(LOT 234)
Extremely Rare Babe Comes Home Movie Poster w/a Classic Babe Ruth "What a Boy" Batting Image – Ad Poster Measures Approx. 12" x 18" & Affixed to a 14-1/2" x 21" Cardboard Matte
RARE RUTH MOVIE POSTER!!!... The transformation of Babe Ruth from Beantown flannels to Yankee pinstripes for the 1920 campaign literally turned the baseball world upside down. Via his unfathomable number of record-breaking homers, the great Bambino was now the toast of the Big Apple, with his unparalleled popularity prompting a myriad of manufacturers to utilize his hallowed name to promote their brand. Also jumping on the King of Swat bandwagon were a host of Hollywood producers, with Ruth starring in his first film in 1920 titled "Headin' Home". Some seven years later in 1927, the year arguably considered to be both the Yankees and Ruth's greatest season, Ruth's global fame inspired First National Pictures to produce the ultra-popular flick "Babe Comes Home", directed by Ted Wilde and produced by Wid Gunning. Starring the Babe himself, this romantic comedy featured Ruth playing the role of Babe Dugan, a bombastic, overindulgent ballplayer who falls for his laundress, played by Anna Q. Nilsson. Although the first talkies picture would not arrive until later that year (The Jazz Singer), Ruth's character was still magnified (in silence with subtitles) to the millions of movie fans who were enthralled with his diamond exploits and gregarious persona. "The Jazz Singer" changed the motion picture industry for good as the first major motion picture with the introduction of sound, familiarly referred to as talkies, eventually drawing the silent film era to an abrupt end. Only one week after Charles Lindbergh became the first person and pilot to traverse the Atlantic Ocean in solo and nonstop fashion (May 20, 1927), the "Babe Comes Home" debuted on May 27th in movie theatres nationwide.

As is the case with any Hollywood film, a number of movie posters and ads were issued for promotional purposes, and presented here just happens to be one particular keepsake we are encountering for the very first time! This extraordinarily rare "Babe Comes Home" black & white 12" x 18" movie poster has been printed on thin paper stock and affixed to a white cardboard matte measuring some 14-1/2" x 21." While we cannot speak for any similar poster tucked away in a private collection, this is the only one we have handled or seen at public auction. Most significantly, it includes a captivating black & white Ruthian batting pose as the immortal Babe completes his mighty swing, with an appropriate bold caption titled "WHAT A BOY" situated behind this awe-inspiring illustration. Imposing to say the least, Ruth's classic pose literally jumps off the poster, with an additional highlight being the Sultan of Swat donning his early 1920s white pinstripes cap he wore at the Polo Grounds. Additional captions include: "$210,000 worth of PULL – yours for the signing – and how they're signing!" to the right of Ruth, and "Don't play runners-up while the opposition plays the LEADER... It's bad for your Box-Office prestige. HERE's the Pennant-Winner of all Sports Specials" to the left of Ruth pinstriped pantaloons.

Beneath Ruth's dynamic batting image is a colossal text box covering the entire width of the ad, highlighted by the following bold black text: "FIRST NATIONAL PICTURES Inc., Presents BABE RUTH in "BABE COMES HOME" with ANNA Q. NILSSON and Louise Fazenda – Adapted from Gerald Beaumont's "Said With Soap" – Directed by Ted Wilde – Produced by Win Gunning – By Arrangement With Christy Walsh." The First National Pictures logo is situated near the left corner, and verbiage along the lower border reads as follows: "That's the kind of break you get when you tie up with FIRST NATIONAL." A majority of the surface has eluded any obtrusive flaws, with a few modest blemishes being a faint horizontal fold running across Ruth's upper pantaloons, some light staining along the right lower border, and standard toning along the edges. As previously stated, it is fastened to a larger white cardboard matte that has remained relatively intact. It was only some 15 months ago that a rare oversized "Babe Comes Home" movie banner sold for a whopping $246,000 in a Memory Lane Auction, and several other larger cardboard posters have fetched over six figures. That said, it is no secret that the prices for ultra-scarce Babe Ruth 1920s memorabilia continue appreciating at an alarming rate, with no apparent end in sight. That said, we will let you ultimately decide the true value of this sensational 12" x 18" "Babe Comes Home" poster that merits a final resting place on the wall of any world-class man cave!

MIN BID $1,000
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