Eastwood and Newman paired again / Misty World Premiere Ad

Eastwood and Newman paired again / Misty World Premiere Ad

It’s fair to say that both Clint and Paul Newman had crossed paths many a time. It was rumoured that Newman actually suggested Clint for the role of Dirty Harry. They joined up for that famous photo shoot in Tucson, Arizona when Newman was making the movie The life and times of Judge Roy Bean, and a few years later ‘Eiger’ became another project of shared interest at Universal. 

I’ve got to say though, I never had no idea of this particular pairing featuring Play Misty for Me and Newman’s Sometimes a great Notion (1971). Both films were made in the same year and both were dramas of sorts. Both were also Universal Pictures. Sometimes a Great Notion starred Newman, Henry Fonda, Michael Sarrazin and Lee Remick. 

I’ve also included here a couple more recently found ads for Play Misty for Me – you may notice one appears to be a ‘world premiere’. Whilst Play Misty for Me premiered in October 1971 at the San Francisco Film Festival. It opened in six cities on October 20, 1971, before expanding in November. However, the film also had a very early premiere in the United States in El Paso, Texas, on August 4th, 1971 – which seems to tie in nicely with this particular ad and justifying perfectly the wording of ‘World premiere’. The premiere was probably held at the Plaza – The Plaza Theatre opened September 12, 1930 for movies and stage shows, it had a seating capacity for 2,298. The theatre’s Atmospheric style beauty is equally matched by its glorious Spanish Colonial decor. A truly stunning movie palace, it is one of a handful of theatres that became part of the Save America’s Treasures program.

After decades as an entertainment venue for the city, the Plaza Theatre was narrowly saved from demolition in 1987 by the El Paso Community Foundation who raised $1 million for the theatre’s restoration. The city later took control of the Plaza Theatre and a renovation and restoration project was underway for several years to reopen the theatre.

Assisted by the Save America’s Treasures program, the Plaza Theatre received the help it needed to complete the renovation and reopened March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day), 2006.

I believe the ‘cinema park’ also featured in the ad was a 3-screen Cinema Park Drive-In which was opened on May 7, 1969, it was located on Montana Avenue in El Paso’s east side.

Below: Misty's official premiere when shown at the San Francisco Film Festival in October 1971

VINTAGE BERWICK RAWHIDE GAME 1960

VINTAGE BERWICK RAWHIDE GAME 1960

It was great to finally land one of these vintage Rawhide game produced in 1960 by Berwick. Made in England, it came complete with instructions, play money, markers in the shape of cows and the original tumbling dice and tub. Lid with photo of Clint Eastwood and illustration of Eric Fleming. 

This early children's game based on the long running TV series Rawhide and it accommodated 2-4 players, in a basic roll and move game designed to be a race to be the first to get the cattle to the finish line.

There is an interesting comparison between the English version of the game and the U.S. version (produced by Lowell Corp). The main difference being the box art which only features Eric Fleming as trail boss Gil Favor. Clint’s character of Rowdy Yates is completely omitted. Arguably, Clint’s role was still not strong enough to be featured? On the British box art however, Clint does appear (in photo format) which has been overlaid on the artwork – almost as if it has been added as a late afterthought.  

Anyway, it’s great to finally own one of these. 

Below: The U.S. version of the board game

A Perfect world German A2 Video poster

A Perfect world German A2 Video poster

I wanted to shout out a big thank you to my No2 here on the Archive, Davy Triumph. He often springs a surprise on me – especially if he knows it’s something I’m missing. So last week this beautiful A2 German video poster for A Perfect World (*Perfect World) showed up out of the blue. I really wanted this design, and been after it for a while. Germany really went all out to promote this movie on Video with several different designs emerging over the advertising campagne. This particular one featured a striking profile shot of Clint as Chief "Red" Garnett. Great to finally have a copy in the collection. 

My kind thanks sir.  

