The Front Page (United Artists, 1931). One Sheet (27" X 41").. ...

During the early years of the talking picture, a popular sub-genre of film was the newspaper story. Typically set in the bustling newsroom of a great metropolitan newspaper, scores of such pictures were released, including Five Star Final (1931), The Picture Snatcher (1933), Scandal Sheet (1931), Front Page Woman (1935), and Libeled Lady (1936). Films like this played an important role in helping to refine the way in which dialogue was presented in pictures that had just recently learned to talk, and were enthusiastically received by Depression Era audiences. One of the best, and most popular, entries in this category was The Front Page, starring Adolphe Menjou and Pat O'Brien, and based on the popular stage comedy written by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. The picture, set largely in the Press Room of the Chicago Criminal Courts Building with characters based on real-life acquaintances of Hecht and MacArthur, tells the story of young Hildy Johnson (O'Brien), a reporter on the eve of giving up his career in favor of a more "respectable" position, who finds himself harboring a convicted revolutionary and murderer (George E. Stone) whom Johnson comes to believe is innocent. With the aid of Walter Burns (Menjou), Managing Editor of the Examiner, Johnson attempts a bold plan to set things to right. This very rare, highly desirable, and inarguably attention-grabbing one sheet is rich in color and fine detail and includes striking portraits of the main cast members. Restoration, expertly and professionally performed, has addressed a chip in the left background. As well, the right border into the artwork, top, and left borders have been trimmed by one inch, and touchup has been applied to the red background. These flaws are virtually invisible now, as the poster has been returned to a virtually like-new state. An almost impossible poster to find, this is a golden opportunity for some lucky collector to acquire a beautiful - and historically significant - treasure. From the Berwick Discovery. Good/Very Good on Linen.