A Man Called Dagger Unused Poster Art by Frank Frazetta

Frank Frazetta's first film affiche from 1965

The belatedly Frank Frazetta was the reigning king of fantasy, science fiction and horror illustration. In the mid sixties, he was working every bit a freelance illustrator, creating covers for fantasy paperbacks, covers for the Warren horror comics publications Creepyand Eerie, and occasionally doing work for MAD mag. I of his MAD illustrations, a portrait of Ringo Starr for a back encompass parody ad caught the attention of an an art managing director at United Artists who hired him to create the affiche art for their new one-act What'southward New Pussycat. For FF, a new (and lucrative), career was born. He afterwards mentioned in an interview that he was paid $5000 for the job, "A whole years pay, earned in one afternoon".

Since the great Jack Davis had set the standard creating the "madcap" poster art for It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Earth in 1963, the illustrated screwball "mob scene" (people/all-star casts running in mad pursuit for some, or no particular reason), illustrated comedy movie affiche was in vogue, and along with cartoonist/illustrators Davis, Jack Rickard and Sanford Kossin: http://drewfriedman.blogspot.com/2011/06/sandy-kossin-realistically-funny.html

...Frank Frazetta joined them (almost e'er uncredited), as one of the most prominent practitioners of the art, and along the way rendering the sexiest females. Aside from Jack Davis, FF'due south picture affiche work was also conspicuously influenced by the illustrator Pete Hawley's advertising and motion-picture show poster work dating back to the thirties. A Hawley picture poster from 1963:

art by Pete Hawley

When I posted my Dick Van Dyke film poster blog featuring Frazetta'due south affiche art for Fitzwilly, I was surprised to hear from more than than a few folks who had no idea FF had created film posters, permit lone film comedy posters. A terrific commodity by artist William Stout, "The Movie Poster Art of Frank Frazetta" appeared in the Bill Spicer/Mark Evanier edited Fanfare magazine in 1978.

Reading that article in '78 is when I first realized FF had created so many fun, wild, action-packed film comedy posters (all the FF posters in Fanfare were printed in B&W). Hither are all of the film comedy posters he created between 1965-74, in full color, also equally a few extra rare pieces. Past the seventies, FF basically was creating fine art for prints, non needing or wanting to have on new assignments aside from every now and then. FF also created poster images for several seventies fantasy/horror films, and later a Clint Eastwood film (The Gauntlet), most take been reprinted numerous times in books, magazines and online. Only his film comedy artwork appears below:

Leonard Maltin on the Film Comedy Poster art of FF:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/leonardmaltin/frazetta-on-moving picture

dorsum cover parody ad for MAD #90 which led to FF's first film poster assignment. Frazetta didn't exercise much for MAD, much to publisher Bill Gaines dismay.

A second (cast running) version created by FF

click to enlarge

British poster

A castilian poster using different fine art and the FF fine art across the lesser

the movie tie-in paperback

also from 1965, FF'southward second (sexy) film poster, and forgettable film

larger view

the spanish poster with alternating FF artwork

FF art created for the Patty Knuckles tomboy comedy "Billie" in 1965, only not used on the final affiche...

several version's of FF'due south wonderful, madcap "After the Fox" poster art, from 1966

"Hotel Paradiso" also from 1966, forgettable film, nifty FF poster art

"The Busy Body" from 1967 was horror motion picture producer/manager William Castle'due south endeavor to recreate the success of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (from a novel by Donald Westlake), even casting ane of it's stars, Sid Caesar, in the pb. Bully bandage, simply the film still bombed. Still, a great, "Busy" FF poster!

Larger view (click to enlarge)

FF created the drawing art that runs below the main vampire epitome (possibly painted past Grayness Morrow?) for this 1967 Roman Polanski horror one-act

A Dick Van Dyke antic comedy from 1967 featuring affiche art by FF. For some reason, the studio demanded that photos of the player's heads be pasted on the art, which FF was so asked to retouch. He was not at all happy about that approach.

"Mad Monster Party" from 1967. The screenplay was co-written by Harvey Kurtzman, the characters were designed by Jack Davis, and this affiche art is by Frazetta. FF created 2 B&Westward watercolor illustrations, and one colour watercolor equally samples, then was surprised to see upon the pic's release that the images were actually used equally the posters. He would exist fully compensated.

2d watercolor sample used for a poster

color watercolor sample as well created for Mad Monster Party

also from 1967, Jack Davis created the poster art for the James Coburn comedy "Waterhole #three", simply FF's portrait of singer Roger Miller appears on the soundtrack LP.

from 1968, and FF'south most elaborate, complex moving-picture show poster to date. Just earlier the picture show's release, co-star Bert Lahr died, and his face (originally the cop is carrying Lahr into the Paddywagon. Run into below:) was replaced by FF with boyfriend co-star Norman Wisdom's face.

detail of Bert Lahr (first version)

closer detail of the finished version. Bert Lahr now lays on the footing.

Incidental FF art created for the film'southward publicity. This image has been incorrectly ID'd as Bert Lahr on an online auction site, but it conspicuously isn't (olfactory organ too pocket-size, no prominent bags under his optics), it's boyfriend cast member Denholm Elliot equally moral crusader Vance Fowler.