Cannes 2008 official festival Programme

Cannes 2008 official festival Programme

It was quite a nice surprise to see this pop up the other night, the Cannes Film Festival 2008 Official Programme - 2008 was of course the year that Clint entered Changeling in an official capacity - Clint was famously there along with Angelina Jolie and with Catherine Deneuve on his arm. Both Clint and Deneuve were awarded a Special Prize for their lifetime achievements at the Cannes Film Festival. They received the honour at the closing ceremony of the 61st annual festival, which was presided over by jury president Sean Penn. It was nice to finally secure this copy.

From the Cannes official website on May 20th 2008:

Competition: “Changeling” by Clint Eastwood

Five years after premiering Mystic River at the Festival de Cannes, Clint Eastwood returns to Competition with Changeling, a thriller which takes place in the late 1920s in a working-class suburb of Los Angeles. Angelina Jolie stars as Christine Collins, a mother whose son Walter mysteriously disappears one day. After an intensive search effort lasting several months, a nine-year-old boy who says he is Walter is returned to her. Unfortunately, the boy is not her son. Christine, accused of being delusional and irresponsible, allies herself with a minister (played by John Malkovich). Together, they continue investigating the matter, eventually implicating the city’s legal officials.

Based on a true story, the screenplay written by Joe Michael Straczynski immediately grabbed the attention of producers Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, as well as that of director Clint Eastwood. "I took it with me on a trip to Berlin," recalls Eastwood. "On the way back on the plane, I read it and I liked it a lot. As soon as I got in, I called Brian and Ron and said, ‘Yeah, I’ll do this.’ And they said, ‘Angelina Jolie liked the script and wants to do this.’ I said, ‘She’d be great. I like her work a lot.’ And that’s how it came about – very quick and simple." Clint Eastwood remarked, "Angelina Jolie is unique. She reminds me of a lot of the actresses from the Golden Age of movies in the 40s – Katherine Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman, Bette Davis, Susan Hayward, all of them. They were all very distinctive, and they all had a lot of presence. She’s a tremendous actress."

(Left, Catherine Deneuve collecting her award)

Jury President in 1994 and also present in Cannes for the out-of-competition presentation of Absolute Power in 1997; in Competition for Pale Rider in 1985; Bird in 1988 (which won the Commission Supérieure Technique Grand Prize), and White Hunter Black Heart in 1990, Clint Eastwood has a reputation for speed and efficiency on the set. He deliberately cuts down on rehearsal times to preserve the spontaneity and authenticity of the acting, and rarely does several takes. He arrived at this approach from his own preferences as an actor: 

“Everything I do as a director is based upon what I prefer as an actor. It’s all a learning process over the years. No matter how you plan it, things happen that either work for you or against you. So there’s always the excitement of trying to make it work, of taking a little stack of paper and make it into a living thing.”

Below: The 2008 Festival De Cannes Programme

Photo Opportunity #67 Clint in Joe Kidd

Photo Opportunity #67 Clint in Joe Kidd

November already, where does it go? Actually, there isn’t much to say regarding this shot which is a cracker and one I’d never seen before. Here’s Clint on location during the making of his Universal western film, Joe Kidd (1972). Eastwood's character is seen here with a customised, scope-equipped Ross Rifle sporter model M-10 in .280 Ross that he steals from one of the bounty hunters. 

I simply spotted this on the web and as I hadn’t seen it before, I thought why not… That’s it, a no fuss Photo Opportunity for November. 

Behold the light!

Behold the light!

I’d been wondering if I should take a gamble on one of these lights featured on Ebay etc, advertised as Neon (which it’s clearly not) it’s lit by an LED strip at the top over and etched or engraved piece of clear Perspex. There are a number of set designs or alternatively you can submit your own design by choosing from a range of fonts etc. It was £29.99 all in including postage, and it was a fast and efficient service too. It gives out a surprisingly good light too; you can choose colour or (with an app) have it change to all number of colours – I just went for the Archive’s signature colour of green. I put mine in the hall where it makes for a great night light and it is USB powered. Glad I took the plunge, thought I might be taking one for the team here, but on reflection, I like it and not at all disappointed. 

