Decades of Exploitation: The Art of the Movie Poster Part 2

DECADES OF EXPLOITATION: THE ART OF THE MOVIE POSTER PART 2

ATTACK OF THE ATOMIC POSTER DESIGNS FROM OUTER SPACE

The movie poster artwork in the 50s was, like the movies themselves, larger than life. The artist design generally featured what was in the movie, but sometimes exaggerated to a more spectacular degree than what's actually shown. Take for instance the showstopping imagery for ATTACK OF THE 50FT WOMAN (1958). Here you have a towering, busty female scantily dressed (for the 50s, anyways) gripping a car in one hand and causing commotion and destruction in her path while standing over a freeway. This scene isn't in the film, but elements of this over the top image survive the end result. The poster is still an amazing design and the epitome of the exploitation of the female form presented here as the aggressor.

BAD MOVIE, GOOD POSTER

ROBOT MONSTER (1953), while most definitely one of the worst movies ever made, has an incredible poster design that belies the emaciated budget and bargain basement production values. This poster also commits the "cardinal sin" of using deceptive tactics to make the film seem far more bombastic and robust than it really is. The Ro-Man of the film is a guy in a shaggy gorilla costume with a plastic helmet on his head. The skull faced creature of the poster is non existant, too. One poster even goes so far as to feature the Rhedosaurus from THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS (1953) as part of its ad campaign as well as other battling beasts of a prehistoric era. While most posters featured a single spectacular drawing of a major set piece in the film, ROBOT MONSTER's poster features an array of potential thrills that are nowhere near as extravagant in the film as what's shown in this artist's interpretation.

THE CREATURE WITH GENRE DEFINING POSTER ART

The numerous poster designs for THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954) is a classic example of the painted promo utilizing the maximum effect for enticing the curious public. It's a design that has cemented its classic status as well as influenced others over the years. The monster and the lovely Julie Adams are front and center with minor variance between the various versions and then there's the classic presentation of the title strategically splashed across the canvas. While it had been done many times before, the BLACK LAGOON marketing and the film itself personified the 'Monster & the Girl' motif in a way that hadn't garnered such staying power since the release of KING KONG (1933) some twenty years prior.


The BLACK LAGOON designs were hugely influential some twenty years later (reinforced by a particular scene in the '54 movie) for Spielberg's JAWS (1975). The image of a beautiful woman menaced by a terrifying creature has always been a memorable piece of visual iconography.


A remake of the film has been bandied about for years with everyone from John Landis to John Carpenter attached to direct. It would be intriguing to see what sort of publicity materials would arise. One can hope that, should the remake ever surface, that the poster will remain somewhat faithful to the mood of the original ads, but with a modernized touch.


The sequels advertising exploited that imagery to its maximum effect and its poster design echoed the 3D gimmick to a level surpassing the 3D marketing ploy of the first film. The gill man is drawn in such a way that he appears to be looming over the audience carrying an unconscious female, seemingly reaching out to grab the patrons ogling the poster.


The third film, THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US (1956), swaps out the misogynism of the helpless woman by having the now gill-less beast hoisting a MAN above his head. The poster also promises more "underwater thrills!" even though the films main attraction is the gill man being captured and having his capacity to breath underwater eliminated only to walk the Earth as a hulking monstrosity.

BAD MOVIE, BAD POSTER

The explosively colorful artwork on 50s science fiction and horror posters was often more enticing than the movies themselves. It was rare to find a barren space not filled with some ornately painted piece of action or calamity. Occasionally you'd get a poster that more than adequately reflected the inadequacies of the very film the ad campaign was promoting. THE GIANT GILA MONSTER (1959) is one such example. The sight of a real Gila Monster inside a tiny sandbox menacing offscreen teenagers is worthy of this kindergarten design for its poster. Incidentally, GUNSMOKE's own Festus, Ken Curtis was a producer on this barrel scraper as well as another bad movie, the much more entertaining THE KILLER SHREWS (1959). That films poster also hid its monsters--"big dogs draped with carpets and fake fangs" opting for a more grim ad campaign that definitely works even if the movie--an early example of the 'Siege Film' does not.

A MATCH MADE IN MOVIE POSTER HEAVEN

Beginning in the 1950s, Roger Corman and American International Pictures became synonomous with drive in exploitation features and the advertising was often many times better than the actual movies themselves. They covered the gamut from modestly budgeted action thrillers, teen delinquency pictures, sci fi, horror and sometimes an amalgamation of some, or all of the above. The AIP hucksters were well versed in the art of motion picture promotion and their team did an amazing job of making attractive posters that sported imagery that far exceeded the meager pennies spent on the actual movies.


