Welcome back to this week's look at Heritage's Sunday night movie poster auction! Every week Heritage auctions off some truly unique finds across all movie genres, such as movie serials, animation, science fiction, romance, and more. Each week I find a few gems that could be overlooked! Here are my pics for this week's unique finds!
The Hunchback of Notre Dame Program (1923)
Over 100 years ago Universal Pictures started on what would become one of the most expensive silent films ever made. The Hunchback of Notre Dame, starring Lon Chaney, was (and still is) considered one of the Super Jewels of the studio. While most of the production sets and costumes were lost in a fire decades later, we can still thankfully enjoy this film and marketing pieces for it. This 1923 program is an outstanding piece, with a full-color cover and black and white photos inside. I have not seen many of these come up for auction. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is acknowledged as being the first Universal Monster, so this piece is quite the find!
Heritage notes this program as being unrestored and in Fine / Very Fine Condition. Antique programs are a wonderful thing to collect, and with the right storage, can last decades to come!
Sleeping Beauty Press Book (1959)
One of my personal favorite Disney animated films, Sleeping Beauty is nothing short of a work of art. Based on the French fairy tale, Disney took several liberties to make the story more family-friendly. Yet despite the changes, the story is fundamentally the same and remains one of the most popular renditions of the fairy tale. The animation and art for the film is nothing short of stunning. The backgrounds were designed to look like tapestries, leaning heavily into the fairy tale aspect. This was also one of the first Disney Princess movies where the Prince has more than a scant few lines - and even has a first name! And we absolutely can't forget Eleanor Audley, who brought the iconic Maleficent to life.
Heritage notes this press book as being unrestored and in Very Fine - condition. This is a great piece of Disneyana, and would be a great item for collectors!
Munster, Go Home! (1966)
From 1964 to 1966, American audiences were introduced to The Munsters. This CBS / Universal show took the concepts of many of the Universal Monsters and recreated them to be like any other American family. The satirical show is usually linked with The Addams Family as both shows focus on "weird" families. According to some sources, the show ended due to the Adam West Batman series taking the ratings, but The Munsters have had a very healthy afterlife since the ending of the series. The show spawned movies, comic books, reboots, and in 2022 a Netflix film adaptation by Rob Zombie. The Munsters are still culturally relevant, and will likely remain a staple in the horror comedy genre for decades to come.
This poster for the movie Munster, Go Home! is noted as being unrestored and in Very Fine - condition. This is an exceptional find, and whomever wins this is one lucky fan.
