Earlier this week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a major gift of 1,088 of posters from the golden age of Hollywood. These pieces of art were donated by Dwight Cleveland, a Chicago real estate developer. According to the Academy, Cleveland has amassed one of the largest and most historically significant collections of movie posters in the world. His gift includes posters of westerns, war films, musicals, biblical tales, and social problem films.
The new collection will be stored at the Academy”s Margaret Herrick Library and in a release from the Academy, Library Director Linda Mehr noted, “B-movies tap into the public consciousness and provide rich fodder for better understanding the times.”
While not officially dictated by the Academy, this sort of gift is an example of the important contributions AMPAS should expect to receive as the Academy Museum moves from dream to reality. Expected to open in 2016, the Academy Museum will be part of the LACMA campus on Wilshire Blvd.
AMPAS provided HitFix with six examples of the Cleveland collection including posters for “Primrose Path” starring Ginger Rogers, “College Swing” starring George Burns and Gracie Allen and, no joke, the first “Fast and Furious” from way back in 1939. You can view them in the embedded gallery below.