there would now appear to have been at least three versions used here for the one sheet and the origin of the three individual posters remain unknown.
Ves. for the last image you posted is it from a different theatre, and if so what is it's name?
It is from the same theatre, and agree with Chris...the US Style A most likely. Hence the thinking the OS outside the theatre along with the two daybills is also the US not aussie, accounting for the different colouring of the wording.
A larger image of the two daybills showing the special censorship rating was printed on them. Norman McMurray was responsible for these posters. Please bring on the actual full colour poster images.
Are we fully satisfied now (if we weren’t before) that the HA “first release†Kong daybill is likely a second printing or subsequent RR?
Compare the title lettering of this amazing photo with the HA copy. Similar to what Lawrence is mentioning about the OS above...
The HA auctions version also looks quite subdued in its colour, I would expect a first release of such a big title to be quite colourful.
The thing that seals it for me though is that the special censorship rating is missing from the HA version, thus confirming the poster wasn't from the original very first 1933 first release usage. There is a possibility that due to the Australian censors change of heart in removing the special censorship rating from advertising, a quick non censorship rating version was produced as an early second printing. The lack of a censorship rating would support this thinking also, as had the poster been from the late 1930s some censorship most likely would have appeared on the poster.
Are we fully satisfied now (if we weren’t before) that the HA “first release†Kong daybill is likely a second printing or subsequent RR?
Compare the title lettering of this amazing photo with the HA copy. Similar to what Lawrence is mentioning about the OS above...
The HA auctions version also looks quite subdued in its colour, I would expect a first release of such a big title to be quite colourful.
The thing that seals it for me though is that the special censorship rating is missing from the HA version, thus confirming the poster wasn't from the original very first 1933 first release usage. There is a possibility that due to the Australian censors change of heart in removing the special censorship rating from advertising, a quick non censorship rating version was produced as an early second printing. The lack of a censorship rating would support this thinking also, as had the poster been from the late 1930s some censorship most likely would have appeared on the poster.
Another way of thinking could be that the special censorship label was a snipe attached after the poster was printed...but I don't think so due to the different colouring of the main title King Kong.
Norman McMurray copied the above daybill on the left directly from original U.S.A artwork similar to what appears on the above U.S. campaign book. The second image on the right seems to be an original conceived design by McMurray as it doesn't appear on the campaign book images or anywhere else it would appear to me. If an original Australian daybill of King Kong ever turns up I would hope it would be this one.
Even though there is a lot of Australian Kong material there, it is likely the two 6 sheets are U.S. I have one 6 sheet that was used in Australia around this time and it was printed by Morgan Litho. Here is a U.S. 6 sheet that was up for auction in 2008.
A couple of what I think are interesting things regarding movie poster artists I thought I would mention here, before moving on to the next to be covered artist.
1) The artists didn't always sign the same way on their various works, and in at least with one artist an alias was used.
2 ) The poster work was sometimes designed by one person, but the actual poster artwork completed by a different person. Just to clarify that I don't mean an Australian artist copying from overseas artwork, but for all original artwork originating in Australia.
A late entry of a trade advertisement from Everyones magazine dated November 14, 1934 featuring McMurray's outstanding artwork image of Miriam Hopkins promoting RKO's The Richest Girl In The World.
A little extra regarding The Richest Girl In The World artwork. Although the Everyone's artwork is signed by McMurray the above similar daybill artwork isn't signed, I think that everyone would have to agree though that the unsigned daybill was more than likely also designed and drawn by him.
George Lawrence was first queried by Ves here on the forum within a thread titled ''New early Australian movie poster artists - Lawrence?'', which she brought to our attention here in October 2019. I replied at the time on this thread, but I now intend to follow up with more detailed information on the artist. Lawrence was born in Sydney N.S.W. in 1901. It would appear that he had a long association working for Paramount Pictures Australia. Known artwork that he completed and signed for them as Lawrence covered the period which was at least between 1926 and 1945.
Due to the Richardson Studios having the contract to produce Paramount's daybill poster output during all of the period that Lawrence worked there, the opportuity to be involved in this poster format size illuded him it certainly appears. A question though is it it possible that he worked for The Richardson Studio at any time during his career and was involved in any poster artwork completed by them under the general John Richardson Studio credit? Just a thought that crossed by mind.
I have located Paramount trade advertisements he designed and signed from 1926 to 1934, that were published in Everyones magazine. Three from 1930 follow.
And this one from 1928.
Between 1939 and 1945 I am aware of of nine Paramount Australian one sheets produced and signed as Lawrence. Eight of the nine posters I have images of and they all appear below. The film image missing is from Gulliver's Travels ( 1939 ).