Metallic Silver Finish Dollar Statues from Cave Craft

Metallic Silver Finish Dollar Statues from Cave Craft

A few weeks ago, I crossed paths with David Irwin, a rather talented gentleman who creates and makes some great, iconic figures from film and music. David told me, ‘It started purely as a hobby, creating models for family and friends and suddenly it turned into a rapidly growing business, as more and more people seemed to want them.’ David’s company ‘CaveCraft’ began early in 2025.

David contacted me as he is also a bit of an Eastwood fan. ‘I am slightly bias’, he told me. ‘When deciding on new designs I always go back to Clint. He’s just so iconic. Eastwood has always been one of my favourite actors, from the iconic ‘Dollars’ trilogy to Gran Torino – there’s just so many magical cinematic moments.' 

Dave kindly forwarded the 4 current Eastwood Dollar figures to me, and I have to say, I was very impressed with the detail, the workmanship and the cost of these figures. Each figure is finished off on their own pine base. They really do offer great value for money. 

‘The idea was to create and offer good quality models of people’s favourite idols/icons – but at a reasonable price. Each model goes through a multi stage 3–4-day process and constant quality checks to ensure the customer gets the best possible model’

I was so impressed with these dollar figures, I thought they deserved a bit more exposure here. Dave is currently selling via Ebay, user name CaveCraft or follow this link here. Dave is currently working on a website which is planned to be up and running by early 2026. 

Figures - High Quality Resin- Metallic Silver Finish

Base- Solid wood Pine- Stain Finish (15cm Diameter) 

Height (including Base) Approx 18cm

The Four Eastwood figures currently available are:

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Statue

Clint Eastwood 'The Good' Statue 

Clint Eastwood 'Man with no name' Statue

Clint Eastwood 'A few dollars more' Statue

Excellent work Dave! 

The Man with the Golden Gun MEETS Thunderbolt and Lightfoot

The Man with the Golden Gun MEETS Thunderbolt and Lightfoot

We like a classic pairing here on the Archive – and we’ve seen a great deal over the years, including Mr 007 himself – James Bond who has been paired up with the Dollar films as a result of them both emerging from the United Artists camp.

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot has been paired up with another iconic character in the past, most notably Bruce Lee in the classic Kung Fu movie The Way of the Dragon.

However, it was nice to discover (Thanks to Davy Triumph) this rare piece of evidence to show that Clint was again paired up in the 70’s (alongside Bond) for a Big Gun feast including The Man with the Golden Gun / Thunderbolt and Lightfoot.

This rare ad, believed to be from November 14th 1975 shows the films running together at the Woods movie theatre on the corner of Randolph and Dearborn Streets in Chicago. 

The Woods live theatre venue converted to show movies in 1932. It later became the flagship venue for Essaness Theatres, which moved its headquarters into the building. Starting in the 1950s, the building featured an unusually large marquee facing Dearborn Street. The facade and its marquee can be seen in the parade scene of the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

(Left, The Woods Theatre in 1970)

In its later years the quality of the venue declined. In 1982, the management had to pay for medical treatments when a patron was bitten by a rat during a show! By 1988, the Woods had become the last of the Chicago Loop movie houses. It closed on January 8, 1989, after a screening of Hellbound: Hellraiser II. 

After being considered for entry in the National Register of Historic Places, it was demolished in 1990.

Rats or no rats – I think I would have paid a couple of bucks to watch these two men of action back together on the Big Screen! God Bless the 70’s!

A Universal Double-Bill Not to be missed The Eiger Sanction / Play Misty for Me

A Universal Double-Bill Not to be missed The Eiger Sanction / Play Misty for Me

Every now and then we discover some small shred of evidence or some proof of a double-bill presentation of the past that really works. This ‘The Eiger Sanction / Play Misty for Me’ flagship double bill was a promotional pairing of two great 70’s thrillers. The Eiger Sanction (1975) and Play Misty for Me (1971) were both intense thrillers directed by and starring Clint, with The Eiger Sanction being an action/spy film and Play Misty for Me a psychological thriller. Both were made for Universal, with Eiger being the last of an incredibly successful period before Clint’s more permanent move to Warner Brothers.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when this pairing took place, but an educated guess of 1976-1977 probably wouldn’t be too far out. 

