Dracula (Universal, 1931). One Sheet (27" X 41") Style A.. ...

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Dracula (Universal, 1931). One Sheet (27" X 41") Style A.
A "holy grail" in the world of poster collecting, this striking one sheet is one of the rarest and most desirable of its genre, if not the entire hobby! Prior to the recent discovery of this stone litho beauty, only one other copy of the style A format has ever surfaced, a rare find unearthed in the early 1990s. Even the greatest of stars can have the humblest of beginnings. Forced to flee his native Hungary after the failed Communist Revolution of 1919, and then exiled to Germany, Bela Lugosi sought passage into the US to build his theatrical career. He struggled to find work, as his thick foreign accent relegated him to New York's small immigrant acting community. But, in 1927, Lugosi finally caught his big break when he stunned Broadway audiences as the incarnation of Bram Stoker's dreaded Count Dracula. His incredible talent earned the production rave reviews, a three-year run on Broadway, and a wildly successful nation-wide tour. Despite all this, rumors have persisted since the 1930s that Lon Chaney Sr. was director Todd Browning's original pick for the famous vampire, and the studio certainly considered numerous other actors for the part. Lugosi, however, was not to be deterred. He fiercely lobbied for the coveted role, even going so far as to seek the help of Bram Stoker's widow, and finally convinced the studio to cast the relatively unknown stage actor in a career-changing role. The rest, as they say, is history! This beautiful copy had pinholes in the corners and a small quarter coin size hole repaired in the right horizontal fold approximately 2 inches away from Lugosi's chin. There was very slight centerpoint paper loss and some small amount of fold separations. The colors have been enhanced in some areas of the poster due to uneven wear and the yellow in the title was touched up due to slight grease pencil bleedthrough. With professional restoration this poster displays magnificently and we believe this would be a cornerstone in the finest poster collection. Fine/Very Fine on Linen.

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