MAD ABOUT MEN

Original British 17 inch x 10 3/4 inch 10 Page Illustrated Pressbook for the 1954 Ralph Thomas Comedy MAD ABOUT MEN, based on a story by Peter Blackmore and starring Glynis Johns, Donald Sinden, Anne Crawford, Margaret Rutherford, Dora Bryan, Nicholas Phipps, Noel Purcell, Irene Handl, Joan Hickson, Judith Furse, Deryck Guyler, Meredith Edwards, Marianne Stone, George Woodbridge, Anthony Oliver, Dandy Nichols and Stringer Davis.

Story of mermaid who takes the place of a cousin ashore and wreaks havoc with hearts in a Cornish village. This was the sequel to MIRANDA.

Centre spread lift bill poster art by Eric Pulford (1915 – 2005). Having taken life classes at Leeds College of Art for 5 years Pulford was apprenticed as a commercial artist in 1931 to Gilchrist Bros a process house of 24 staff. Leslie Whitchurch, a partner in a Leicester based agency and also a part-time publicity manager for Rank, became aware of Pulford’s work and asked him to do some freelance work for him. Then in 1943 Rank invited Pulford to start a publicity department for them in London resulting in posters for “Henry V”, “Odd Man Out” and “Oliver Twist”. When the head of Downtons advertising agency, Charles Collins, died, Pulford was asked to take over. He became chairman and managing director but still spent most of his time designing posters. He retired in 1986. Pulford is responsible, either through his own artwork or design, for several hundred posters, some for classic films such as the ones already mentioned plus “Edge of the World”, “The Importance of Being Earnest”, “Genevieve”, “Reach for the Sky” and “A Night to Remember”. He is, without doubt, the most important force in British film poster design from the mid-1940s to the early 1980s.

The pressbook is in fine condition.