The Ghost of Slumber Mountain (World Pictures, 1918). Six Sheet (81" X 81").. ...

Description

The Ghost of Slumber Mountain (World Pictures, 1918). Six Sheet (81" X 81").
Dinosaurs have always captured the fascination and imagination of filmmakers and this has led to some of the best fantasy films ever created. In 1915, Willis O'Brien, a young and enterprising model maker, did the first stop-motion animation for movies; a 90 second short called The Dinosaur and the Missing Link: A Prehistoric Tragedy. The footage impressed Thomas Edison who immediately hired the young entrepreneur to create a series of shorts for his own film company with prehistoric themes. Before long, O'Brien's talents were recognized by another enterprising producer, Herbert Dawley, who hired O'Brien to write, direct, star in and animate his film The Ghost of Slumber Mountain. In this amazing production, a character by the name of Holmes (Dawley) uses a telescopic device created by Mad Dick (O'Brien) to peer at Slumber Mountain where a Tyrannosaurus Rex battles a Triceratops to the death. After the T-Rex kills the dinosaur, it breaks through a time barrier and pursues Holmes until he wakes up and discovers it was only a dream. The film originally ran approximately 30 minutes long, however, producer Dawley cut the running time down to 11 minutes for it's final release. He would then take the extra footage he had cut out and use it in two other productions he released a few years later. But even in it's truncated form, The Ghost of Slumber Mountain was such a sensation that it did over $100,000 at the box office; a substantial sum at the time. Typically, short subjects would not have posters larger than one sheets created, however, The Ghost of Slumber Mountain was not a typical short subject. The special effects of a T-Rex battling to the death with a triceratops was so spectacular that the the film demanded a better release than was standard for a short subject. World Pictures would create posters in both three and six sheet formats and it is remarkable that any have survived; in particular, this impressive six sheet. Usually, six sheets were glued to walls or billboards and hence, very few examples of this format have survived for any film of this era. For any to have survived for such a historically important film is amazing in and of itself. This poster has been linenbacked and has had restoration to some of the fold lines that displayed a tiny bit of chipping, primarily in the upper left section of the poster and in the red background. The poster also had some wear to the edges that has also been corrected and now the poster displays beautifully. Very Fine- on Linen.

Heritage Auctions provides as much information as possible but strongly encourages in-person inspection. Condition statements are offered as general guidance only, not as complete representations of fact, and do not constitute a warranty or assumption of liability by Heritage. Some condition issues may not be noted but may be visible in the photos, which are considered part of the condition report. Lots estimated at $1,000 or less are not de-framed for inspection, and we may be unable to provide additional details for lots valued under $500. Heritage does not guarantee the condition of frames and is not liable for damage to frames, glass/acrylic coverings, original boxes, display accessories, or artwork that has shifted in the frame. All lots are sold "AS IS" under our Terms & Conditions of Auction.