1935 Bride of Frankenstein teaser poster poised to set world record, leads Beverly Hills movie poster auction

More than 1,400 lots of the best and the rarest in vintage movie posters offered at Heritage, Nov. 12 event

BEVERLY HILLS, CA -- The only known copy of the Teaser one sheet (27” X 41”) for the 1935 Universal horror masterpiece The Bride of Frankenstein, considered the greatest of all horror posters – if not the greatest of all vintage movie posters, period – is the chief draw of Heritage Auctions Beverly Hills Nov. 12 Signature® Movie Poster Auction. It carries a pre-auction estimate of $700,000+.

“This poster is one of the rarest – if not the very rarest – movie posters in the world,” said Grey Smith, Director of Movie Posters at Heritage. “It’s survived in amazing condition, with vibrant colors and stunning graphics, and it stands poised to realize the highest price ever paid for a movie poster when it chits the auction block on Nov. 12.”

Great cinema from Golden Age Hollywood is represented by many important lots in this auction, with horror, as always, taking the lead with more than 125 offerings. An oversized Austrian three sheet to the 1933 classic King Kong is already drawing collector attention as this massive, gorgeous poster prepares to find a new home. Dominating this stunning poster is an amazing nine foot tall image of the giant ape standing on the Empire State Building holding horrified Ann Darrow in his hand. It is estimated at $50,000+.

Other rare horror posters hotly anticipated in this auction include a half sheet to Werewolf of London (1935), estimated at $40,000+, a jumbo window card to Son of Frankenstein (1939), estimated at $7,000+, and an important and rare portrait lobby card from Dracula (1931), estimated at $24,000+.

“Collectors will do well to note that we are also offering a deep selection of classic Hollywood,” said Smith. “Horror may be king, but there are many classic titles that represent some of the best posters in the hobby, as well as some of the best potential purchases in this auction.”

Just small a selection of these classic posters includes a beautiful one sheet for Casablanca, estimated at $20,000+, as well as one for The Maltese Falcon, estimated at $10,000+. Other classics represented include a one sheet for the Grapes of Wrath (Estimate: $6,000+) and another highly sought-after poster for Out of the Past (Estimate: $15,000+). An early 1933 Bette Davis film called Ex- Lady is a highlight of the auction’s Pre-Code era posters, featuring a very young and scantily clad Davis. It is estimated at $18,000+.

“This is a rare poster to say the least,” said Smith. “In fact, we’ve never seen one offered at auction before this.”

Collectors of classic comedy will find many posters of great interest in this auction, including rare midget window cards (8” X 14”) on the Marx Brothers’ Duck Soup (1933), estimated at $6,000+, and Laurel and Hardy’s Sons of the Desert (1933), estimated at $6,500+. Other comedy highlights include a selection of lobby cards from the films of the Marx Brothers and Laurel and Hardy in addition to a large selection of the silent era’s greatest laugh makers. These rare lobby cards include Charlie Chaplin, of which we have a selection of lobby cards (11” X 14”) from his early short subjects such as The Count (1916), estimated at $600+, and The Pawnshop (1916), estimated at $1,000+, up to his historic feature films such as The Gold Rush (1925) and City Lights (1931). Buster Keaton is also represented here with lobby cards from Our Hospitality, The Paleface, The General and more.

Early film posters, from silent movies to the first talkies, are some of the rarest in the hobby and some of the most popular in all Heritage movie poster events. Highlights from that era include a rare one sheet to Lon Chaney’s The Penalty (1920), estimated at $18,000+ and Rudolph Valentino in The Conquering Power (1921), estimated at $4,000+.

Sci-Fi buffs will have much to interest them in this auction with more than 140 lots of some of the most desirable posters in the hobby from the 1930s up through the heyday of the 1950s. Desirable titles such as a six-sheet for Forbidden Planet (1956), estimated t $8,000+, The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), estimated at $6,000+, War of the Worlds (1953), estimated at $3,000, The Thing from Another World (1951), estimated at $2,000+, Invaders from Mars (1953), estimated at $1,200+ and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), estimated at $7,000+.

Also offered for the first time by Heritage are five of the set of six Door Panels (20” X 60”) to Man from Planet X (1951), estimated at $6,000+. This is a very desirable set of incredibly rare promotional items.

Further highlights include, but are not limited to:

Suspicion One sheet: Estimated at $6,000+.

Flash Gordon one sheet: Estimated at $8,000+.

Angels with Dirty Faces insert: Estimated at $10,000+.

I’m No Angel one sheet: Estimated at $5,000+.

Mean Streets British Quad: Estimated at $3,000+.

It’s a Wonderful Life one sheet: Estimated at $8,000+.

Hotel for Women one sheet: Estimated at $6,000+.

Things to Come – British Crown: Estimated at $6,000+.

Heritage Auctions, headed by Steve Ivy, Jim Halperin and Greg Rohan, is the world’s third largest auction house, with annual sales more than $600 million, and 500,000+ registered online bidder members. For more information about Heritage Auctions, and to join and gain access to a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit HA.com.

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