You'll notice that many times little was left to the imagination for most of the genre movie posters of that time period. The exploitation of the product superceded whatever mystery the movie might have held; this being magnified to a greater degree by the 1970s. This also extended to trailers back then. The trailers often gave away important details. Possibly the promoters were banking that the audience would forget about plot points once they got into the theaters. In the coming decades as poster artwork changed, less and less was shown and designs became more and more vague as to what you were going to see, but for the time, rubbing the 'bread and butter' of a movies contents in the viewers faces was vital for success.

AT THE LATE NIGHT DOUBLE FEATURE PICTURE SHOW

With both Corman and American International being the Filet Mignon of the Drive In exploitation market, they brought the double feature back in a big way in an effort to combat the big studios. The double feature usually consisted of an 'A' film followed by a 'B' support feature; much like a 45 record with its A and B side songs. And like some of those B songs that eclipsed the intended single, the lower half of a double bill sometimes garnered more attention than the feature it was lending support to. The exploitation kings at AIP often brought together two B pictures for the price of one and made a great deal of money marketing two of their films or two pick ups whether it was Italian imports or Japanese monster pictures.


The double bill prospered throughout the 1950s and the early 1960s and eventually, that format was changed. On numerous occasions, two films with diametrically opposing storylines began cropping up such as this one above--FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE SPACE MONSTER (1965) and CURSE OF THE VOODOO from the same year. One is a science fiction picture and the other is a horror movie. Both are bad movies and both films convey their contents in their titles without the aid of visuals. Still, the painted combo is terribly tempting and beguiling at the same time.


Here's a kooky co-feature of British chillers, one an atmospherically spooky movie about the occult that draws inspiration from superior horrors as BLACK SUNDAY and CITY OF THE DEAD (both 1960). The other an occasionally funny, but forgettable comical creeper starring singing sensation Pat Boone and directed by Terence Fisher. It's obvious from the imagery which is being ballyhoo'ed as the 'A' feature and which is the 'B' support. You'll notice the 'Witch Detector' at the top, a William Castle inspired bit of gimmickery; the sort of movie maverick hucksterism that was utilized well into the 1970s.


Here's another example of two vastly different movies. One is an oft ridiculed entry in the 'Big Bug' genre about gigantic rampaging wasps in Africa. Despite its reputation, MONSTER FROM GREEN HELL (1958) is an amazingly lurid and attractively titled picture even when saddled with a silly poster design. Paired with it is the still banned in Japan Ishiro Honda movie, HALF HUMAN (1955)--a film that had scenes with John Carradine shot for its US release and dealt with abominable snowmen and a subtext about deformed tribesmen that's taboo in Japan. Other small companies continued with the pairing of two movies (sometimes three) well into the 70s when the publicizing of a motion picture reached all new levels of depravity highlighting the sex and violence content regardless of how outrageous those elements really were in the finished product.

MR. B.I.G.'s AMAZING COLOSSAL AD CAMPAIGNS

Bert I. Gordon loved making movies even if the end product was seldom very good. Still, one can see a degree of passion in his films especially when he more or less acted as a 'One Man Show' whether writing, directing and even doing the special effects work. While his movies have garnered a stigma of unintentional comedy, the promotional artwork for his films generally reflected this as well. Arguably the best ballyhoo for one of his films would have to go to THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN (1957). Reminiscent of the gorgeously painted portrait of the ATTACK OF THE 50FT. WOMAN (1958), the poster for Gordon's movie encapsulates everything about the following years design for the giant gender swapped sci fi outing. The artwork, while exaggerated, captures the essence of what you're going to see when Glenn Manning grows wildly out of control eventually going on a macro enlarged rampage.


In a rare instance of hiding the title beast, Gordon's poster for his 1957 giant monster movie, THE CYCLOPS utilized a less than stellar approach to catching the 'eye' of its audience. Interestingly enough, the make up used for the films creature would sort of turn up in the following years sequel to COLOSSAL MAN, the WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST (see insert poster above). This time, our irradiated and now one eyed Glenn Manning is featured prominently on the films poster which refuses to hide what has become of our pitiable pseudo protagonist, now almost totally bereft of human thought and emotion.


