The Artists - The Movie Posters of Robert McGinnis
In the 2014 book “The Art of Robert E. McGinnis” (McGinnis and Scott – Amazon UK / US) the artist states “Painting is addictive. There is never enough time, never enough satisfaction … Nevertheless, painting is a good friend and I’m fortunate to be blissfully under its spell.”
That probably explains why, in a career now well into its eighth decade, one of the most successful commercial illustrators of the twentieth century is still producing stunning works of art.
Born in Ohio in 1926, the young McGinnis showed an early interest in art, copying images of Popeye with help from his artistic father. Some years later he would join Walt Disney Studios as an apprentice, before the onset of the second world war and a period in the Merchant Navy.
Post war, he returned to artistic studies at Ohio State University and a private art school in Cincinnati. One cartoon from that period “Mr Gordon Jex” (1947), bares (excuse the pun) the hallmarks of the deep understanding of the female form that would characterise McGinnis' later commercial work.
Paperback Book Covers
During a chance encounter in 1958 with Mitchell Hooks (see the James Bond “Dr. No” poster, “The King and I” (1956), “Gigi” (1958) and many others) it was suggested that McGinnis try his hand at illustrating for the expanding paperback book industry.
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So began a career of around sixty years, dominated by 'The McGinnis Woman', an attractive, undeniably sexy, perhaps seductive woman with a determined confidence, perhaps even a “sassiness”.
In a realm where the cover sold the book. The McGinnis Woman reigned as Queen.
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Movie Posters
Given the similarities between a book cover and a movie poster (both are unashamedly there to sell their wares) it was perhaps inevitable that McGinnis would be approached to work in the movies.
His first poster?
“Breakfast At Tiffany’s” (1961). Now one of the most sought after movie posters of the post war period.
With his wife and the family cat as models and a theatrical still of Audrey Hepburn, McGinnis produced one of most iconic images of Twentieth Century cinema. “You didn’t have to do much with her. She’s so perfect.” he has stated. Nearly sixty years on, she still is.
Beginning with “Thunderball” (1965) McGinnis became a 'go to' man for James Bond movie posters. That poster, together with “You Only Live Twice” (1967), “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” (1969) and "Live And Let Die" (1973) representing the pinnacle of Bond posters of the period.
But from them all, his favourite poster is apparently “The Odd Couple” (1968). He would paint Walter Matthau many times (see “Cactus Flower” (1969) and “Plaza Suite” (1971) for just a couple more examples) and always managed to catch the humour in that most expressive of faces.
In later years, McGinnis has bridged the gap between commercial illustration and gallery fine art, producing many incredible landscapes, steeped in the old mid-West of the United States. His website provides some stunning examples.
It is stated there that he has produced over forty movie posters. We think we have identified seventy-six. Which ones have we got wrong? Which ones have we missed? Over to you…
1960s
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Breakfast At Tiffany's (1961)
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The Pink Panther (1964)
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The Hallelujah Trail (1965)
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Run For Your Wife (1965)
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Thunderball (1965) (with Frank McCarthy)
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Up To His Ears (1965) (aka "Chinese Adventures in China")
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Any Wednesday (1966) (aka Bachelor Girl Apartment)
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Arabesque (1966)
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Gambit (1966)
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How To Steal A Million (1966)
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Lady L (1966)
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Murderers' Row (1966)
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The Silencers (1966)
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The Ambushers (1967)
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Barefoot In The Park (1967)
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Casino Royale (1967)
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Clambake (1967)
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Half A Sixpence (1967)
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Jack of Diamonds (1967)
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You Only Live Twice (1967)
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Barbarella (1968)
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The Biggest Bundle Of Them All (1968)
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Don't Just Stand There (1968)
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Live A Little, Love A Little (1968)
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The Odd Couple (1968)
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Stay Away Joe (1968)
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Where Were You When The Lights Went Out? (1968)
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The Assassination Bureau (1969)
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Cactus Flower (1969)
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The Great Bank Robbery (1969)
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On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
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Sinful Davey (1969)
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Sweet Charity (1969)
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The Wrecking Crew (1969)
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1970s
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Cotton Comes To Harlem (1970)
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French Wives (1970)
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How Do I Love Thee? (1970)
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The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes (1970)
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Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
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A Fistful of Dynamite (1971) (aka Duck, You Sucker)
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Plaza Suite (1971)
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Romance Of A Horsethief (1971)
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Come Back Charleston Blue (1972)
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The Honkers (1972)
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Innocent Bystanders (1972)
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Winged Devils (1972)
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Bread and Chocolate (1973)
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The Day Of The Dolphin (1973)
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Live And Let Die (1973)
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The Manhandlers (1973) (removed as attributed to John Solie) |
The Models (1973) (aka In Love With Sex)
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The Optimists (1973) (aka The Optimists of Nine Elms)
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Scorpio (1973)
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The Four of Us (1974)
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House of 1000 Pleasures (1974) (aka Private Club)
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The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)
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Sleeper (1974)
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Thunderbolt And Lightfoot (1974)
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Brannigan (1975)
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La Nottata (1975)
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The Sunshine Boys (1975)
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The Teasers (1975) (aka Undergraduate Girls)
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Gator (1976)
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The Girls Who'll Do Anything (1976)
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Norman, Is That You? (1976)
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Let's Make A Dirty Movie (1977)
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Semi-Tough (1977)
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The Teasers Go To Paris (1977)
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Comes A Horseman (1978)
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1980s and beyond
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ffolkes (1980) (aka North Sea Hijack)
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Little Miss Marker (1980)
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The Man From S.E.X. (1980) (aka Licensed to Love and Kill)
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Young and Innocent (1982)
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The Clan Of The Cave Bear (1986) (with Phillippe Druillet)
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Everybody's Fine (1990)
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The Incredibles (2004)
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A stunning body of work that on the whole, perhaps more than any other movie poster illustrator, has a coherence and an unmistakably unique style to it.
If you'd like to find a McGinnis Woman for your wall, why not take a look at the Robert McGinnis posters we currently have available.
We hope you find something you love.
Adam and the Art of the Movies team.
‘The Manhandlers’ certainly has the look of Solie and it is referenced as such elsewhere, so we’ll correct that. Thanks Mark, great feedback.
You’re right, Brannigan is McGinnis.
The Manhandlers was John Solie, also.
Thanks Mark. The ‘Pink Panther’ error was a schoolboy one – we had used the one sheet image rather than the three sheet! Now corrected.
With regards to Brannigan, we weren’t able to find a reference to Kunstler for that poster, so have added a note to the page. If you have one, please let us know and I will update the page again.
Brannigan was Mort Kunstler, and The Pink Panther was Jack Rickard. Otherwise, great stuff.