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Frazetta On Film

Features by Leonard Maltin | January 10, 2012 1:00 AM
4 Comments

Frank Frazetta is revered as one of the great illustrators of the 20th century; his comics, magazine and paperback covers, especially in the realm of science-fiction and fantasy, are highly collectible. But fewer people seem to know about his mostly-anonymous freelance assignments creating artwork for movie posters in the 1960s and 70s like What’s New Pussycat?, After the Fox, and The Night They Raided Minsky’s. My pal Drew Friedman remedies this oversight in his latest blog post at drewfriedman.blogspot.com, where you’ll not only find reproductions of his major work in this field but some original art and running commentary by Drew.

This comes on the heels of Drew’s tribute to the great Jack Davis, one of the most prolific artists of our time, who’s still going strong in his 80s. His work for E.C. Comics and Mad paved the way for a long and varied career drawing covers for record albums and major magazines, and much, much more. He, too, was frequently called upon to create movie posters; perhaps his most memorable were It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and Woody Allen’s Bananas. You can read highlights of Drew Friedman’s recent interview with Davis, and see some of his work, HERE.

Many big-name artists, from Norman Rockwell to Al Hirschfeld, dabbled in movie posters over the decades, but Frazetta and Davis created a niche all their own. What’s more, many of their posters are still available—and affordable.

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4 Comments

  • Hank Zangara | January 11, 2012 6:16 PMReply

    That terrific feature-length documentary "Frazetta: Painting with Fire" (2003) is available as a bonus extra on the 2-disc DVD edition of Ralph Bakshi's "Fire and Ice."

  • Norm | January 10, 2012 4:08 PMReply

    The World of Frank Frazetta was definitely a creative one. While his science fiction works dominated and set standards few have achieved. There is also a nice, well done film documentary of the man: Frazetta on Fire(2003). For those who want to know more of this very gifted artist, and the man behind the lines. I really enjoy his work, as art has immortality it will always be with us. His poster work, magazine art are all first rate. His ability to capture the world as he saw it is truly inspirational. Thank you Frank...

  • John L. Matthew | January 11, 2012 7:20 PM

    I was privileged to meet Norman Wisdom backstage here by tagging along with a family that had asked to meet him. He was truly a wonderful man. His autobiography deserves reading. A horrific childhood, saved by enlisting in the British army in India. A gradual emergance in show biz, that led to a Rank contract & a slew of fantastic comedy films. He had an amazing life, manning the wartime phones for Winston Churchill! Fabulous stage appearances & tv shows. "The Night They Raided Minsky's" is one of my all-time favorites. Had dear old Bert Lahr not passed away during filming, his scenes with Norman might have gotten Wisdom an award! The song & sequence 'You're A Gentleman" with partner Jason Robarts is fabulous & very funny. One of Wisdom's best. Sadly at the very height of his international fame & in retirement, he developed alzheimers & passed away barely knowing who he was! One of life's greatest tragedies. John.

  • John L. Matthew | January 11, 2012 6:15 PM

    The version I have of the 2 disc DVD "Painting with Fire" - the Frank Frazetta documentary came from www.razor3donline.com/frazetta.html. $19.99. (With one of their VFX 3D converters it plays in 3D! They make 3D gear, as well as sellling films on DVD.) "Blue Underground" sells a special limited edition 2 disc DVD of "Fire & Ice", with the Frazetta DVD on disc 2, but with some extras missing! $34.95. www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7815707 has this 94 minute DVD for $21.49 Collectors Edition in metal box with 3D cover. Amazon.com is temporarily out of stock, but sells for $37.98 for the 2 disc "Fire & Ice" combo. Amazon.ca has it at $31.49, & for $55.91 includes a paperback Frazetta book "Testament: The Life & Art of Frank Frazetta". There are several expensive Frazetta books that are hard to find, this is one of them. Then there were several volumes in I think a Bantam special art series of soft cover books. At any rate don't miss the documentary, it is stunning! Sincerely Leonard & all your readers!!!

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