The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), US, Banner

The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), US, Banner

Artist: Saul Bass (1920-1996)

Unframed: 24 x 82 in. (61 x 208 cm)

Framed: 28 1/2 x 87 1/4 in. (72.4 x 221.5 cm)

When it comes to graphic artists, the name Saul Bass is as big as they come. In the 1950s, however, when Bass was already well into his career, his name did not yet hold the sway it does today; unable to comprehend how one could fail to feature the main stars, Frank Sinatra and Kim Novak, on the poster, the studio insisted that he incorporate them into the design for the one sheet, which would be mainly used to advertise the film. On this banner and the large billboard poster, Bass was allowed to keep his original version. At the premiere of the film a 9 foot installation of the stylised jagged arm that Bass created was on display.

This size banner poster is one of the rarest of all American sizes, as fewer were printed. Only a couple of examples have surfaced in the last fifteen years.

This film was directed by Otto Preminger and stars Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker and Kim Novak. The film was extremely controversial at the time of its release, as it dealt with drug addiction in a very real way.