Some of Gordon's other promotional designs for his films come off as noticeably silly, almost cartoonish in some instances. Still, these accurately depicted the less than serious attributes some of the films were saddled with. BEGINNING OF THE END (1957) is one such picture with its cartoonishly designed grasshoppers. On the poster, the bugs are blacked out save for the highlighting of the eyes and pronounced teeth the artist has bestowed upon the killer grasshoppers. Gordon's return to the giant creature genre in the 1970s resulted in two strikingly well made posters for two hilariously inept, but memorable cult movies--FOOD OF THE GODS (1976) and EMPIRE OF THE ANTS (1977).

THE MYSTERY BEAST FROM THE FAR EAST

Despite the smaller companies creating boisterous ads for films with little money behind them, alternate ploys were sometimes used to garner an audience. On occasion, AIP used secretive gimmicks to entice patrons into a theater to see just what hidden horror the poster refused to reveal. One of the most famous instances of playing with the paying customer's perceptions was 1964's MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA, retitled GODZILLA VS. THE THING for its American release. Whether down to fearing an altercation with Columbia (they owned the US rights to the original MOTHRA at that time) or just an example of movie showmanship to hide the fact that Godzilla was going to be battling a giant moth, the vagueness of the various ads were an ingenious bit of public deception. The most notorious of the fake hoopla was AIP's advertisment that Godzilla would be battling an enormous, multi tentacled monstrosity covered by a huge 'censored' card.


Another occasion of creating a mystique around a films monster was in Corman's CREATURE FROM THE HAUNTED SEA (1961), a no budget wonder he did for his Filmgroup company. The "creature" featured in the film is rather laughable and the artwork used for its ballyhoo is far better than anything the film offers. Again, there's the depiction of a woman in danger, this time preparing to become the meal for some gigantic monstrosity that doesn't correlate to the actual "monster" in the movie. Nowadays, something like this would go straight to DVD and you'd only have the DVD box art to contend with.

PART 3 NOW SHOWING...!!!

Decades of Exploitation: The Art of the Movie Poster Part 1

DECADES OF EXPLOITATION: THE ART OF THE MOVIE POSTER PART 1

WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET

The movie poster has always been an attractive and instrumental tool for separating potential patrons from their cash and luring them into a darkened theater to be entertained for 60 to 90 or more minutes. Over the years the quality of the movie poster has changed to suit the times and drastically so in today's climate where so little work goes into producing them with a far less hands on approach from decades past. This extends to the visual palette of the home video market as well in relation to videocassettes, laserdiscs and DVD's.

The movie posters of today are virtually interchangeable, barely discernible from one photocopied image to the next. The HARRY POTTER movies are a wildly popular, maddeningly lucrative series of films and the posters for them are almost identical. They all feature the principle actors posed in this way amidst a dark, foreboding background. One thing that can be said about poster "artwork" in today's market is that as bland and displeasing as they are, they seem to have little to do with the making or breaking of a movie especially in this day and age where TV's are everywhere. Computers and cellphones now have the capacity to find out what's new at the bijou without having to read a newspaper or venture down to the local theater to take a gander at the marquee. Like the artists that designed them in years past, today's "artists" are just as disconnected as the selective images on the glossy paper.


The marketing used to push a motion picture product today is mostly a lifeless endeavor built around what amounts to vain portraits of the principal cast members--a motley clutch of uncommonly handsome, bodaciously built young men and women arranged in a bland, boring fashion. Other times, it's some vague, somewhat ambiguous single image with either the title, or just a potential date of release surrounded by wasted space, a motif that likely gestated since the release of ALIEN back in 1979. Granted, these teasers are just that, but the work that went into creating a painted portrait--by hand--that captured the essence of a motion picture has gone the way of practical special effects these days.

TWO ICONIC, TRENDSETTING POSTERS OF FEAR & FANTASY

Beginning with JAWS (1975) and snowballing with STAR WARS (1977), the blockbuster slowly edged out the ballsier promotional gimmicks of the exploitation hucksters whose moneymaking lifes blood rested on a grand and gaudy ad campaign. Notice the surrealism in the poster for Spielberg's still terrifying killer shark film to end all killer shark films. An ominous, gigantic, toothy beast prepares to make a meal off of a scantily clad female. Shades of CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954) are apparent in this modernist approach as well as a stark sense of depth with an increasingly blackened look of the sea the further down the image you go. All painstakingly done by hand.


