Science Fiction Posters Expected to be Among Prized Lots at Heritage Auctions
Dallas, TX - A Star Trek poster by illustrator Bob Peak is expected to compete for top-lot honors in Heritage Auctions’ Movie Posters Auction July 28-29 in Dallas.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home by Bob Peak (Paramount, 1987) (est. $40,000-80,000) is the largest and arguably the most detailed of all Star Trek posters designed by Peak. A renowned commercial artist whose greatest acclaim comes from his developments in the design of modern movie posters, Peak’s artwork has appeared on the cover of numerous magazines, including Time, TV Guide and Sports Illustrated. The brilliant color used for the evening sky of San Francisco offers stark contrast to the Klingon Bird of Prey flying just over the Golden Gate Bridge. The 40-by-57-1/2-inch poster is done on illustration board mounted on foamcore, is signed by Peak and comes with a gold frame.
“Bob Peak was a popular and important movie poster artist who produced a number of posters for various Star Trek films, and this is as dramatic as any of them,” Heritage Auctions Vintage Posters Director Grey Smith said. “His subtle portraits of several of the film’s primary characters offer an extraordinary balance to the bold images of the sunset and the Bird of Prey. This poster is a large and striking image that would be a significant addition to any collection.”
Science fiction fans also will be drawn to The War of the Worlds (Paramount, 1953). Half Sheet (22" X 28") Style B (est. $20,000-40,000), a rare Style B half sheet that is one of the most iconic and elusive images in the genre. Featuring Martian warship imagery not included in many other posters for the original release of George Pal’s powerful adaptation of H.G. Wells’ science fiction novel.
Offered with the same $15,000-30,000 estimate are a pair of posters highlighting films featuring classic superheroes: a six sheet from The New Adventures of Batman and Robin (Columbia, 1949) and a Superman Cartoon Stock (Paramount, 1941) one sheet.
The Batman and Robin six sheet spotlights the second serial in which Robert Lowery and John Duncan play the leading roles. This series, spread over 15 chapters, pits the Caped Crusader and Boy Wonder against the Wizard, a villain with a device that can control all motor-driven vehicles remotely. This is a rare poster, the first in this format ever offered through Heritage Auctions.
The Superman one sheet celebrates the decision by Paramount to create a series of cartoons, despite outside interest in making Superman into a Hollywood serial. Under the leadership of Max and Dave Fleischer, Paramount created 17 cartoons, which are widely considered some of the best work to emerge from Paramount’s cartoon division. Paramount did not issue individual one sheets for the series, opting instead to create this stock one sheet with a blank imprint area where the individual cartoon titles could be written or printed.
A massive (91-1/4-by-62-1/2-inch) full-bleed horizontal French double grande poster for From Here to Eternity carries the same $15,000-30,000 estimate. Featuring artwork by Rene Peron, this auction marks the first time Heritage Auctions is offering this rare poster for the Academy Award-winning masterpiece in this large format. Peron’s artwork captures one of the most famous scenes in film history: the passionate clench on the beach between co-stars Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr.
Widely considered to be among the greatest film posters of all time, a Things to Come (United Artists, 1936) one sheet (est. $15,000-30,000) was inspired by another science fiction film based on another H.G. Wells-inspired screenplay. The film is based on his 1933 novel The Shape of Things to Come and his 1931 non-fiction The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind. Among the always-rare posters for this early sci-fi epic, this one stands out in part because of the 1930s deco-designed version of the future.
A 27-by-41-inch one sheet from The Lady Eve (Paramount, 1941) highlights the transition of stars Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck from Academy Award-nominated dramatic actors into comedy. Based on the story Two Bad Hats, Preston Sturges’ adaptation ultimately led to an Oscar nomination for Best Writing: Original Story for author Monckton Hoffe. Despite minor restoration, this poster is sure to appeal to collectors of comedy posters.
A set of four Help! (United Artists, 1965) door panels (est. $10,000-20,000) was created for the Beatles’ second feature film and is among the rarest of promotional items for the Fab Four. Despite being displayed in the press book, door panels rarely were ordered by theater owners, because so few theaters had adequate space to display them. Even for those that did have the space, the panels were expensive: a full set cost $7.50, while a one sheet cost just $0.15. Sets like this were made even more hard to come by because many sets that were ordered for the film’s initial showing were broken up and given away, one at a time, to fans. In addition, Help! is the only Beatles film for which door panel sets were produced.
Other top lots include, but are not limited to:
· The Jaws of Death by Unknown (Cannon, 1976) Original Acrylic Poster Artwork (est. $12,000-24,000)
· The Wolf Man (Universal, 1941) Half Sheet (est. $10,000-20,000)
· Creature from the Black Lagoon (Universal International, 1954) One Sheet (est. $10,000-20,000)
The Star Trek IV poster projected to lead the 927-lot auction is just one of four posters in the sale of posters designed by Peak, a collection that also includes:
· Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan by Bob Peak (Paramount, 1982) Original Mixed Media Concept Artwork: est. $6,000-12,000
· Rocky III by Bob Peak (United Artists, 1982) Original Mixed-Media Concept Poster Artwork: est. $5,000-10,000
· My Fair Lady (Warner Brothers, 1964) Italian Photobustas: est. $800-1,600
