[MOPO] AMPAS: Movie Poster Art Premieres in "Now Playing"

[David Kusumoto]

From the Academy press bureau today:

-koose.

======================

July 2, 2007 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Teni Melidonian - (310) 247-3090, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Movie Poster Art Premieres in Now Playing

Beverly Hills, CA — Showcasing more than 150 rarely seen original movie 
poster paintings, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ new book, 
Now Playing: Hand-Painted Poster Art from the 1910s through the 1950s, 
offers a glimpse into a world of cinema art that until recently was mostly 
forgotten.  Now Playing is available for purchase wherever books are sold.

Published in cooperation with Angel City Press, Now Playing highlights 
one-of-a-kind poster art commissioned by theater owners in communities 
across the U.S. to advertise their movie attractions.

The full-color and black-and-white posters featured in the book include 
Edward Augustus Armstrong’s rendition of “King Kong” (1933), Batiste 
Madalena’s interpretation of Douglas Fairbanks’ “The Black Pirate” (1926), 
R.J. (Renfred) Rogers’ representation of Laurel and Hardy’s “The Devil’s 
Brother” (1933) and O.M. (Otto) Wise’s composition for Harold Lloyd’s “Girl 
Shy” (1924).

“This book documents the unrecorded and uncelebrated work of movie poster 
artists whose unique illustrations graced the lobbies and façades of both 
movie palaces and neighborhood theaters,” said Anthony Slide, Hollywood film 
historian and author of Now Playing.

Working both for individual movie houses and for major chains, the artists 
created posters for specific audiences, “selling” a film through advertising 
that emphasized elements that would appeal to the local market.

Because the posters were thought of as disposable signs, they were often 
destroyed, painted over, or adapted for new films.  As a result, few 
original examples have survived, although a number of the rare original 
works featured in the book are now part of the permanent collection of the 
Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library at the Fairbanks Center for Motion 
Picture Study in Beverly Hills.

Now Playing is based on original research by Jane Burman Powell and Lori 
Goldman Berthelsen.  Slide joined the project to write the untold story.

Now Playing: Hand-Painted Poster Art from the 1910s through the 1950s 
retails for $50.  To preview several of the posters featured in Now Playing, 
visit:

http://www.oscars.org/publications/now_playing.

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