The painted artwork for STAR WARS--one of many--features a mainstay of fantasy artwork from the likes of Frank Frazetta and Boris Vallejo. Instead of a barbarian, or futuristic centurion flanked by a barely dressed, voluptuous and possibly chained female, we have a toned Luke Skywalker thrusting his "sword" heavenward while a slinky and well formed Princess Leia features just below him. Showing off some skin, Leia clutches a laser gun as opposed to latching onto Luke's leg. The background features a hovering, ghost like image of Darth Vader while the Death Star looms further in the background. A fleet of spacecraft heighten the action element and the sight of R2 D2 and C3PO enhance the otherworldy qualities. It's a perfect poster with an equally iconic fairy tale tag adorning the border at the top. It's also one of the last great visual spectaculars that captures the flavor of the designs of old--modernizing it, but paying tribute at the same time.


As the 80s wore on, the once thriving industry of designing artwork for movies began to change dramatically before slowly showing signs of fatigue till the 90s made the style all but extinct. Literally everything is done with computers these days and the use of a hands on approach becomes a less lucrative venture with each passing day. The use of designing a poster by hand may be lost, but the use of "clutter" appears to be making a little noise as of late. Everything goes in cycles so here's hoping the visualized art of poster design returns in a big way someday.

SIGHTS TO SEE & SIGHTS UNSEEN

In decades past the methods of promotion weren't always done by posters and lobby cards. Everything from a barker outside the theater hyping the product, to flyers and radio spots were all utilized to sell a feature. But posters have outlasted the assorted gimmicks and tricks of the trade by virtue of their simple, yet potentially grand visions of "the film you are about to see". The descriptive nature of a film was etched to canvas by the hand of an artist relaying what the paying audience would hopefully find attractive about what was "now playing".


Sometimes trash peddlers would use deception to enhance the elaborate images on a one-sheet to imply additional thrills that didn't always end up on the screen, but damn if they didn't make for an exciting visual feast! The above poster for SAVAGE! (1973) is one such occasion where enhancements were employed to beef up the marquee value of a low budget picture.

SIZE DOESN'T MATTER, IT'S ALL IN HOW YOU USE IT

Above: British quad for iconic Bondian imagery from FOR YOUR EYES ONLY (1981); Insert: Unusual Italian locandina for SILVER BULLET (1986)

Almost like comic books, movie posters weren't thought of as a collective hobby once upon a time. The limited number of promotional materials were supposed to have been returned, shipped off to the next location where said film was to play, or destroyed. Few, if any really thought much about mass producing the marketing tools used to sell the studios product. The standard size for a poster (in America) was 27 x 40 (give or take an inch), but dimensions differed from one country to the next such as Hong Kong where the standard size was around 20 x 30 with minimal variances. Of course, there were other posters such as the Australian Daybill, the Italian Locandina, the British Quad and the massive bus stop poster as well as two and three sheet posters which, as far as the US is concerned, seem to have been phased out in terms of production these days.

IMPORT & EXPORT MANGLING AND MODIFICATION OF MOVIE POSTER IMAGERY

Movie poster production meant that various designs and multiple versions would be created for promotional purposes. Some titles would accrue a wide ranging variety of painted artistry, but arguably the most intriguing aspect of poster design was the way foreign territories chose to market their imports and vice versa. Many times overseas companies would highlight certain elements in a film that wouldn't be touched on in its American counterpart. Sometimes a poster would contain shots of action not in the finished product and some of the foreign conceptions would eliminate such things. Minor adjustments might be made as well that retained much of the original work. Take the examples below for instance....


The Spanish poster for TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD (1971) accentuates in a gothically medieval style what the film entails and the potential for terror to be shown on the big screen. The shot of Lone Fleming is an artist conception taken from the actual film, but they've added some undead Templar Knights munching on her that doesn't happen--at least not to her--in the finished film.


Compare that with the AIP poster under the title THE BLIND DEAD. Comparisons are made with NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) even down to the poster being in B/W. Also, there's no sign of the skeletal, robe enshrouded Templars on this ad. Instead, the resurrected and quite zombiefied Maria Elena is showcased menacing a frightened woman in a mannequin factory (a truly creepy scene in the movie, too!) again reiterating the NOTLD connection AIP was gunning for.


