Retro Vision

I know nothing about this movie, but that is one incredible poster.

Retro Vision

SCARLET STREET

Retro Vision

Japanese poster art for GUN CRAZY (Joseph H Lewis, 1950)

Starring John Dall and Peggy Cummins as the perverse love birds, Bart and Laurie. Are they gun crazy or love crazy? Or is there any difference with these two? She makes him turn Clyde to her Bonnie 'cause she can't get enough of money and thrills. Forget the stardust. These two have gun powder in their eyes.

Retro Vision

More crime comics! This one is from "Murder Incorporated," a Fox Feature Syndicate publication from the late 1940s.

I especially enjoy the "For Adults Only" warning on the right-hand side. I'm sure that was effective.

The awesome CRIMEBOSS website is my resource for all these comic book covers, by the way.

Retro Vision

A cover from Issue #24 of "Crime Does Not Pay," a 1940s crime comic published by Lev Gleason Publications. Yes, that is a woman getting her head shoved into the flames of a gas stove by a psychotic criminal. Yes, this cover graced the newsstands of 1940s America.

These were the days when comic books were more than just superhero stories. They were also the days when comic books sold in the millions of copies and were hugely popular (unlike today, where a few big name titles only sell in the hundreds of thousands, if that).

From the mid-1940s up into the mid-1950s, romance, crime, horror, and war comics were often more popular with readers than superhero comics. Certain politicians, opinion makers, religious leaders, law enforcement types, and busybodies made claims that "Crime Does Not Pay" and other true crime comics contributed to juvenile delinquency and lobbied to get these types of comics banned. Eventually all this hysteria over comics led to the institution of the "Comics Code" in 1954 and it was safe, sterile superheroes from then on out on the newsstands of America.

"Crime Does Not Pay" was known for its provocative and violent covers and Issue #24 does not disappoint!

Retro Vision

A Spanish poster for DOUBLE INDEMNITY from 1947, illustrated by Lopez Reiz. Notice, MacMurray is dressed for the electric chair. They shot an ending that had him making the death row walk and getting executed; it wasn't used, of course. I love the "Guernica"-esque demons behind MacMurray's head, haunting him to his death. Also, notice Barbara Stanwyck colored in red underneath the title -- her grin looks on the verge of a diabolical laugh. It's like she's the Devil waiting for Fred to join her in Hell.

Retro Vision

I can't be sure, but I think this:



Might be part of the reason I became a retro head freak.

I saw this movie when I was nine. Nine. How does something like this not cause a tender nine-year-old brain to go a little loopy?

Retro-Vision

More fun with old movie poster art! "We're in a jam!"

The great thing about these old posters is that they make you WANT to see the movie. Very few of today's movie posters actually make you want to go out and see the movie just based on the poster itself. Not so in retro old movie world! These oldies have everything from salacious artwork, to shocking images of violence (dig that burning car), to punchy tag lines, to bold, primary colors that grab you right away. It's arty and pulpy and intriguing. It's retro-vision!

Retro-Vision

Do I really need to remind you that everything was better back in the day? Exhibit A: Movie Posters. This French poster for the 1951 Audrey Totter movie FBI Girl is simply coo-el. Retro-Vision: Accept no substitutes.