All the above one sheet posters were signed as Lawrence, with the exception of The Great Victor Herbert which he signed as G. Lawrence. All the posters are from the period 1939-1945.
This film poster work was only part of his life as he was a painter of renown. He is credited as being an Australian landscape artist as well as being a painter in the impressionist style. Studied in Australia as well as in London and Paris.
He was also included in a group of painters classified as being -'' A conservative, tending towards a neo- impressionist sinuous style of landscape painters.
In contrast to signing his film related work as Lawrence his paintings were it appears signed as G.F.Lawrence. I have located images signed by him and dated 1941 through to 1978.
As much as I would love to include images of a few of his magnificent paintings that he created during his prolific period working as a painter in Australia, and also from his time in England and France, copyright laws stop me in my tracks from doing this.
His estate has joined Copyright Agency and all copyright dealings of his signed paintings go through them. They have a hard and fast rule that all usage of George Feather Lawrence paintings will be charged a fee irrespective of the fact that the purpose well be educational and of a non-profit nature. Because of Privacy laws the contact details of the estate were unable to be given to me, so therefore I am unable to plead my case to them for obtaining a fee exemption and therefore be able to present some examples here. On enquiring regarding the fee for the usage of one image it would be $75 plus GST.
Just to prove how popular he must have been as a painter, the above book was published on his work in 198O, the year before his death.
His paintings can be located by searching his output on Google, and it certainly should be worth the effort to do so.
Lawrence - Here is a page from the Paramount 1927 announcement book with a double page art by George Lawrence. His initialed signature is on the right hand side.
Before I move along to presenting Part 3 of Movie Poster Artists, a big thank you must go to Darolo for the additional George Lawrence information received from him, which was much appreciated.
What is interesting here is that the film was intended to be titled Get Off The Earth, and was to be based on the illustrated book The Ship That Sailed To Mars ( 1923 ). This book was a fantasy told and published by William M, Timlin. Payments were paid by Paramount for the film rights, but for whatever reason the intended film version never eventuated.
An original dustjacket for The Ship Sailed To Mars ( 1923 ) book.
A U.S.A. film campaign book announcing the film as a coming attraction. As Darolo mentioned his Australian campaign book images were from 1927, therefore then the above U.S. campaign book would also have to be from around that period of time.
Tom Ferry is llsted by various sources as being an illustrator, artist, commercial artist, poster artist, printmaker, caricaturist, cartoonist, author and had an interest in the theatre.
He appears to have designed film promotional artwork known to have been at least completed between 1920 and 1929. The majority of this work was designed for Fox where he was classified in Everyones as being the official artist there in at least 1925.
The earliest film related artwork I have discovered that he designed was for a poster ( ? posters ) fot the Australian film The Breaking Of The Draught in 1920. Unfortunately no Australian film posters of the film appear to exist today.
The following Australian daybill images are all of the examples of his work in this area that I have been able to locate. All the artwork was for Fox films releases in the 1920s.
The above six images courtesy of John also appear on his website within his Australian movie poster artists exhibition.
Interestingly there were a total of four daybills produced for What Price Glory, so apart from the one appearing above for the remaining three daybills mentioned, one would think would also have been designed by him also.
Considering his daybill contributions appear to have been taken place between designed 1920 and 1929, the fact that we have a record of the designs for ten of them is an excellent result.
It would appear to me that Montgomery Campbell replaced Tom Ferry in the very early 1930s as being the official artist employed by Fox.
Seven Everyones film trade advertisements showing his versatility in his role as a commercial artist. .
(Everyones ). An example of Ferry's work completed as a caricarurist during his career.
Poster designed for live stage presentations of a famous Australian strange act.
Some impressive non film artwork from Tom Ferry displayed in the Australian magazine The Triad. This publication was a monthly journal devoted to literacy, pictorial, musical and academic art.
Following is some more interesting information about Tom Ferry, taken from Everyones April 29, 1925 issue.
And finally something even earlier from Everyones December 21, 1921 edition. He was 30 years old at thar time.
MOVIE POSTER ARTISTS PART 4 is planned for sometime in the future, and most likely it will be a female artist. Before this happens though there will be more information regarding and in particular the following previously discussed poster
Comments
So This Is Harris! is a 1933 American Pre-Code short comedy film directed by Mark Sandrich. It won an Oscar in 1934 for Best Short Subject (Comedy).The Academy Film Archive preserved So This Is Harris! in 2012. ( Wikipedia )
Ves said
I wonder if the OS used out the front of the Triumph Theatre shared above is the US OS and not the aussie?