The 1975 Amicus production of THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT features a sprawling three dimensional design highlighting everything of interest in the movie. It's a perfect example of "clutter", or the "Hero Sandwich" as movie poster--crammed with all the meats, cheeses and other condiments found throughout the movie populating every conceivable corner of the ad campaign. You'll notice both major and minor tweaks between the English ad and the Spanish artwork. The AIP poster contains several items that aren't in the movie. These are a giant manta ray (that appears to be firing a laser beam!), a giant octopus and a diving bell with scuba divers nearby. B/W shots from the film are also inserted in the right corner.


The Spanish poster on the other hand flips the above water action to the right side of the poster, alters the font of the title and swaps it over to the left side. This foreign interpretation also erases the non existent, but exploitable elements of the AIP version and also erase the B/W inserts replacing them with artists paintings of the actors from scenes in the film. Also, the Spanish poster accentuates the volcanic eruption making it far more prominent and spectacular in its explosion. Both posters, however, keep the image of an underwater Tyrannosaurus Rex(!) as well as giving him an extra claw. Both posters are gorgeous and capture the adventure inherent in the movie.


This magnificent poster for the New World production of THE ARENA (1974) sums up the theme of women empowerment (see chapter below). Everything you need to know about the film is featured on this poster with the main focal point being Pam Grier and Margaret Markov. Oddly enough, when the film was marketed for Southern markets, Pam Grier appears white in the ads! This wasn't the only time a person's skin color was tampered with for a movie posters visual scheme, but the foreign promotion seemed to indulge in similar tactics.


Here is the Italian poster for the same film. Italian actress Lucretia Love is billed first followed by a Pamela Grier then Margaret Markov. Oddly enough, Grier, the co-star of the film, isn't featured on this poster at all. Markov is prominently displayed, though. African Americans were regularly featured in Italian sword and sandal movies yet they rarely, if ever appeared on the artwork for the films themselves. It just makes for an odd design considering Grier was a much bigger name at the time, but then, this was the Italian release. Whether a big movie or a small one, blatant with details or vague, what really caught the eye were the illustrations advertising the movie and in many cases, the designs are what got people interested in loosening those purse strings.

STEP RIGHT UP, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!

The look of movie posters of the 20s and 30s was very stagey--replicating that silent film look--often with big, bold letters and a distinctive color scheme of pastel or dark, almost opaque vividness in their coloring. This was especially evident in the horror posters of the day. These images were smooth, meticulous artist conceptions that many times reflected the dark, Depression Era time period, yet rich in detail. They were akin to cels used in animated cartoons. One of, if not the main central figure would be prominently displayed while a victim, oftentimes female, would be shown in peril. Granted, during this time, a poster wasn't necessarily the 'main attraction'. Going to a 'Movie Palace' was an experience that included much more than seeing a film, the advertising was just one of the cogs in a massive projector wheel.


Posters for adventure-fantasy-horror pictures were usually very exploitable in depicting the saucier elements promised. Unusually, one of the main poster ads for the controversial ISLAND OF LOST SOULS (1932) showcases not the mad doctor, but the Panther Girl (she's hyped on many of the films promotional materials) and features male characters in need of some form of rescue.


The same can be said of one of the numerous campaigns for the even more eyebrow raising feature, FREAKS also from 1932. In this poster, you see the main villainess with her intended prey in her grasp, but with a look of gladness on his face as opposed to endangerment. Some of the films other publicity materials reinforced the controversial elements that resulted in the film being banned for decades for its sensitive subject matter.


The movie posters of the 1940s, while mostly retaining the look of the previous decades dark, pulp style posters, expanded on the 'cel animation' look updating it with a more vibrant selection of colors than had previously been used. Take one of the posters for DR. CYCLOPS (1940) for instance. It has the ingredients of a catchy theme--looming image of the main antagonist with bad intentions towards a frightened and helpless female, yet the colors stand out more than those of the previous decade. A more comic book approach was steadily beginning to take hold with more defining features on the intricate portraits of the onscreen creatures and their victims. Aside from that, the visual palette was similar, just with more clutter and bigger impressions of the performers.


One thing that will be noticeable when looking at posters from this time period is how startlingly similar they are to what passes for movie promotion nowadays. On many of these 1940s ads there's a collage of faces adorning the image in various settings much in the way actors mugs are displayed in the posters of today. The one difference is that these are painted impressions and not photographic shots of the actual performers. Also, you'll notice that a painted shot of the actor as the monster is used as opposed to the human form. Monsters were big business during the 1940s although they would soon peter out from over exposure towards the end of the decade.


