 Typography: Hollywood Style
posted: February 23, 2010
Some of you know by now that I'm a hardcore vintage film junkie. Detox won't work. With the Academy Awards coming up, I thought it interesting timing to pay tribute to typographic designers who not only never got an award of any kind, but were never even credited for the thousands and thousands of totally handmade masterpieces they created: the motion picture title lettering artists. I say "lettering," not "typographic," because that's what most of them were. Meat and potatoes studio craftsmen. Not stars like John Held and Al Hirschfeld, who would be brought in to add a touch of zee ar-teest to a project. It's true that by the mid-Fifties, Saul Bass had quite a bit of the spotlight pointed at him, thanks to Otto Preminger handing him the opening title sequence to "Man with the Golden Arm." Bass went on to become, among other things, an icon of movie title sequences. Thanks to his success, title sequence artists were starting to be credited on screen along with everyone else. But I think for these earlier amazing "lettering artists" of Hollywood's Golden Era, they toiled their craft in the production art department, probably a building or so over from the carpenters and electricians.
I've begun with "Dial M for Murder" (1954) simply because it's one of my favorite title examples. The rest are in chronological order with appropriate comments such as year and director. All of these images are from Christian Annyas' jaw-dropping web site, The Movie Titles Stills Collection. Plan on spending some serious browsing time there. If any of you know more about any of these images, Dear Drawgers, please feel free to jump in and lay it on us! 
"M" (German 1931) Fritz Lang. Not really "Hollywood," but what an image! 
"Vampyr" (German 1932) Carl Dreyer. 
"King Kong" (1933) Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack. 
"My Man Godfrey" (1936) Gregory La Cava. 
"San Quentin" (1937) Lloyd Bacon. 
"Heaven Can Wait" (1943) Ernst Lubitsch. He was known for "the Lubitsch touch", and here's a perfect example. 
"Fallen Angel" (1945) Otto Preminger. 
"The Thing from Another World" (1951) Directed by either Christian Nyby or Howard Hawks. The debate goes on. 
"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953) Howard Hawks. 
"How to Marry a Millionaire" (1953) Jean Negulesco. Was Cinemascope really THIS wide?? Trying to top 3-D which was trying to top TV, the advertising for this one boasted "You See It Without Glasses!" 
"Gojira" (Japan 1954) Ishiro Honda. In 1956, an American film company added some English-speaking Raymond Burr scenes to this film, re-released it as "Godzilla," and the world hasn't been the same since. The imagery of the Japanese original is much more arresting and darkly moody, filmed only nine years after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But I love the simple graphic power of this title, and the middle character seems like a creature's footprint. 
"Them!" (1954) Gordon Douglas. It was a black and white film, but giving you only the title in color is inspirational!             14 comments |
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Go, Stefan, Go!
posted: January 16, 2010
One of the pleasures of this cock-eyed world we call illustration is Stefan Kiefer, art director of Der Spiegel, and a true believer that illustration should have its rightful shining place on the cover of a world news magazine. Barbara Berry, Der Spiegel's New York-based cover department representative, decided it was high time that Stefan should be officially honored for his years as champion of all causes illustratively artistic. I was happy to be part of the group asked to contribute to a special book which was presented to Stefan at the Society of Illustrators during his NYC visit in November. I couldn't resist pointing out that in spite of his hectic schedule, he takes the time out to be an accomplished jazz drummer.
Happy Christmas Days
posted: December 23, 2009
Christmas, 1938. Britain faced dark days, with total devastating war with Germany just eight months off. But as far as unknowing yet believing British children were concerned, there were "Happy Christmas Days" in store for them... thanks to the masterful uplifting work of British cartoonist Roy Wilson (1900-1965). Royston Warner Wilson specialized in animal comics for kids, pulling all the stops out as a regular contributor to the British weekly magazine Happy Days. This is the breathtaking cover for the magazine's "Christmas Number," as such issues were called back then. Here's wishing Happy Christmas Days to the Roy Wilsons of the world, and peace on earth to all Drawgers and Drawger fans everywhere!
The Official Twimerick Rhyming Hat
posted: December 16, 2009
You can join The Twimerick Club and download and assemble your Twimerick Rhyming Hat at The Official Twimericks Website. It's all free! Or download, print out and frame your special personalized Twimerick Club Certificate and Membership Card. Switch the certificate with your family doctor's medical diploma when he's not looking (it's probably phony anyway)! Buy Twimericks: The Book of Tongue-Twisting Limericks at your favorite bookstore, or online now! 
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