Currently available for auction by USA-based auction house Heritage Auctions, is an original Phantom Serial Poster dating from 1943.

The Phantom Serial was released by Columbia Pictures in USA on the 24th of December 1943. The Serial was filmed in black and white with a total running time of 299 minutes, produced by Rudolph C. Flothow and directed by Reeves Eason. The Phantom is played by Tom Tyler, with Diana Palmer played by Jeanne Bates (more information can be found HERE).

The Phantom serial was presented in theaters across 15 distinct chapters, each accompanied by a unique poster designed to promote these episodes. The poster provided by Heritage Auctions features Chapter 2 of the Phantom Serial, entitled ‘The Man Who Never Dies’, which was originally produced by the Morgan Lithograph Corporation in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, in 1943 (more information can be found HERE).

The Phantom Serial posters were produced in full color, each measuring 27” x 41”, with a total of 15 posters created—one for each Serial Chapter. Each of the 15 posters consistently features an illustration of the Phantom, Diana, and Devil, while incorporating an internal still image from the Serial, along with the respective Chapter title and Chapter number, which vary on each poster. The color scheme of the Serial still alternates between green and blue.

The description for the poster (seen on the left), as described by Heritage Auctions, is as follows:

The Phantom (Columbia, 1943). Very Fine- on Linen. One Sheet (27.25″ X 41″) Chapter 2 – “The Man Who Never Dies.” Serial.

Starring Tom Tyler, Jeanne Bates, Ace the Dog, Guy Bates Post, and Jay Silverheels. Directed by B. Reeves “Breezy” Eason. A restored poster with bright color and a clean overall appearance. Carefully applied touchup has corrected fold wear, small fold/crossfold separation, and a few slight tears. It now presents quite well. Grades on all restored items are pre-restoration grades.

The posters were produced on inexpensive, low-quality paper, intended for a single display before being disposed of by theater owners. The posters were purchased by the theaters at a cost of 15 cents from Columbia Pictures, with the theater exhibiting them on presentation boards secured with pins at each corner. Columbia Pictures dispatched the posters to theaters folded within an envelope.

The auction for the Phantom Serial Poster by Heritage Auctions can be found HERE.

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