Actors such as Karloff, Lugosi, Atwill and Chaney ruled the genre scene during the 40s with an increasingly tiresome slew of all too familiar monster movies populated with the likes of Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy and a new creation, The Wolf Man. Some of these movies attempted to inject new life into tired cinematic bones by teaming up the various monsters onscreen. Eventually, these actors would have to find new avenues with which to terrify a paying audience. Around this time, there was also a new kid on the block in his horror debut and that was Vincent Price appearing (or disappearing) in THE INVISIBLE MAN RETURNS (1940). You'll notice how this quality job entails the 'facial collage' that would evolve and take centerstage some 50 years later.


As seen in several examples above, the image of an unconscious, or imperiled woman remained a popular component for public consumption well into the 1950s and not just in the posters for the films, but in a number of publicity materials which featured shots that most often never appeared in the finished product. Publicity stills were seemingly common practice all around the world, too. The artwork in the 40s had a striking, life-like painterly quality about them that stands out as some of the most unique examples of motion picture promotion that was soon to evolve to greater, more exploitable heights in the 1950s.

THE ONE SHEET EXPLOITATION OF WOMEN: IMPERILED, GRATUITOUSLY SEXY AND STRONG CHAPTER 1

This chauvinistic portrait of women as helpless and constantly in need of rescue can be seen on countless movie posters, although as already mentioned, the template was tinkered with from time to time. This popular device was seldom altered till the 1960s when the empowerment of women--and even more so during the 1970s--when action films gave women a chance to kick the crap out of the once dominant male.


Even so, that time period also utilized an increasingly pronounced sadism and misogyny towards women in the movies as well as their advertising. The exploitation of women was a signature proponent of the selling of a film championing the old adage "Sex Sells" likely well before that phrase was ever officially christened.


A lot of exploitation and sexploitation movies had strong women in lead roles, but also exploited their bodies at the same time. Roger Corman's New World Pictures and their chief competitor, Dimension Pictures were masters of the form as well as creating some of the most supremely orgasmic ballyhoo that's ever been created. The posters for these took full advantage of a bodaciously curvy, bosomy, scantily dressed woman's frame. The sexual nature would be apparent whether the woman (or women) was shown to be in danger of various indignities or even as the main protagonist standing tall against her adversaries. Underlying sexual themes were generally always present even in monster movie posters.


Before the 1950s, women were a common element of an artists vision of promoting a movie and almost always they would be seen as unconscious while held in the beasts arms, or being threatened by the claws of some horrifying creature (as seen in some examples further above). By the time the 50s rolled around, the template remained largely unchanged only now, the endangered female would be in a bathing suit, or her clothing would be torn in some way revealing some additional skin.


The teen delinquency rage during the 1950s spawned some female-centric girl gang flicks such as HIGH SCHOOL HELLCATS (1958), a film whose poster--despite being about a dominating all girl gang--showcases a woman being "subdued" with a kiss on her neck. A small portion of the poster does show off the "battling bitches" of the films title, but this is but a minor detail compared to the larger image of the woman succumbing to a man's passionate kiss.


Sometimes a woman's proposed promiscuity or overall sex appeal would serve as the chief selling point. Such was the case of PROMISES! PROMISES!, a 1963 picture wherein the advertising got lots of mileage out of the fact that Jayne (TOO HOT TO HANDLE) Mansfield was shedding her clothes for the camera revealing her ample assets for the first time. Mansfield made a career out of flaunting her voluptuous body and had no compunction in doing so. Men wanted her, lusted after her, and all the attention brought her a great deal of wealth.


A true classic example of a movie poster exemplifying a hucksters profundity in selling onscreen sex would have to be Roger Corman's THE LAST WOMAN ON EARTH (1960). Here you see a totally naked, lithe, but toned woman wiping away the sweat from the pounding heat of the oppressive sun while two half naked men duel to the death to claim the prize--the body of this sensual woman. The movie itself may not correlate to such blatant salaciousness, but the poster succeeds in conveying a primal need for sex and the desires of mankind.

TO BE CONTINUED

* All images were taken from google images
* Thanks to Beverly Gray for additional information regarding New World Pictures. You can read her blog that covers her days in exploitation movies and beyond HERE.

**For more information, check out these articles linked below on movie theaters, posters and publicity**

* THE ART OF THE POSTER
* MOVIE THEATER HISTORY
*FUNDAMENTALS OF FILM ADVERTISING

PART 2 NOW SHOWING....!!!!