Frankenstein (Universal, 1931). Insert (14" X 36").
At last this great poster has surfaced! After 82 years of lying dormant, the Monster has finally arrived in the form of this amazing and stunning insert. For years, collectors have been searching for the lost poster sizes on this immortal and legendary horror classic but to date, only a few one sheets, a single six sheet, a partial half sheet and lobby cards have surfaced! This is the only confirmed insert poster for the film. And while Frankenstein was not the first horror film from Universal, it is the most famous. The studio had produced a number of horror related films based on important novels, including The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), The Phantom of the Opera (1925), and Dracula (1931), and with the success of each film, the studio looked for additional properties they could adapt for the screen. The stage play of Frankenstein by Peggy Webling was quickly secured and the film went into production. James Whale was given the directorial duties and Boris Karloff the pivotal role of the Monster. The rest as they say, is the stuff of legend, as the film went on to become an international sensation and is still regarded as the most important film in the annals of Universal horror. The borders on this poster had been trimmed at one time. However, the trimming was just up to the edge of the art. In the top edge there was a slight trim just into the upper yellow band. The borders were replaced as was a small chip out of the upper left corner that just went into the dark brown background and the edge of the blue band. The poster also had a few very small tears. There was one that extended into the "F" of the title, as well as three additional tiny tears into the brown background on the left side. The poster was never folded. However, it does have a slight crease that runs horizontally through Dwight Frye and Edward Van Sloan's credits. There are two other minor horizontal creases, both in the Monster's head. There was a bit of color touchup to some stress lines in the lower blue band by Universal's credit. There was some very minor color correction done to the Monster's portrait, as there appears to have been some slight fading. Yet it is extremely hard to accurately determine, due to this being the only known example. There has been some slight bit of color retouch done to the lower areas of the poster as well. And although this is the only confirmed insert known to exist, there are two known similar Australian daybills, both done in a different layout and color. This extreme rarity may never come to market again so seize this chance to acquire this while you can. Rolled, Fine+
Interesting tidbit about the daybills - also wonder where and how this was found (hopefully not in Haggard's garage) and what the estimate will be?
