about this book

Uncovering Lost Treasures of Movie and Marketing Art

Now Playing tells the story of the previously unexplored cottage industry of historic, one-of-a-kind movie posters that existed throughout the first half of the twentieth century. … Lavish artwork and detailed text tell the ground-breaking story of these hand-painted movie posters commissioned by the nation’s local theaters — not the film studios — and created by local artists who were free to play by their own rules, creating unique visual advertising.

Once thought of as disposable signs meant to be enjoyed briefly and discarded as quickly as the marquee was changed, these posters were often destroyed, painted over or adapted for a new film. And some preserved their favorites, unaware that in the twenty-first century they would be regarded as valuable works of film history.

These independent artists had the challenge of communicating their messages concisely in broad strokes with few words, “less is more” being their constant mantra. they didn’t have the luxury — or the encumbrance — of seeing the films beforehand, of complex review quotes, or long lists of cast and crew. Instead, they had one mission: sell the movie. With paintbrush or pen in hand, eachartist created his or her image for the film that would appeal not to all of America, but to their own hometown.

Impassioned as they began to investigate the history of these one-of-a-kind posters, researchers Jane Burman Powell and Lori Goldman Berthelsen discovered a treasure trove of artwork by numerous long forgotten artists. Hollywood historian and noted author Anthony Slide joined the team to write Now Playing, a story that had never been fully told, a study rich with posters in full color and black and white that have been lost to the public eye until now. Through the generosity of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, more than 150 of these beautiful posters have been gathered in Now Playing, many of which are the part of the permanent collection of the Margaret Harrick Library at the Fairbanks Center for Motion Picture Study.

All images: From the book Now Playing: Hand-Painted Poster Art from the 1910s through the 1950s, by Anthony Slide with Jane Burman Powell and Lori Goldman Berthelsen copyright (c) 2007 by Lori Goldman Berthelsen and Mel Powell.

The Posters for Son of the Sheik, Nobody Home, Devil’s Brother and The Mummy courtesy of the Margaret Herrick Library. The poster for Girl Shy courtesy of Dr. Phil Sansone.