Chris said
Just like the US six sheets, Style A OS and the two half sheets.
The U.S.A. one sheet.
Due to my earlier mentioned two King Kong one sheet posters having one with the King Kong title appeariing in what appears to be white, while the other one being in a very dark appearance, one has to wonder if both an Australian and an imported U.S. one sheet version were used here.
Now to complicate matters even more. A completely different one sheet? The RKO Radio logo, Edgar Wallace title and Fay Wray's pose are different from the U.S. one sheet image. If this is a one sheet then there would now appear to have been at least three versions used here for the one sheet and the origin of the three individual posters remain unknown.
Ves. for the last image you posted is it from a different theatre, and if so what is it's name?
Excellent Chris, and we now have established for certain that at least one U.S. one sheet was used in Australia.
A larger image of the two daybills showing the special censorship rating was printed on them. Norman McMurray was responsible for these posters. Please bring on the actual full colour poster images.
"all his work was pasted up and covered up by the following weeks posters so none survive."
Makes you weep, but it was just advertising material back then so no one had any idea they'd be scarce or valuable.
Peter
Kong's teeth makes this version look more like advertising from a much later horror film
Peter
The thing that seals it for me though is that the special censorship rating is missing from the HA version, thus confirming the poster wasn't from the original very first 1933 first release usage. There is a possibility that due to the Australian censors change of heart in removing the special censorship rating from advertising, a quick non censorship rating version was produced as an early second printing. The lack of a censorship rating would support this thinking also, as had the poster been from the late 1930s some censorship most likely would have appeared on the poster.
Peter
Norman McMurray copied the above daybill on the left directly from original U.S.A artwork similar to what appears on the above U.S. campaign book. The second image on the right seems to be an original conceived design by McMurray as it doesn't appear on the campaign book images or anywhere else it would appear to me. If an original Australian daybill of King Kong ever turns up I would hope it would be this one.
Here is a U.S. 6 sheet that was up for auction in 2008.
A couple of what I think are interesting things regarding movie poster artists I thought I would mention here, before moving on to the next to be covered artist.
1) The artists didn't always sign the same way on their various works, and in at least with one artist an alias was used.
2 ) The poster work was sometimes designed by one person, but the actual poster artwork completed by a different person. Just to clarify that I don't mean an Australian artist copying from overseas artwork, but for all original artwork originating in Australia.
MOVIE POSTER ARTISTS PART 1 NORMAN MCMURRAY.
A late entry of a trade advertisement from Everyones magazine dated November 14, 1934 featuring McMurray's outstanding artwork image of Miriam Hopkins promoting RKO's The Richest Girl In The World.
MOVIE POSTER ARTISTS PART TWO coming soon.
A little extra regarding The Richest Girl In The World artwork. Although the Everyone's artwork is signed by McMurray the above similar daybill artwork isn't signed, I think that everyone would have to agree though that the unsigned daybill was more than likely also designed and drawn by him.
MOVIE POSTER ARTISTS
GEORGE FEATHER LAWRENCE ( 1901 -1981 ).
George Lawrence was first queried by Ves here on the forum within a thread titled ''New early Australian movie poster artists - Lawrence?'', which she brought to our attention here in October 2019. I replied at the time on this thread, but I now intend to follow up with more detailed information on the artist.
Lawrence was born in Sydney N.S.W. in 1901. It would appear that he had a long association working for Paramount Pictures Australia. Known artwork that he completed and signed for them as Lawrence covered the period which was at least between 1926 and 1945.
Due to the Richardson Studios having the contract to produce Paramount's daybill poster output during all of the period that Lawrence worked there, the opportuity to be involved in this poster format size illuded him it certainly appears. A question though is it it possible that he worked for The Richardson Studio at any time during his career and was involved in any poster artwork completed by them under the general John Richardson Studio credit? Just a thought that crossed by mind.
I have located Paramount trade advertisements he designed and signed from 1926 to 1934, that were published in Everyones magazine. Three from 1930 follow.
And this one from 1928.
Between 1939 and 1945 I am aware of of nine Paramount Australian one sheets produced and signed as Lawrence. Eight of the nine posters I have images of and they all appear below. The film image missing is from Gulliver's Travels ( 1939 ).
All the above one sheet posters were signed as Lawrence, with the exception of The Great Victor Herbert which he signed as G. Lawrence. All the posters are from the period 1939-1945.
This film poster work was only part of his life as he was a painter of renown. He is credited as being an Australian landscape artist as well as being a painter in the impressionist style. Studied in Australia as well as in London and Paris.
