Film
Doc Savage The Man of Bronze
1975
US One Sheet / Single Sided (27" x 41"), NSS# 75/8
United States (USA)
Very fine / originally folded (as issued)
Michael Anderson
Darrell Zwerling, Eldon Quick, Michael Miller, Pamela Hensley, Paul Gleason, Ron Ely, William Lucking
The Man of Bronze was a hugely popular ‘pulp’ hero created by Lester Dent in the 1930’s and went on to star in comic strips, books, magazines, on radio and in 1975 Hollywood came calling in Michael Anderson’s “Doc Savage The Man of Bronze”. Starring a perfectly cast Ron Ely (previously T.V.’s Tarzan) the movie concentrated on ‘camp’ rather than serious & although good in places it lacks any real credibility. Despite this the film has a huge and loyal fan base with memorabilia and merchandise featuring ‘The Doc’ hugely desirable and collectable. The advertising campaign to promote the movie featured some excellent Roger Kastel artwork on the US one sheet & it is an American one sheet from 1975 that is offered here. This rare classic adventure poster presents very well and is offered in very good folded (as issued) unrestored original condition. A truly rare piece of original country of origin (U.S.) movie memorabilia for an extremely popular pulp/super-hero character.
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“In the Fabulous Thirties, Doc Savage and his five Amazing Adventurers are sucked into the mystery of Doc’s father disappearing in the wilds of South America. The maniacal Captain Seas tries to thwart them at every turn as they travel to the country of Hidalgo to investigate Doc’s father’s death and uncover a vast horde of Incan gold.”
The problem is that “Doc Savage Man of Bronze“ rode in on the coattails of the 60’s-created concept that comic books could only be done as “camp” (i.e., the 60’s Batman show) for TV and movie. Thus you have combat sequences with subtitles (come on!), a cluelessly unromantic Doc Savage (he was uncomfortable around women in the pulps, not an idiot), Monk Mayfair (Michael Miller) in a nightsheet (a scene guaranteed to give you nightmares for several nights), and the totally hokey ending with the secondary bad guy encased in gold like a Herve Villechaize posing for an Oscar statute. And when they’re not doing booming Sousa march scores, the tinkly little “funny” music undercuts much of the drama.
Even as such, this movie is…okay. It’s fun, and when it stays serious it’s a very accurate representation of the pulps. Except for Monk, as has been mentioned before: he’s hugely muscled, not obese. And Long Tom (Paul Gleason), who is supposed to be a pale scrawny guy with an attitude, not Paul Gleason with an (inexplicable) scarf.
The Green Death sequences, for instance, are remarkably gruesome and not something I’d recommend for children. But they are very close to the feel of the pulps. When the writers and producers get it right, they do get it right – I’ll give them that.
But if the producers had done Doc with the loving care and scripting of, say, Christopher Reeve‘s first two Superman movies, think what we might have had then. I think the problem is the movie’s schizophrenic. There’s a definite sense of trying to do a 30’s homage, but they’re also trying to give in to the “heroes must be camp” attitude that Batman created. One gets the impression there was a sober, pulp-style first draft and then someone came in and said, “Hey, let’s make it funny – it worked with the Batman show 8 years ago!”
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Mint
A poster that has never been used or displayed and may show the most minor signs of age and wear. The poster should have no holes or tears.
Near Mint
A generally unused poster with fresh, saturated colors. May have minimal tears at folds. Has no significant holes, no paper loss, may have minor tears along edges, may have fine pin holes.
Very Fine
A poster with bright colour and crisp overall appearance. It may have very general signs of use including slight fold separation and fold wear. It may have pin holes or very minor tears. This is the highest grade allowed for a poster that has been restored either on linen or on paper.
Fine
A poster with good colors and overall clean appearance. It may have minor tears small paper loss and minor stains. It may have some fold seperation.
Good
An average poster with overall fresh color. May have tears, minor paper loss, minor hazing. Paper may be brittle due to age, may have minor stains. May have a small amount of writing in an unobtrusive place. May have medium or major restoration.
Fair
A poster with faded colors and brittle paper, showing significant signs of use. May have tears and paper loss. May have tape, writing, stains in image area. In need of restoration or had major restoration.
Poor
A poster that is worn, torn, and/or damaged. May have staining, cracking, dry rot, and/or large tears. May be heavily soiled, may have pieces missing. In need of major restoration.
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LOBBY CARD
11 x 14″ printed on heavy stock paper. Used as display in theatre lobbies. Originally made in sets of eight. Some sets have a title card, which contains credits and artwork, essentially a mini-poster. The remaining seven cards are coloured photographic credits and poster artwork showing different scenes from the movie.
WINDOW CARD
14 x 22″ printed on heavy stock paper with the top 4-6 inches usually left blank for the local cinema owner to fill in the cinema and the date it was due to play. Largely discontinued during the 1970’s.
HALF SHEET
22 x 28″ printed on heavy stock paper. The image displayed is normally a smaller version of the main poster, although some do have different artworks and sometimes come in two versions.
INSERT
14 x 36″ printed on heavy stock paper. Inserts usually have the same artwork as a one sheet. Popular with collectors since they are smaller and easier to frame. Normally come tri folded or rolled.
STYLE Y/FORTY BY SIXTY
40 x 60″ printed on heavy stock paper. Rare since they were primarily used for major motion pictures only. Designed to be used outside the theatre, on an easel, normally at a drive-in movie theatre.
ONE-SHEET
27 x 41″ printed on paper. This is the most common size of poster, intended to be displayed in a glass “marquee” case. It is the most sought after size by collectors. Since the 1980’s most posters are sent to the theatre rolled and maybe slightly smaller measuring 27″ by 40″ and with the advent of backlit light boxes a growing number of modern movie posters are available double-sided and the more traditional single-sided.
THREE-SHEET
41 x 81″ printed on paper. These were printed on two or three separate sheets designed to overlap, few survive. Used for larger advertising spaces, normally posted on walls, perfect for huge movie theatres the drive-in, where people could see them from a distance. From the 1970’s on, three-sheets were sometimes printed in one piece and issued as “international” versions to be used abroad.
BRITISH QUAD
30 x 40″ Most common poster size used in the UK. British Quads are horizontal and may have different artwork to the US one sheet. Like a US one sheet they normally come in two versions. Like a US one sheet they are usually supplied single-sided or more commonly now as a double sided poster.
BRITISH ONE-SHEET
27 X 40″, printed on paper. Very rarely used size.
ITALIAN LOCANDINA
13 x 28″ six inches shorter than the US insert, very nice size to frame. Italian poster illustrators are some of the best in the industry.
ITALIAN PHOTOBUSTA
18 x 26″ Glossy, high quality, used as lobby cards in Italy. Size may vary, either vertical or horizontal format. There are also double Photobusta or mini Photobusta.
2-FOGLIO (DUE)
(DUE): 39 x 55″ This is the standard poster size used in Italy. Italian poster illustrators are some of the best in the industry.
4-FOGLIO
(QUATTRO) 55 x 79″ Very large Italian poster printed in two pieces, often contains very beautiful artwork.
FRENCH
47 x 63″ (GRANDE) or 24 x 33″ (PETITE) French movie posters normally come with different artwork to either the US or the UK. Like the Italian’s some of the artwork is extrememly beautiful.
