Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1495092
Sara Deck, an artist working in the alternative movie poster genre, was chosen to do the five Nellie LaRoy posters. The Nellie LaRoy Photoplay cover and the Jack Conrad talkie poster, The Captain, went to movie poster artist Steven Chorney. Michael Koelsch landed the significant Photoplay cover portrait for the "Is Jack Conrad Through?" issue, Richard Hankins of the prop house History for Hire was chosen to do the courtroom illustration for the cover of a New York tabloid article on Jack Conrad's divorce trial. For a group of four comp versions of upcoming 1932 MGM films, we hired Jules Kmetzko, a local artist I've been working with for over twenty-five years. One project I had difficulty finding the right artist for was the poster for Maid's Off. It's the silent film comedy in which Nellie LaRoy gets her first role, stealing the picture from its star and producer Constance Moore. Florencia Martin had found a fun caricature style poster from the 1926 Mack Sennett short, The Divorce Dodger, on which to base it. Not only would I need someone capable of good caricature, but they would have to so in the period style, not an easy find. After a lengthy search, I assigned the art to David M. Brinley. The final artist commissioned was David Palumbo who painted Photoplay's Jack Conrad memorial cover. With Nellie LaRoy's star rising and reputation for outlandish behavior getting lots of attention, she lands on the cover of Photoplay where she's named "The Wild Child" by Elinor St. John (Jean Smart). Los Angeles movie poster artist Steven Chorney did the cover illustration in traditional media and after scanning made some final alterations in Photoshop. The Nellie LaRoy movie posters are featured in a scene where Manny Torres, who has risen from gofer to studio executive, gives a presentation to A. NELLIE'S FIRST ROLE IS IN MAID'S OFF. INSPIRED BY A MACK SENNETT SHORT POSTER, THE ILLUSTRATION IS BY DAVID M. BRINLEY. B. NIGHTS ADRIFT. THE POSE FOR THIS POSTER WAS INSPIRED BY SALOME (1918) STARRING THEDA BARA. C. THE DAME AND THE DESPOT. INSPIRED BY DOROTHY VERNON OF HADDON HALL (1924) STARRING MARY PICKFORD. D. DANCING JEWEL. INSPIRED BY THE ANNA MAY WONG FILM THE TOLL OF THE SEA (1922), AND THE COSTUME SPECTACULARS OF GLORIA SWANSON. A B D C