Please note that the colors on this poster are much more bold and vivid than they appear in the accompanying photographs.

Vintage original 14 x 36 in. U.S. insert poster from the 1930's melodrama about mother love, OVER THE HILL, released in 1931 by the Fox Film Corporation and directed by Henry King. Inspired by Will Carleton’s lachrymose 19th century poem about parental sacrifice, Over the Hill stars Mae Marsh as the mother of two children who gives her boys everything their hearts desire but at great cost to herself. She is forced to work in one menial job after another so that her children will never go without. Her efforts are "rewarded" by callous indifference; her grown-up son  (Olin Howland) connives to ship her "over the hill" to the poorhouse. The stooped, white-haired woman is finally rescued from her miserable existence by her kinder, more compassionate son, played by James Dunn.

This poster is a true beauty and is even more spectacular when seen in person. It's Art Deco-inspired design is exemplified by the colorful rainbow pattern behind the film's title and the decorative font of the last names of "Dunn" and "Eilers" at the top. A large image of Mae Marsh as Ma Shelby dominates the bottom half of the poster (with her name beneath her image and "in a triumphant return" [to the screen]) and her image truly exemplifies that of the "kindly old woman" (wearing a shawl/sweater with her hair in a bun). A large headshot of featured players James Dunn and Sally Eilers are featured at the top and the renewed director Henry King's credit is at the very bottom.

This example is unfolded, which adds to its desirability, as the majority of insert poster were folded twice before being sent to the theaters for display. It is unrestored in very good+ condition with random chips and small tears of varying sizes on the borders and several crease of varying sizes primarily on the bottom border. The image area, which comprises most of the poster, is in outstanding condition with only some random small unobtrusive creases (the largest of which measures only 2-in. and is just to the right of Sally Eilers' chin in the background area). The colors are as fresh and vibrant as when the poster was printed in 1931 and it truly is a beautiful piece of motion picture advertising art when appreciated in person. Though this poster is rolled, we will ship it flat unless the buyer wishes it shipped in a tube.. 

This was the third film version of this moth-eaten tale that is elevated by the artistry of 38-year-old star Mae Marsh, who'd been a film actress since 1912 and received her training under silent film pioneer D.W. Griffith. A nitrate print of this film survives in the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

Over the Hill; Fox Film Corp.; 1931; dir: Henry King; cast: Mae Marsh, James Dunn, Sally Eilers, Edward Crandall, Claire Maynard, Olin Howland, Joan Peers, Joe Hachey, Tommy Conlon, Julius Molnar, Marilyn Harris, Nancy Irish, Eula Guy, William Pawley, George Reed.