From Zombos' Closet

The Awful Dr. Orloff (1962) Mexican Lobby Card

A very excited Mexican lobby card for Jesus Franco's The Awful Dr. Orloff.  

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) Mexican Lobby Card

Of the many actors who have portrayed Professor Moriarty in the movies, my two favorites are George Zucco and Henry Daniell. Both comprised that sinister reptilian physical appearance with the noted diabolical intellect quite well. Basil Rathbone, of course, will always remain one of the key Holmes' players. It was a shame Nigel Bruce, as Dr. Watson, was directed to be a bumbling idiot in the Rathbone and Bruce pairing, but their series, taken as a whole, even with bringing Holmes into the then contemporary period of the Second World War, was an entertaining canon in itself. In fact, revitalizing Holmes by making him part of the war effort was a stroke of marketing and budgetary brilliance and a breadth of fresh air to the venerable detective.

Dracula in the Provinces (1975) Mexican Lobby Card

Not a very appealing Mexican lobby card for Lucio Fulci's  Young Dracula, but it is a horror-comedy so that explains the illustration. The overwhelming use of text, uneven colors, large sizing, and ill-chosen typeface, makes this lobby card so-so and haphazard in layout.

The Funhouse (1981) Mexican Lobby Card

Read my review of this solid entry into the creepy slasher genre.

I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958) Mexican Lobby Card

Don't let the title fool you. I Married a Monster from Outer Space is an excellent science fiction horror that delivers its chills with a nice noirish overtone.

Better Call Tarzan Mexican Lobby Cards

Edgar Rice Burroughs enduring character has been portrayed by many actors. My favorite is Johnny Weissmuller. Gordon Scott had the most muscles, but Weissmuller had more of that I'm-living-in-the-jungle look. Lex Barker had it to a lesser degree. No one ever showed the scars and bruises endemic to tangling with wild animals and scratchy tree bark and underbrush, though. Go figure. Who is your favorite Tarzan?

Samson and the Sea Beast (1963) Mexican Lobby Card

Peplum and pirates. And a beast. And Kirk Morris keeps his shirt off a lot. Interesting to note that the woman in distress here has less "coverage" than the original poster art.

Phantom from Space (1953) Mexican Lobby Card

Alien invader runs around while government types talk a lot. Not much happens. 

House of Wax (1953) Mexican Lobby Card

Here are the 3D and 2D Mexican lobby cards for House of Wax. I saw it on the big screen when it was re-released in 1971. The moment when Charles Bronson appears to jump from a theater seat and onto the screen is one I'll always remember. 

“It’s one of the great Hollywood stories,” Vincent Price recalled. “When they wanted a director for [a 3-D] film, they hired a man who couldn’t see 3-D at all! André de Toth was a very good director, but he really was the wrong director for 3-D. He’d go to the rushes and say, ‘Why is everybody so excited about this?’ It didn’t mean anything to him. But he made a good picture, a good thriller. He was largely responsible for the success of the picture. The 3-D tricks just happened—there weren’t a lot of them. Later on, they threw everything at everybody.” (Film Retrospective: House of Wax 1953)

Crime Pays, Just Not Much Mexican Lobby Cards

Here's a mix of it's-a-crime Mexican lobby cards to keep you on the straight and narrow.

Opio (1949) Mexican Lobby Card

The movie is listed as a crime drama, and the Opio, La Droga Maldita Mexican lobby cards hint at something sinister and unsavory.

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) Mexican Lobby Card

A thrilling lobby card to be sure. Peter Cushing makes an energetic Holmes, although they should have kept the glowing paint on the hound, instead of the mask.