More Gilley’s & “Urban Cowboy” Posters
As we continue to accumulate more rare, unique and collectible Gilley’s Pasadena, Texas and Urban Cowboy memorabilia for our collection we will try to keep up with adding pictures and descriptions to our site. Here are some of our newest finds.
After years of looking, in July of 2014 we finally acquired the Mickey Gilley poster made using the same photo used for the cover of his “Mickey’s Movin’ On” album from 1975. It measures 22″ wide by 34″ tall. Here is a picture of this very hard to find poster.
Mickey Gilley poster from the cover of his 1975 album “Mickey’s Movin’ On.”
When feature films open their run in theaters, some venues are more famous than others. Back in 1980, two of the most important and well known theaters in the world were located in Southern California. They were the Mann’s National in Westwood and Mann’s Chinese in Hollywood. Both are large, beautiful, and popular with the Hollywood crowd. As you would expect, the opening of “Urban Cowboy” in these two theaters was a highlight as well as a critical factor in the film’s attempt to generate a respected legacy.
In early June of 2014 GilleysMuseum.com was incredibly lucky to be able to acquire an unused billboard poster for the opening of “Urban Cowboy” in these two venues. This incredible piece of history measures a huge 5 feet tall by 11 feet wide! It’s a 3-piece heavy paper poster trumpeting the June 11, 1980 opening of the film at the National and Chinese theaters. There is a strong possibility that this great billboard poster is the only one of its kind still in existence. Here is a picture.
Mann’s National Westwood and Chinese Theater “Urban Cowboy” opening night billboard poster.
Motion pictures typically use two forms of in-theater promotion. Posters and lobby cards. Posters usually focus on film title and credits over a graphic depicting a scene in the movie. They usually measure approximately 27″ by 41″. Lobby cards usually come in sets of 8 cards, typically 8′ by 10″ or 11″ by 14″ each. They sometimes come in poster form, with the individual cards perforated so they can be easily separated for display in the theater.
So let’s start with our American “Urban Cowboy” items. While I’m sure we’ve already posted this earlier on the site it wouldn’t be right to leave out the classic, vintage 1980 “Urban Cowboy” theater poster. Measuring 27″ by 41″, this poster was typically shipped folded. It can also be identified by the number 800070 in the lower right corner, “URBAN COWBOY” below the number, and the National Screen Service notice at the bottom center. Beware of fakes that measure 27″ by 40″.
Original vintage “Urban Cowboy” theater poster.
Next is the much more rare mylar version. Mylar is a sheet plastic like material that, in this form, looks something like aluminum foil. Its surface is very much like a mirror, so please excuse the variations in light and reflections in the shiny areas around the center graphic. Also, unlike the tradition poster that measures 27″ by 41″, the mylar version comes in at a slightly smaller 25 1/2″ by 40″. Beware of fakes that are not this exact size.
Original “Urban Cowboy” 1980 mylar movie poster.
Sticking with the American theme, here is our complete set of 1980 8″ by 10″ “Urban Cowboy” lobby cards. These cards are printed individually on heavy card stock and each depicts a classic scene from the movie, with a Paramount Pictures identification, the film number 800070 in the lower right corner and the card number <1 through 8> and National Screen Service notice on the bottom left.
“Urban Cowboy” 8×10 Lobby Card Set.
The Urban Cowboy phenomenon was not limited to the United States, not by far. The movie, and the music, was popular all over the world, including South America, Europe, the Orient, etc. Here are some examples from our collection.
This great original theater poster comes from a movie theater in Argentina. It measures a larger than typical 28 1/2″ by 43 1/4″ and is, like the American poster, normally folded. It uses a different graphic than the American poster and does not have the film number, etc. along the bottom.
Vintage “Urban Cowboy” theater poster from Argentina.
Next we have two different sets of lobby cards from a theater in Germany. Slightly larger than the American cards, they measure 8 1/4″ by 11 1/2″ each, and are still connected. Printed in one perforated sheet like a poster, they were intended to be separated and individually displayed. Each set (sheet) contains 8 different photos.
German “Urban Cowboy” lobby cards Sheet #1
German “Urban Cowboy” lobby card Sheet #2
Acquired in April of 2013, here is an original Australian Daybill “Urban Cowboy” poster from 1980 measuring 13 1/2″ by 27 3/4″ and folded twice, the way they were delivered to the theaters. It’s in great condition.
Australian original 1980 Daybill “Urban Cowboy” poster.
Added to our collection as of July of 2013 is this 18 1/2″ by 27″ original Yugoslav “Urban Cowboy” poster. It’s in excellent condition and is shown folded as it was when it was shipped to the theater. Here’s a picture of this cool poster.
Original “Urban Cowboy” Yugoslav theater poster from 1980.
A new addition to our collection as of September 2013 is this great original UK Quad Cinema poster. It measures 39 7/8″ wide by 29 3/4″ high and comes folded as it was delivered to the theater. As you can see in the picture below, the graphic is similar to the Argentinian poster but the Urban Cowboy film title and credits are to the right instead of below the graphic. It’s in great condition.
“Urban Cowboy” United Kingdom Quad theater poster.
Here we have the poster from the Limited Edition “Urban Cowboy” album. This poster came folded inside a limited edition version of the album and is quite difficult to find, especially (like this one) without pin holes or other damage. This album was identified by a pale orange colored sticker measuring 1 1/4″ by 2 1/2″ with black print reading “LIMITED EDITION CONTAINS A FULL COLOR POSTER DP-90002”. The poster itself measures 22″ by 18″ and has Asylum DP90002 copyright 1980 Paramount Pictures Corporation in small print at the lower right corner.
Limited Edition 1980 “Urban Cowboy” album poster
(Feb. 2012 addition)
This is a standard 14 x 22 inch poster for the “Urban Cowboy” theatrical production. It ran at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York with its first preview on Broadway Feb. 28, 2003 and its opening night was March 27. The run officially ended May 18 after its matinee performance. “Urban Cowboy” the musical played 60 performances and 26 previews on Broadway.
The closing announcement came just hours after the play received two Tony Award nominations for Best Choreography and Best Original Score. Here is a picture of our poster.
“Urban Cowboy” Theatrical Play Poster
Okay, so it’s not really a poster, but it’s “Urban Cowboy” and it’s extremely rare and collectible. This is a real Platinum Record Award (over 1 million copies sold) for the “Urban Cowboy” soundtrack album in its original 15 x 21 inch wood frame. It’s the real deal RIAA award, from the Record Industry Association of America, as it was presented to Ken Kragen. Ken Kragen is the world famous personal manager/producer who was involved with the huge USA for Africa music project and personal manager for everyone from Travis Tritt to Lionel Richie to The Bee Gees.
He received this award for being personal manager to Kenny Rogers, who sang the huge hit “Love The World Away” on the soundtrack. That makes this award a very high ranking piece, right behind awards presented to the artists themselves and the song producers. This prestigious award hangs in the GilleysMuseum.com collection.
“Urban Cowboy” soundtrack Platinum Record Award.
(end Feb. 2012 addition)
Finally, I wanted to include a rare 1980 poster with Mickey Gilley and two girls riding the mechanical bull. This picture, in slightly cropped form, was used for the cover of Mickey’s “Encore” album. The poster measures approximately 20″ by 28″ with very small print along the bottom right saying 14-355 Mickey Gilley copyright 1980 Epic and CBS, Inc.
1980 Mickey Gilley 20×28 Epic poster.
Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. Talk to y’all later,
Bubba
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