Lot 155A
Bottom on the poster marked "Litho in U.S.A.". 1930's gangster flick Scarface starring Paul Muni and features an early appearance of Boris Karloff. In Scarface, an ambitious and nearly insane violent gangster (Paul Muni) climbs the ladder of success in the mob, but his weaknesses prove to be his downfall. One of the best gangster movies of the 1930's. A very rare poster. The film stars Paul Muni, Boris Karloff, Ann Dvorak, Karen Morley, C. Henry Gordon, Eugenie Besserer, Edwin Maxwell, Douglas Walton and Osgood Perkins. Produced by Howard Hughes, independently, for his Caddo Films company, SCARFACE remains one of the best crime pictures ever made. Legendary Producer Irving Thalberg called it, "one of the strongest pictures" he had ever seen. Producer Howard Hughes united with director Howard Hawks to create one of the most bullet-riddled, violent and impressive gangster films ever made. The genre had been around since the early days of the cinema; with Josef von Sternberg's "Underworld" in 1927 and Warner Brothers' sensational entries "Little Caesar" and "The Public Enemy." In June 1931, Hughes went into production on his pseudo-biopic of Chicago gangster Al Capone, under the working title "Scarface," a nickname that was associated with Capone. Both the director Howard Hawks and screenwriter Ben Hecht would use real-life events in the shaping of the film's script and spend hours interviewing actual gangsters for accuracy. The scene where Paul Muni as Tony Camonte guns down his boss, "Big Louie" Costillo, was based on the actual event where Al Capone gunned down his own boss, "Big Jim" Colosimo. The St. Valentine's Day Massacre was depicted in the film, as were assassination attempts on Camonte, that mirrored real attempts on Al Capone's life. And in a scene where real life mirrored the cinema, Boris Karloff is gunned down in a bowling alley and would become a reality four years later with the murder of "Machine Gun" Jack McGurn on the anniversary of his orchestrating the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. The title "Scarface" caused an immediate sensation and got the attention of Will Hays, the president of the MPPDA, the cinema's self-censorship bureau. Hays wanted the film's title changed and recommended "The Shame of the Nation." United Artists, the film's distributor, didn't want any problems getting the film released and registered this title on December 4, 1931. The film was completed in October 1931, but due to its strong images of violence, sexual innuendo and semi-glorification of gangsters, it had trouble passing the various censors and getting an official release. The film met with strong objection and went through three official versions. Hughes, who had given in to many of the suggested changes, drew the line on the title change. After forcing the issue, by Howard Hughes threatening a lawsuit, a compromise was made and the film was finally and officially released with the title, "Scarface, the Shame of a Nation." Please ask specific questions on details, condition, and shipping prior to bidding, ALL ITEMS ARE SOLD AS IS, and the bidder will be responsible for payment. We box and ship what we can to keep costs low, and use USPS and UPS. Large items, extremely fragile, and high value items will be packed by UPS. Quotes available on request
- Dimensions: approx. 25.5" x 40" and 30.5" x 44.5" framed
- Condition: Good Condition with some repairs (see pics)
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