OUT OF THE PAST (1947) Film-Noir Robert and 14 similar items

Vintage original 27 x 41 in. US one-sheet poster from perhaps the greatest Film-Noir crime drama of all time, OUT OF THE PAST, released in 1947 by RKO Radio Pictures and directed by Jacques Tourneur. A private eye (Robert Mitchum) escapes his past to run a gas station in a small town, but his past catches up with him. Now he must return to the big city world of danger, corruption, double crosses, and duplicitous dames. The cast includes Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, Richard Webb, Steve Brodie, Virginia Huston, Paul Valentine, Dickie Moore, Ken Niles, Brooks Benedict, and Oliver Blake. This one-sheet poster was printed for the film's 1953 US theatrical re-release that was also handled by RKO Radio Pictures and the design is very similar to the 1947 one-sheet. Unlike the earlier design, this one-sheet depicts the film's four main cast members: Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas, and Rhonda Fleming. It has been professionally mounted to a thick piece of cardstock and has been lightly trimmed to 26 x 40 inches. The color tints are fresh and vibrant without any signs of fading. This poster will be shipped flat and packed carefully to prevent damage while in transit. The original release one-sheet has sold in the range of $10,000 - $22,000. Although RKO had focused on making more lucrative "B" pictures during the early 1940's, this was given an "A" budget. The title comes from the song used as background music throughout the movie: "You Keep Coming Back Like a Song." The title is also the last line; the line before it is: "From out of the past, where forgotten things belong." By all accounts, it was obvious that an undeniable tension developed between Kirk Douglas and Robert Mitchum early on during the filming. Certainly the acting styles of the two men could not have been more different. Mitchum's relaxed, laconic manner contrasted with the aggressive, grandstanding Douglas. In the first scenes to be shot with the two actors, Douglas attempted some scene-stealing by manipulating distracting props, such as swinging a key chain or flipping a coin, George Raft style. Jacques Tourneur saw through these ploys and put a stop to them. For his part, Mitchum would retaliate by making faces when the camera was behind his head, so as to throw off Douglas' reaction shots. Eventually the one-upmanship faded, and the two let their natural styles complement each other.