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Auction History Result 3z561 KISS OF DEATH one-sheet '47 really cool stone litho of Victor Mature, film noir classic! Date Sold 2/24/2009 Sold For: Login or Register to see sold price. An Original Vintage Theatrical Folded One-Sheet Movie Poster (1sh; measures 25 1/2" x 39 1/2") (Learn More) Kiss of Death, the classic 1947 Henry Hathaway crime film noir ("20th Century-Fox Sensation!"; "It will mark you for life as it marked him for... Betrayal!"; "Based on a Story by Eleazer Lipsky"; "Screen Play by Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer") starring Victor Mature, Brian Donlevy, Coleen Gray (billed as "Introducing Coleen Gray"), Richard Widmark (nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for this film; as the psychopathic killer, Tommy Udo, who, in one of the cinema's most memorable scenes, laughs as he pushes a woman in a wheelchair down a flight of stairs!), Patricia Morison (while she was billed on the poster and listed in the credits, her scenes were cut from the film for being too shocking), Taylor Holmes, Robert Keith, Howard Smith, and Karl Malden (in his third credited movie role!). Note that when this movie was first released, 20th Century-Fox knew they had a very "special" movie, and they created a one-sheet that was intentionally black and white, with no white borders, which is very striking. They did NOT realize that Richard Widmark would become a star off of his portrayal of a psychopath, so he was not pictured on the one-sheet or the other advertising, and even when they re-released the movie in 1953, they simply reused the image from the 1947 one-sheet (oddly, adding color), and still, Widmark was not pictured. NOTE: Click on linked names to see a biography. If you know who did the art (if any), please let us know. Important Added Info: Note that this one-sheet measures 25 1/2" x 39 1/2". Note that this is one of the best remembered one-sheet images of the 1940s! 20th Century Fox chose to intentionally use a solely black & white image, which perfectly conveys the feel of this downbeat film noir! Condition: fair to good. It is fortunate that all of the small writing was contained along the bottom edge of the image, and that the original added white borders were completely blank. There were many small tears and some tiny paper loss in what is now the bottom edge of the poster, and a lesser amount in the top edge. There are several pinholes in each corner. There were two tape repairs on the back of the center of the bottom border, and the tape has bled through to the front. There is some light brown water staining scattered in the background area of the credits box and in the white letters of the title. There is a piece of tape on the back of the top crossfold. Clearly, this great poster has many defects, but it is also true that any talented restorer could easily replace the missing white borders, and it is likely that the light water staining can be removed through chemical means. After proper restoration, the poster will look fantastic, and it will likely require a relatively small amount of paint restoration (I would not be surprised if this poster, after it is restored, turns up in a fancy big city auction with a grade of "very good to fine" or better!). Learn More about condition grades 
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