A well-meaning scientist on the brink of death leaves a legacy of world-wide calamity in Crack in the World, a Philip Yordan (Day of the Triffids) production released through Security Pictures and Paramount in 1965. Starring real-life husband and wife acting duo Kieron Moore and Janette Scott as well as a late-career Dana Andrews (Night of the Demon, Where the Sidewalk Ends), this proto-disaster effort benefits from a talented cast and a welcome turn by Eugene Lourie (Gorgo) as director of special effects. Andrew Marton (King Solomon’s Mines) directs, from a screenplay by Jon Manchip White and Julian Zimet.
I’ve been patiently waiting to get my hands on this audacious bit of studio advertising for a nice long while now, and some recent good luck at the auction block finally sent it my way. An old-school one sheet in the defunct size of 27″ by 41″, this poster was just too big and too fragile for me to risk scanning it by hand – a real shame, as the shoddy digital camera photos don’t even begin to do it justice. Aside from some fold separation and a tear on the right hand edge this is in great shape, with crisp, clean imagery and surprisingly little wear. The usual pinholes aren’t even in evidence.
While the central illustration is awesome, what I like most about this poster are the comic-style action frames that let would-be audiences in on what they can expect from the film. SEE daring magmanauts, the earth torn asunder and a buxom blonde scientist, too!
the experience of seeing the film again – I watched it at around 3 in the morning, just before heading off to a rather early work shift – was certainly a good one. It had definitely been worth the wait.
