‘This Is My Street’ (1964) Rare Original Quad Poster Prototype Artwork By Tom Chantrell – Shared With Us By Owner
Picture above: Highly finished prototype artwork (17 3/4″x 22 1/2″) – by Tom Chantrell – for the Quad poster for This Is My Street (1964)
Every so now and then, I am contacted by someone who makes the running of this website so worthwhile. I received an email from Terry Doyle, a self-confessed admirer of the work of artist and illustrator Tom Chantrell – probably the most famous of all 20th Century British cinema poster artists.
Terry had acquired the original finished prototype artwork for the film, This Is My Street (1964), which starred Ian Hendry alongside June Ritchie – the second time that the two had worked together, following on from Live Now, Pay Later released in 1962.
Terry kindly offered to share this artwork with us and has given permission to re-publish it here.
The Tom Chantrell website describe this artwork as:
“A really sumptuous piece, this being highly finished prototype artwork (17 3/4″x 22 1/2”) for the Quad poster for the 1964 “kitchen-sink” drama, “This Is My Street” (the prototype nature of the piece revealed by the scribbled cast & credits notations on the bottom rim – the artwork otherwise looking completely finished). The artwork is on artboard & set in a mount with a protective overlay. For the purpose of comparison, we also show the finished Quad.”
Picture above: Final artwork for Quad poster, including slight changes to background artwork, font size of ‘ Peter Rogers’, typed credits replacing the handwritten ones at the bottom of poster and a slight change to June Ritchie’s eyes!
To visit the Tom Chantrell website and see a side by side comparison of this artwork with the finished poster click here.
Ian Hendry – The Humphrey Bogart Influence?
This poster has always been one of my favourites and I’ve always thought that there was a certain ‘Humphrey Bogart feel’ to the way that Ian was depicted. The following may help to perhaps explain why. Whilst researching his biography on Ian Hendry, Gabriel Hershman uncovered a quote from a review in the Daily Express in 1963, which may add credence to this idea:
“….the brilliant young actor whose versatility has already had him compared with both Chaplin and tough-guy Humphrey Bogart.”
– The Daily Express on Ian Hendry
Picture: Humphrey Bogart (undated) – a possible influence on the This Is My Street artwork?
It’s interesting to learn about the way Tom worked:
“Chantrell did not see the films he drew for; he would receive a plot line and a handful of stills and use friends and family for poses. Examples of this were taking photographs of himself trying to look like a vampire for Dracula Has Risen from the Grave and his wife Shirley held a plastic sword in the back garden to pose for Princess Leia on the original Star Wars poster. Chantrell’s posters were often produced prior to the film being made in order to raise money from investors.”
Source: Tom Chantrell in Wikipedia
So there is a distinct possibility that the marketing team prepared a brief for Tom Chantrell, with press reviews including the one written for the Daily Express in the previous year. We will, perhaps, never know for certain but it adds to the story and I do like to think that there is a Humphrey Bogart connection somewhere in all of this!
Tom Chantrell – Film Poster Artist and Illustrator
Tom Chantrell – born Thomas William Chantrell in Manchester on December 20, 1916 – July 15, 2001.
The son of a trapeze artist, Chantrell was the youngest of nine children. He left Manchester Art College and went into advertising, eventually starting in 1933 at Allardyce Palmer who had accounts with Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox. In 1938 he designed his first film poster The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse.
He continued with posters until World War II service with the Royal Engineers bomb disposal units. After demobilisation he returned to Allardyce Palmer eventually doing over 7,000 film posters.
Picture above: Tom Chantrell
The Tom Chantrell website has a great online biography about him, written by Sim Branaghan, which is well worth a read.
Sim Branaghan sets the scene at the beginning of his in-depth piece on Tom Chantrell:
“What links the films Brighton Rock, Summer Holiday, One Million Years BC, Gonks Go Beat, East of Eden, Carry On Screaming, Bonnie and Clyde, Let’s Make Love, Star Wars, Housewives On the Job, Far From the Madding Crowdand Hellcat Mud Wrestlers? I’ll give you a clue, it isn’t Thomas Hardy. In fact it is the unassuming Manchester artist Tom Chantrell, who painted these and many hundreds of other classic film posters in a stunning career that spanned half a century, and took in what most would consider the great post-war Golden Age of popular cinema.”
The biography provides some great insights into Tom Chantrell’s life and his work within a fascinating industry. Rather than rewrite or ‘borrow’ from this text, I suggest that if you are interested, that you take a few minutes to read the biography in full by clicking here.