George Lawrence (painter)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
George Feather Lawrence (1901–1981) was born in Sydney, Australia and for many years was regarded as one of the foremost painters in the impressionist style. He studied under Julian Rossi Ashton and Henry C. Gibbons at the famous Sydney Art School in the old Queen Victoria Building; and later in London and Paris.[1]
Lawrence was a member of the Society of Artists, Sydney and is well represented in all National and most Provincial Galleries in Australia. His work has been acquired for other National Collections including Auckland and Dunedin, New Zealand; Kuala Lumpur, Zambia, United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Italy and United States of America. He has held one-man exhibitions in all Australian capitals.
Awards[edit]
· Wynne Prize for Landscape, Sydney 1949
· Crouch Prize, Ballarat 1949
· Bendigo Art Prize in 1950
He was also included in a group of painters classified as being -'' A conservative, tending towards a neo- impressionist sinuous style of landscape painters.
In contrast to signing his film related work as Lawrence his paintings were it appears signed as G.F.Lawrence. I have located images signed by him and dated 1941 through to 1978.
As much as I would love to include images of a few of his magnificent paintings that he created during his prolific period working as a painter in Australia, and also from his time in England and France, copyright laws stop me in my tracks from doing this.
His estate has joined Copyright Agency and all copyright dealings of his signed paintings go through them. They have a hard and fast rule that all usage of George Feather Lawrence paintings will be charged a fee irrespective of the fact that the purpose well be educational and of a non-profit nature. Because of Privacy laws the contact details of the estate were unable to be given to me, so therefore I am unable to plead my case to them for obtaining a fee exemption and therefore be able to present some examples here. On enquiring regarding the fee for the usage of one image it would be $75 plus GST.
Just to prove how popular he must have been as a painter, the above book was published on his work in 198O, the year before his death.
His paintings can be located by searching his output on Google, and it certainly should be worth the effort to do so.
WOWEE! That is outstanding! Love it and thanks not only for taking the time to find it, but share it!
Before I move along to presenting Part 3 of Movie Poster Artists, a big thank you must go to Darolo for the additional George Lawrence information received from him, which was much appreciated.
What is interesting here is that the film was intended to be titled Get Off The Earth, and was to be based on the illustrated book The Ship That Sailed To Mars ( 1923 ). This book was a fantasy told and published by William M, Timlin.
Payments were paid by Paramount for the film rights, but for whatever reason the intended film version never eventuated.
An original dustjacket for The Ship Sailed To Mars ( 1923 ) book.
A U.S.A. film campaign book announcing the film as a coming attraction. As Darolo mentioned his Australian campaign book images were from 1927, therefore then the above U.S. campaign book would also have to be from around that period of time.
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TOM FERRY ( 1891 - 1954 )
Tom Ferry is llsted by various sources as being an illustrator, artist, commercial artist, poster artist, printmaker, caricaturist, cartoonist, author and had an interest in the theatre.
He appears to have designed film promotional artwork known to have been at least completed between 1920 and 1929. The majority of this work was designed for Fox where he was classified in Everyones as being the official artist there in at least 1925.
The earliest film related artwork I have discovered that he designed was for a poster ( ? posters ) fot the Australian film The Breaking Of The Draught in 1920. Unfortunately no Australian film posters of the film appear to exist today.
The following Australian daybill images are all of the examples of his work in this area that I have been able to locate. All the artwork was for Fox films releases in the 1920s.
The above six images courtesy of John also appear on his website within his Australian movie poster artists exhibition.
Interestingly there were a total of four daybills produced for What Price Glory, so apart from the one appearing above for the remaining three daybills mentioned, one would think would also have been designed by him also.
Considering his daybill contributions appear to have been taken place between designed 1920 and 1929, the fact that we have a record of the designs for ten of them is an excellent result.
It would appear to me that Montgomery Campbell replaced Tom Ferry in the very early 1930s as being the official artist employed by Fox.
Seven Everyones film trade advertisements showing his versatility in his role as a commercial artist. .
(Everyones ). An example of Ferry's work completed as a caricarurist during his career.
Poster designed for live stage presentations of a famous Australian strange act.
Some impressive non film artwork from Tom Ferry displayed in the Australian magazine The Triad. This publication was a monthly journal devoted to literacy, pictorial, musical and academic art.
Following is some more interesting information about Tom Ferry, taken from Everyones April 29, 1925 issue.
And finally something even earlier from Everyones December 21, 1921 edition. He was 30 years old at thar time.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
MOVIE POSTER ARTISTS PART 4 is planned for sometime in the future, and most likely it will be a female artist. Before this happens though there will be more information regarding