King Kong (RKO, R-1938). Very Fine on Linen. One Sheet (27.5" X 41").. ...

Description

King Kong (RKO, R-1938). Very Fine on Linen. One Sheet (27.5" X 41").
Highly regarded as one of the greatest horror/adventure/monster films ever created, King Kong is unequivocally one of the most innovative of its time. Directed and produced by Merian C. Cooper, this pre-Code wonder featured cutting edge stop motion animation created by effects pioneer Willis O'Brien which was masterfully inter-cut with the footage of the live actors, setting a standard that would eventually inspire the high tech CGI techniques we know today. Influenced by the same teams similar silent masterpiece, 1925's The Lost World, which had dinosaurs but no giant ape, King Kong was also a massive success as a result of its unique slant on the classic Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. Starring Fay Wray as Ann Darrow, Robert Armstrong as Carl Denham, and Bruce Cabot as Jack Driscoll, this action-packed picture set on a remote island and among the skyscrapers of New York City thrilled audiences upon its initial release in 1933 and has continued to do so with countless audiences ever since (it has been one of the most frequently re-released movies ever). This outstanding image of Kong cradling Ann Darrow a prisoner on the mooring mast of 104 stories above the Empire State Building is symbolic of the breath-suspending moment when the ape holds her in his paw out over the city and is one that many poster collectors recognize but very few have ever seen in the original 1938 format in which it was printed. This reissue one sheet is certainly rarer than the original release 1933 one sheets for the film. But the reason most collectors recognize its image is because, in the early 1970s, Portal Publications, a printing operation out of Sausalito, California, was actively reproducing classic movie poster images on a smaller format for comic shops and mail order trade. No doubt unable to get their hands on an original Kong poster, they reproduced this beautiful reissue from one of the few existing examples, and because that company sold tens of thousands of commercial reprints of this poster, the image is familiar to many collectors. Offered here is one of just two or three examples of this 1938 re-release one sheet known to exist and it features fabulous artwork that was NOT used on any 1933 poster, and which surely rivals the best art created for that 1933 Kong campaign. Professionally backed on linen, the poster includes one inch of white border added to the top edge, and there was minor ink bleedthrough just below the "O" in "KONG" which has been expertly restored. Very light touchup has also been applied to the fold lines. Note that is of course NOT a poster from a silent movie, but it is included in this auction because it is one of the first three movie posters Dwight Manley (the consignor of this remarkable collection) purchased before he learned of the existence of beautiful and incredibly rare silent movie posters, and at that point, he solely purchased those! But the three posters from sound movies he purchased when he started collecting are included as well!


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