It certainly makes for an excellent ad. My thanks to Davy Triumph for digging this one up. 

Very Rare DIRTY HARRY Chirashi

Very Rare DIRTY HARRY Chirashi

Japanese flyers are most commonly called Chirashi (チラシ), a term used for promotional leaflets and mini-posters that are often distributed in cinemas and other venues to advertise movies, products, or events. While "chirashi" can also refer to sushi, the context of "flyer" is indicated by the Japanese word for movie flyers, eiga chirashi (映画チラシ).

Inside the Cult World of Japan’s Mini Movie Flyers:

In the dim glow of a Japanese movie theater lobby, there’s a humble art form waiting by the ticket booth. It’s not on the screen. It’s stacked on a metal rack, maybe clipped behind a glass case. No flashing lights. No booming trailer. Just a flyer — about the size of a paperback book — with gorgeous, custom artwork printed on glossy paper.

They’re called chirashi, and for movie collectors, they’re a quietly obsessive treasure trove of cinematic ephemera. Part advertising, part miniature masterpiece, chirashi have become one of Japan’s most beloved — and affordable — forms of movie memorabilia.

In the most literal sense, chirashi (チラシ) just means “flyer.” But in the movie world, chirashi are Japan’s uniquely compact movie posters, typically printed in B5 size (roughly 7” x 10”), and only available from theatre’s while a film is actively showing. That limited-time-only nature is what makes them collectible — and increasingly rare.

Unlike oversized one-sheets or rolled wall posters, chirashi are designed to be taken home in your tote bag. They’re often double-sided or bi-fold (like a tiny program), printed on surprisingly high-quality paper, and made to feel more like a keepsake than a throwaway ad.

What is very special about this original Dirty Harry chirashi is its double size, roughly 14” x 10”. It contains some great artistic design and is fully printed on the inside. Prices are increasing on chirashi mini posters – but I w2as even stunned when I spotted this one, currently on sale on Ebay for a ball busting US $119.99 or approximately £89.03 (if that softens the blow). Now I like these little keepsakes – but I don’t think I will ever be splashing out that sort of cash for the pleasure of owning one of these.

Memorabilia collecting is becoming an expensive sport…

THE REGENT THEATRE Classic 1967 Advertisement

THE REGENT THEATRE Classic 1967 Advertisement 

The Regent Theatre is a beautiful one-screen, Art Deco theatre that first started showing movies in 1919. It is currently owned and operated by the City of Allegan and features first-run, new release films in state-of-the-art digital projection.

The Regent boasts a glittering neon marquee that has acted as a beacon in historic downtown Allegan since its installation in the 1930s. On the backside of the brick building, a beautiful art deco-inspired mural painted by celebrated West Michigan artist José Narezo adorns the wall to create a unique picture-taking opportunity.

To celebrate this beautiful Theatre, here is an original Advertisement from one of its original 1967 flyers. A Fistful of Dollars was showing on February 26th, 27th and 28th of 1967. Also showing that month (and featured on the cover) was the Michael Caine sequel to The Ipcress File, Funeral in Berlin. 

We do love old time cinema… 

Renato Casaro, Famed Italian Designer of Movie Posters, Dies at 89

Renato Casaro, Famed Italian Designer of Movie Posters, Dies at 89

He created artwork for ‘A Fistful of Dollars,’ ‘Conan the Barbarian’ and more, then made a comeback with ‘Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood.’

Renato Casaro, the Italian designer of movie posters renowned for the hand-crafted art he created for films including A Fistful of Dollars, Conan the Barbarian and the Rambo features, has died. He was 89.

Casaro died Monday night in a hospital in his native Treviso, Italy, after being admitted days earlier with bronchopneumonia, the Italian news service RAI reported.

Casaro helped put bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger the map in Hollywood with his poster for the Dino De Laurentiis-produced Conan the Barbarian (1982), and he also designed posters for the actor’s Red Sonja (1985), The Running Man (1987), Total Recall (1990), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and True Lies (1994).