Selected Works – Tom Chantrell
Picture above: Star Wars (1977) – poster artwork by Tom Chantrell
Picture above: One Million Years BC (1965) – poster artwork by Tom Chantrell
Picture above: Bad Man’s River (1971) – poster artwork by Tom Chantrell
Picture above: Guns at Batasi (1964) – poster artwork by Tom Chantrell
Picture above: Death in the Sun (1976) – poster artwork by Tom Chantrell
British Film Posters: An Illustrated History
For those of you interested in exploring the wonderful world of the British film poster, there is a great book by Sim Branaghan called ‘British Film Posters: An Illustrated History’.
It’s described as:
“The first complete history of illustrated film posters in the UK covers every aspect of design, printing and display from the Victorian era to the arrival of DeskTop Publishing in the 1980s. British Film Posters examins the contribution ‘vintage’ film posters have made to British popular art of the 20th century. “
The book is available to purchase on Amazon and from the Tom Chantrell site as well.
And if you are interested in purchaing some of Tom Chantrell’s artwork yourself, then check out their latest listings here.
And finally, a big thank you to Terry for sharing his artwork with us and for giving us permission to publish it on the site.
Until next time,
Neil Hendry
Editor, Official Website of Ian Hendry
Further Reading
A detailed account of the life and work of Ian Hendry in the new biography:
Read: ‘Send in the Clowns – The Yo Yo Life Of Ian Hendry’ by Gabriel Hershman
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The McKenzie Break (1970) – Universal Artists Promotional Still
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The Avengers Promotional Photoshoot In Soho, London – Ian Hendry + Patrick Macnee + Ingrid Hafner (5th December 1960 ABC TV)
Brian Clemens – Rare Interview Of Legendary Screenwriter and Producer Rediscovered And Released On DVD
Rare Still – Ian Hendry + June Ritchie: This Is My Street (1964)
The Hill (1965) – Harry Andrews (as Sergeant Major Wilson) + Ian Hendry (as Staff Sergeant Williams) + Sean Connery (as Joe Roberts)
100th Celebratory Post – Restrospective Of 10 Key Highlights + Discoveries From The Official Website Of Ian Hendry
The Avengers (1961) – Lost Episode ‘Tunnel Of Fear’ From The Very First Series Rediscovered After 55 Years!
Ian Hendry + Diana Rigg – Theatre Of Blood [1973] Original Still – Two Former Avengers Reunited In A British Film Classic
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The Informer (1967) – Rare Still Found From ‘Your Secret’s Are Safe With Us, Mr Lambert’ Starring Ian Hendry + Jane Blackburn [Dir. Ridley Scott]
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Ian, Jo, Janet, Britt And A Neurotic Peter Sellers!
Theatre 625 Ep. ‘Miss Julie’ – Ian Hendry + Gunnel Lindblom. Review and Original Promotional Still [1965]
Ian Hendry + Roy Thinnes + Lynn Loring – Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun AKA Doppleganger (1969) Universal Pictures Rare Promotional Photograph
Tony Read – Obituary Of The Television Screenwriter, Producer And A Fellow Student And Friend Of Ian Hendry
Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun (1969) – Definitive Release Includes A Rare UK Version With Ian Hendry Credited In The Lead Role
The Avengers – Lost Episode ‘Tunnel of Fear’ [1961] – Studio Canal DVD Release Date Set For 15th January 2018?
Alessandro Destamio (Ian Hendry) Character Card #51 – Produced in 2003 For The Saint ‘Vendetta For The Saint (1969)
Ian Hendry – Photoplay Film Magazine Picture c.1967
Comic Strip Presents! The Avengers ‘The Drug Pedlar’ TV CRIMEBUSTERS Annual (1962) – Ian Hendry (As Dr. David Keel) + Patrick Macnee (As John Steed)
Culford School Sports Day (1947) – Extremely Rare Footage Of A Young Ian Hendry ( Just 16 Years Old ) + His Brother Donald Hendry At The Culford School Sports Day
Sir John Hurt – A Tribute
In Memory – Patrick Macnee (6 February 1922 – 25 June 2015)
Ian Hendry + June Ritchie – Original Lobby Cards – Live Now Pay Later (1962)
J.P. Donleavy – Acclaimed Auther Dies At 91 – Ian Hendry Starred As Dangerfield In The BBC TV Film Version Of ‘The Ginger Man’ In 1962
The Informer (1966-1967) – Theme Tune ‘Superformance’ By David Lindup + An Original Episode Script By Michael J. Bird!
Ian Hendry – This Is Your Life 40th Anniversary – First Broadcast On 15th March 1978 [Thames Television]
Ian Hendry – The Avengers Original Promotion Portrait (1960-1961)