Above: Us three-sheet poster for The Private Life of Henry VIII (Alexander Korda, UK, 1933).
The great Charles Laughton may not have been the prettiest of movie stars, but he had a presence that many matinee idols would have killed for (as the current retrospective running at Film Forum will attest). In an era in which glamor was everything, studio marketers may have struggled with how to present Laughton’s unconventional looks and his larger-than-life portrayals of larger-than-life characters (so many monsters, murderers, tyrants, or simply overbearing fathers) to the public. In most of the posters for his most famous film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), he is all but a silhouette, a spoiler alert to his monstrous transformation as Quasimodo. And in some posters for The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933), the film for which he won his first Oscar, Henry is made to look more like the Hans Holbein...
The great Charles Laughton may not have been the prettiest of movie stars, but he had a presence that many matinee idols would have killed for (as the current retrospective running at Film Forum will attest). In an era in which glamor was everything, studio marketers may have struggled with how to present Laughton’s unconventional looks and his larger-than-life portrayals of larger-than-life characters (so many monsters, murderers, tyrants, or simply overbearing fathers) to the public. In most of the posters for his most famous film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), he is all but a silhouette, a spoiler alert to his monstrous transformation as Quasimodo. And in some posters for The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933), the film for which he won his first Oscar, Henry is made to look more like the Hans Holbein...
- 2/21/2015
- by Adrian Curry
- MUBI
[Editor's note: This edition of Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd is available exclusively through the WB Shop, whereas the Amazon link will take you to resellers.]
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, the comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello entertained the masses. They were successful on stage, radio, film and television. Their legendary “Who’s on First?” routine is considered the crowning jewel of their comic collaboration. They have appeared in many movies including 1952’s musical comedy Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd. The film also features renowned thespian Charles Laughton who reprises his role of Captain Kidd from the 1945 film of the same name.
This film is about two inept tavern workers, Oliver (Costello) and Rocky (Abbott) who are assigned the task of delivering a love letter from a young girl to a tavern singer. That same night, the notorious pirate Captain Kidd happens to be dining at the tavern. Oliver waits on him and accidentally mixes the love letter with a treasure map of Skull Island Kidd has in his possession. Oliver and...
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, the comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello entertained the masses. They were successful on stage, radio, film and television. Their legendary “Who’s on First?” routine is considered the crowning jewel of their comic collaboration. They have appeared in many movies including 1952’s musical comedy Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd. The film also features renowned thespian Charles Laughton who reprises his role of Captain Kidd from the 1945 film of the same name.
This film is about two inept tavern workers, Oliver (Costello) and Rocky (Abbott) who are assigned the task of delivering a love letter from a young girl to a tavern singer. That same night, the notorious pirate Captain Kidd happens to be dining at the tavern. Oliver waits on him and accidentally mixes the love letter with a treasure map of Skull Island Kidd has in his possession. Oliver and...
- 4/22/2011
- by Randall Unger
- JustPressPlay.net
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