DALLAS.- The Wood Hall Collection of coveted lobby cards from Hollywood’s Golden Age will lead the Nov. 19-20 event: I’ll Meet You in the Lobby!
Heritage’s upcomming movie poster auction. There’s a particularly charming scene in Quentin Tarantino’s most recent movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, when Margot Robbie, playing Sharon Tate, takes herself to the movies to sit among the audience of a screening of The Wrecking Crew, in which Tate co-starred. Tarantino’s scene, set in 1969, is memorable for its verisimilitude; the sunny outside of the Westwood Village movie house, where Tate convinces the ticket seller that she is indeed in the movie, is a perfect time capsule of stucco walls lined with one-sheet posters and lobby cards of scenes from The Wrecking Crew. As seen through the eyes of Tate, the camera lovingly pans along the cards. And once Tate convinces the staff she’s the real deal, they ask her to pose for a photo in front of a one sheet for the film. She happily strikes a pose.
Collectors of movie memorabilia will be touched and impressed by Tarantino’s love letter to this hallmark of cinema culture. The highly visual and aesthetic promotional materials used by movie houses are favorites amongst collectors, and on Nov. 19, Heritage offers a bounty of them, ranging from industry treasures that are a century old to more contemporary finds.
“Heritage is privileged to offer The Wood Hall Collection, one of the world’s premier compilations of lobby cards,” says Zach Pogemiller, Heritage’s Associate Director for Movie Posters. “While many large collections have been built, few rival Wood Hall for its impeccable curation, with items selected for their rarity, visual impact, and cultural import. The collection contains material on virtually every significant, industry-shaping film in motion picture history, and represents an incredible opportunity for collectors of all concentrations.”
Highlights of The Wood Hall Collection reveal a particularly desirable (and fun) theme for dedicated collectors. See if you can spot it: We’ve got Boris Karloff in the 1932 Universal release The Mummy: The masterful makeup skills of Jack Pierce are evident on this rare lobby card with two great images of Karloff as the high priest in the scene, and as the Mummy as seen in the border artwork. Also on offer is a lobby card from 1931’s Frankenstein, the second film in the annals of Universal's classic monster movies. Collectors will be thrilled to see this lobby, referred to as the "torture" card.
Here’s The Golem, released domestically by Paramount in 1920, considered a landmark of early German Expressionism. “The striking cinematography of Karl Freund (who would go on to shoot Metropolis, Dracula, and direct The Mummy) and highly stylized sets made this film profoundly influential in the development of horror cinema,” says Pogemiller. Also on offer is a lobby card from Goldwyn’s 1920 Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, which is exceedingly scarce. “It showcases the film's surreal, nightmarish production design,” says Pogemiller. “The fantastical film’s exploration of insanity and human subjectivity would have a profound influence on the genre.”
Not to mention a title lobby card from Universal’s 1935 release Werewolf of London. “This superb title card rivals almost any Universal horror title for rarity. A genre fan favorite, the film represents the first attempt by Hollywood to bring werewolf mythology to the screen.”
Horror, anyone? You bet. Collectors of scary movie memorabilia will find much to thrill them in The Wood Hall Collection.
(The Wood Hall Collection is not all chills, however: How about a lobby standee, from 1915, of the great Charlie Chaplin? Says Pogemiller: “This impressive standee is one of the scarcest and best examples of theatrical advertising from the silent era we’ve ever encountered. Standing 59in. tall, Chaplin is depicted as his signature Tramp character, with iconic mustache, bowler hat, and cane; this persona captivated world-wide audiences during his time with Essanay beginning in 1914.”)
Aside from The Wood Hall Collection, but back to some scary stuff, because in movie land, horror is never out of season: Heritage offers an abundance of rare and coveted one sheets and more, and fans of the genre will be on the lookout for one sheets for the Son of Frankenstein (Universal, 1939) and Forbidden Planet (MGM, 1956); an exceedingly rare reissue six sheet of King Kong (RKO, 1942); a British quad for The War of the Worlds (Paramount, 1953), and original artwork for Creature from the Black Lagoon by Greg Hildebrandt, the internationally renowned designer and painter who produced artwork for the British release of Star Wars, illustrations for Lord of the Rings and Marvel and DC comics.
Other sought-after highlights in this auction include a three sheet from Howard Hawks’ The Big Sleep (Warner Bros., 1946. Bogie and Bacall took their off-screen relationship public during the production of this definitive film noir, and the artwork shows some sizzle); an Italian quattro fogli for The Lady from Shanghai (Columbia C.E.I.A.D., 1948) with Orson Welles embracing then-wife Rita Hayworth; and a remarkable Advance Crown Style British Quad from 1965’s Thunderball. This rare country-of-origin quad features Sean Connery as 007 in four action-packed scenes by artist Robert McGinnis depicting both the pitfalls and pleasures the international superspy lifestyle. In October, Heritage sold McGinnis’ original artwork for one of the poster’s vignettes for $275,000.
