Classic Movie Stills

This image of Elvis Presley from the film Blue Hawaii is part of a large collection of movie memorabilia a guest named Holli brought in to the Chattanooga ROADSHOW in July 2008. What follows are highlights from the hundreds of images Holli inherited from her grandfather, a movie lover and theater manager.

(Photo © Hal B. Wallis and Joseph H. Hazen)

These images illustrate one of the prime promotional tools for the early movie studios, many of which owned their own theater chains until the landmark Paramount Decision in 1948 declared such an arrangement a monopoly. Here, a lobby still for the 1956 film The Lone Ranger shows actor Clayton Moore astride his horse, Silver. The image would have been displayed in a movie theater lobby to generate excitement about the upcoming film. You can still find lobby stills in some theaters today.

(Photo © Warner Bros. Picture Distributing Corporation)

Appraiser Gary Sohmers told Holli that her grandfather's collection "represents 60 years of movie history." Few images are more iconic than this one of Marilyn Monroe cooling herself above a subway grate in the 1955 classic The Seven Year Itch.

(Photo © 20th Century-Fox Film Corp.)

Each lobby still includes a billing block along the bottom that lists selected film credits. In this case, the credits include the film's use of CinemaScope, an early widescreen format.

(Photo © 20th Century-Fox Film Corp.)

This still advertises the 1933 version of King Kong, but unfortunately for Holli the image was printed much later. According to Sohmers, a first printing would add hundreds of dollars to the value. Most of the items in Holli's collection are originals.

(Photo © RKO Radio Pictures)

Sohmers told Holli that you can spot a reissued print because of the letter "R" in the NSS (National Screen Service) ID number along the bottom. In this image, "R56" signifies a reissue from 1956, and "263" indicates that King Kong was the 263rd movie released that year.

(Photo © RKO Radio Pictures)

The National Screen Service Corporation issued sets of these lobby stills and other promotional materials to movie theaters across the country. Among Holli's highest-valued items is a complete set for the film East of Eden that would fetch $1,000. Also included in her collection are these images from a Gone with the Wind reissue.

(Photo © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.)

Released in 1939, the Civil-War epic received thirteen Academy Award nominations, more than any previous film. Among the nominees for Best Supporting Actress was Olivia de Havilland, pictured here with costar Leslie Howard.

(Photo © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.)

Holli's grandfather had "great taste in movies," Sohmers remarked. "He kept only the best." Indeed, the collection includes many of Hollywood's biggest stars. Pictured here is Marilyn Monroe in the film noir "Niagara."

(Photo © 20th Century-Fox Film Corp.)

Clark Gable received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of the dashing Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind. In this scene, he enjoys a game of jailhouse cards with his Yankee captors.

(Photo © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.)

Screen siren Sophia Loren starred as a Jewish woman hunting for an ex-Nazi general in the spy film Judith, which was filmed on location in Israel.

(Photo © Cumulus Productions, Ltd. and Paramount Pictures Corporation)

In one of her most memorable roles, Audrey Hepburn played the quirky and stylish Holly Golightly in the film based on the Truman Capote novella Breakfast at Tiffany's.

(Photo © Paramount Pictures Corporation and Jurow-Shepherd Productions)

After examining the large collection, ROADSHOW appraiser Gary Sohmers put its full value between $10,000 and $15,000, with most of the individual images worth $10 to $50. Holli plans to frame and hang many of her favorite pieces from her grandfather's beloved collection. Want to learn more? Watch the full appraisal of this item in our ROADSHOW Archive.