All the King's Men (1949)

1949's Oscar-winning offering from Columbia Pictures, All the King's Men, is an adaptation of the 1946 pulitzer-prize winning novel by Robert Penn Warren which was itself loosely-based on the real-life rise and fall of notorious Louisiana politician, Huey P. Long. Yeah... follow that? I'll wait while you read it again.

Writer-director Robert Rossen purchased the film rights and cut a deal with Columbia Pictures to make his picture, maintaining significant control. He shifted the focus from Jack Burden, as it was in the novel, to Willie Stark for the movie. Broderick Crawford stars as Stark, a charismatic Southern politician who betrays his "man of the people" roots as he ruthlessly manipulates, lies and deals his way into ultimate power. John Ireland plays his right-hand man, Burden, a former newsman who hangs on to Stark's early idealism even in the face of his snowballing corruption. Rossen originally offered the starring role to John Wayne, who vehemently turned down the part finding the script unpatriotic. Crawford, who eventually took the role, won 1949 Best Actor Academy Award, beating out Wayne for his role in Sands of Iwo Jima. 

Interesting facts about the director... Rossen filmed in an unusual manner -  nobody in the cast had a script. What the wha? Rossen let them read it once and took it away from them and relied on loosely scripted improvisation. According to Crawford, "We really had to stay on our toes." 

I love the title lobby card in this set - the big brotheresque campaign signs and the hypersaturated colors compliment the melodramatic intensity of the stills on the three others. It feels like a hot campaign season in the south - sweaty politicians, fedoras and trenchcoats, overwrought emotions sprinkled with the stank of good old-fashioned lust for power. Sounds like a good movie to me. Below is a trailer a trailer!

Learn more about the movie at IMDB  •  Buy the movie on Amazon

Strange Fascination (1952)

These lobby cards caught my eye - probably because of the sexy Cleo Moore lounging in the foreground with that come hither look on her face. Strange Fascination, made in 1952, tells of a  European pianist who comes to America and falls for a dancehall girl. Written, directed, produced and starring Hugo Haas, the film has not fared well in our collective movie memories. All signs say the movie starts alright but "descends into hollow melodrama". I can't find any videos online for it - or it for sale anywhere... that says about all we need to know. However, the lobby cards are kinda snazzy.

 Learn more about the movie at IMDB  

1984 (1956)

Back in 1956, there was still mystery to the notion that the nightmare of "1984" might come true in time. Although it's not exactly the same 1984 that George Orwell foretold, many of its premises and notions are all too familiar in 2012. This 1956 version of George Orwell's classic, 1984, is the first telling of the book on film and is directed by Michael Anderson and stars Edmond O'Brien, Donald Pleasance, Jan Sterling and Michael Redgrave.

George Orwell would be happy to find out that ecstasy is not a crime in the present - it's a billion dollar business. Sneak a peak at a little literary lust featured on this complete set of the movie's lobby cards. 

Read more about the movie on IMDB.  
Get the movie on Amazon.