Vintage original 13 x 30 in. Australian daybill poster
from the classic 1950’s drama about wealth and divorce,
PAYMENT ON DEMAND
, released in 1951 by RKO Radio Pictures and
directed by Curtis Bernhardt
. Bette Davis stars in this story which is told in flashbacks as to why divorce occurs. The cast includes Jane Cowl, Kent Taylor, Betty, Lynn, and Francis Dee.
This poster is a stone lithograph, which produced very rich colors and fine detail (the process was essentially halted by 1930 in the US but was still in use in Australia and some other countries at this time). The image, which is very similar to the film’s US insert poster, features beautiful artwork depicting a tensely-poised
Bette Davis
, wearing a black off-the-shoulder dress, next to the tagline:
“I made him, now I’ll break him!
“, presumably about the man below her who is making love to her. This vintage original daybill poster is unrestored in fine+ condition with two horizontal foldlines (which was common and is not a flaw); some light diagonal creasing on the left and right borders at the top horizontal foldline; light creases on the outer corners; and a tiny pinpoint impression along the left border that occurred while the poster was folded, so it appears on all three sections. There are no pinholes, tears, stains, or other flaws and the rich stone lithograph color tints are fresh and vibrant without any signs of fading.
Payment on Demand
was Bette Davis’ first freelance film after being under contract at Warner Bros. for 18 years and was made before her comeback film,
All About Eve
(1950), but wasn’t released until the year after. Davis’ 3 year-old daughter, Barbara (always called, “B.D.”) makes her debut in the first of her two film roles as Joyce’s daughter as a young girl (the other was the neighbor’s daughter in
Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?
.