“Schwarzenegger was the perfect man to paint,” he told The Guardian in 2022. “He had a tough expression. His face was like a sculpture. It was a real pleasure for me — I have always had a weakness for heroes.”

Sylvester Stallone, another heroic figure in Hollywood, said Casaro “captured his soul” with posters for his films, which included the Rambo features of 1982, 1985 and 1988, plus Over the Top (1987), Lock Up (1989) and Cliffhanger (1993).

Casaro created posters for lots of spaghetti Westerns early in his career, and one for Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars (1964), starring Clint Eastwood, helped that movie become a worldwide sensation. He then reunited with the Italian filmmaker for My Name Is Nobody (1973) and Once Upon a Time in America (1984).

Casaro said the key to a successful poster is to “capture the essential: that moment, that glance, that attitude, that movement that says everything and condenses the entire story. That’s the hard part,” he told The New York Times in 2021. “You can’t cheat. You can’t promise something that isn’t there.”

Born on Oct. 26, 1935, Casaro became fascinated with billboards as a kid and tried to reproduce paintings by such artists as American Norman Rockwell and countryman Angelo Cesselon. When he was a teenager, he drew posters on the walls of the local Garibaldi Cinema in exchange for tickets.

Casaro landed a job as an apprentice lithographer at the Zoppelli printing house and worked for a year as an illustrator for the film ad agency Studio Favalli in Rome before opening his own studio at age 21.

Among his first professional movie posters were for the rerelease of Allan Dwan’s Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) and for the 1955 Italian films Romeo & Juliet and Zwei blaue Augen. With the rise of the spaghetti Western, he was drawing about a 100 posters a year.

In 1965, Casaro burst onto the international scene with his poster for John Huston’s epic The Bible in the Beginning … (1966), which ignited a long collaboration with De Laurentiis.

“It was a colossal film,” he told CBS News in a 2022 interview. “My posters were put on billboards on Sunset Boulevard. After that, my phone never stopped ringing.”

One of his favorite pieces was one for Luc Besson’s La Femme Nikita (1990), and he also worked with Bernardo Bertolucci on The Last Emperor (1987) and The Sheltering Sky (1990), with David Lynch on Dune (1984) and Wild at Heart (1990) and with Rob Reiner on The Princess Bride (1987) and Misery (1990).

His résumé also included artwork for Flash Gordon (1980), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981), Blow Out (1981), Octopussy (1983), The NeverEnding Story (1984), Angel Heart (1987), The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), Wild Orchid (1989) and Dances With Wolves (1990).

After a long period in Spain and Germany, he returned to live and work in his hometown about a decade ago. A documentary about his life, The Last Movie Painter, was released in 2020.

Casaro stopped designing posters in 1998 when studios turned away from hand-drawn artwork to use Photoshop and other digital tools. But then Quentin Tarantino called out of nowhere, looking for posters for a vintage spaghetti Western starring Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) for Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood (2019) (below).

Tarantino later sent him a signed photo of DiCaprio with one of the posters. “Thanks so much for your art gracing my picture,” he said in an accompanying message. “You’ve always been my favourite.”

We at the Archive share that sentiment, RIP Maestro

With kind thanks to Graham Rye

Rare Good, Bad and the Ugly poster (kinda)

Rare Good, Bad and the Ugly poster (kinda(

Here’s a little something you won’t see every day.  Yes, despite the use of varied artwork elements, this is actually a poster for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. If it looks a little unusual, that’s because it is a Trinidadian Poster (27" X 42").

I think this is the first time we have ever featured a poster from Trinidad here on the Archive.  It’s an unrestored poster with bright colour and a clean overall appearance. Despite that of course there are some glaringly obvious errors in the design. In fact, Eli Wallach’s Tuco is the only actual image from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The Lee Van Cleef image is in fact taken from The Big Gundown (1967) and the shot of Clint is actually from High Plains Drifter (1973)! This hints naturally that this particular poster comes from a 70’s release (at the earliest). 

Anyway, a rare treat. Thank you to Davy Triumph for finding this one.