The Outlaw (United Artists, 1943). Very Fine+ on Linen. Six Sheet (84" X 84").. ...

Description

The Outlaw (United Artists, 1943). Very Fine+ on Linen. Six Sheet (84" X 84").
Self-evidently one of the most spectacular large-format posters ever produced, this is an original six sheet for the 1943 run of Howard Hughes' The Outlaw in San Francisco. One can't help but wonder at the mix of awe and scandal the poster must've created in spectators at the time, with irked mothers shielding their children's eyes from the uncharacteristically lurid imagery for the early '40s. Howard Hughes was never one to shy away from controversy, and deliberately courted it with both the content and the advertising for this provocative Western. During the making of the film, the Production Code Authority actually shut down the proceedings, demanding that changes were made to the initial shooting script. Original director Howard Hawks walked off the project, and Hughes himself took up the bullhorn. The Hughes-helmed version of the film that was submitted to the code office failed certification, with movie morality czar Joseph Breen citing too many shots of star Jane Russell's breasts and cleavage. After Hughes cut 40 minutes from the film, the PCA cleared it for it release. However, Hughes had attempted an end around to get his version distributed, submitting prints independently to various state censor boards - all of which failed it, some banning the film from release entirely. Due to the scandal, 20th Century Fox dropped out as distributor, and the film was erased from the 1941 schedule. Two years later, after many dead ends in his efforts to get his picture out to audiences, Hughes decided to release the PCA approved cut himself. On February 5, 1943, the film opened at San Francisco's Geary Theater to a national furor. People turned out in droves to see the film. It became a commercial success for Hughes's and made Jane Russell a national sensation. The poster campaign was as controversial as the movie. Hughes' publicity man, Russell Birdwell, created provocative posters of Russell and plastered them all over San Francisco. Some of the posters used the tagline, "How would you like to tussle with Russell?" while others billed it as, "The picture that couldn't be stopped!" Some of the posters also advertised that Jane Russell could be seen in person at the theater, which was the truth. Hughes had been so incensed at the Production Code's changes that he had Russell and her co-star Jack Beutel perform a live, twenty minute scene that had been cut from the film following each screening. This went on for the entire six week run of the film at the Geary. Here, for the first time in 15 years, is an opportunity to acquire one of the most spectacular and most controversial six sheets ever created. Since these posters were only used in the San Francisco area and it was normal for six sheets to be posted outdoors, subject to the weather, it is amazing that any survived. Backed to linen, the poster received only minimal touchup to the standard folds and light wear. It's no exaggeration to say the piece is positively stunning in person. Property from a Distinguished Collection.


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