History

Out of the Time Capsule


Sunday morning as a kid…

As I lay on the floor with the entertainment section of the newspaper, I see the movie advertisements and slip into a dream world….
Dreams of kissing Carey Grant under a copper moon. Hoping that someone saves me before King Kong carries me away. Teaming up with John Wayne to rid the west of evil doers, or laying on a glass sofa, waiting for Prince Charming’s magical kiss.
These movie advertisements took on a life of their own on the newspaper page. I found myself hoping that my parents would hear my pleas and allow me to go be a part of this magical world I had envisioned.

At the theater, nothing was more exciting than standing at the feet of giants incased in glass, as my parents allowed me to step ever so close to my idols. I could almost touch them! The memory of that picture would be forever in my mind as I return to that moment every time I reflect on that particular film.

Looking back, I wonder… What ever became of magic that was a whole entire movie that was told in one… perfect…picture?
Did Indian Jones hide them away in some unknown underground world? What if those ‘treasures’ were out there, not destroyed after publication, but vaulted until the right opportunity to allow the public to once again, put their hands on pieces of big screen images from the past.

One spectacular collection of movie history still exists. Authenticated by Rudy Franchi, appraiser and foremost expert on movie posters and printed movie memorabilia, who himself, pronounced the extravagant compilation as the “holy grail” of movie memorabilia.

Over 8,000 original plates and approximately 50,000 original blocks that were used to create these images! Movies ranging from the late 1920’s to early 1980’s. Along with a ledger, hand penned and signed by the person who created these blocks and plates. A collection so large, and so rare, that nothing else like it even exists. Still held in a capsule of movie history, waiting for a technological age, when the true possibilities
       

 

EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS to the "holy grail" of movie memorabilia

Since the mid 1970’s collecting movie memorabilia has grown by marked proportions. And until today, it was a finite industry. Everyone wants to own a small piece of motion picture history.Legends is a proprietary and protectable company with a significant competitive edge and exclusive rights to a worldwide customer base. The preserved collective works of over 12,000 motion picture titles from 1932 through the 1980’s is now “Out of the Time Capsule” and is for sale.

Exclusive rights to the “holy grail” of movie memorabilia, which paired with the ability to market and sell prints, T-Shirts, mugs, mouse pads, and so many other endless possibilities, by utilizing original printing plates and blocks. This exclusive opportunity is now available after the recent decision to “un-vault” these original printing materials.

These reproducible images can be printed on any substrate imaginable.
In 2015 the global market for licensed merchandise from TV and movie merchandising exceeded $250 billion dollars, up over 5 percent from the previous year.

With the ability to keep overhead low and utilize the mass marketing strategies of internet based business, the profitability forecast for Legends is at an all-time high.

WHY OMAHA…..AND NOT HOLLYWOOD?

A young man from Nebraska enlisted in the Navy and shipped off to California.  He was stationed in the area for the duration of his tour of duty.  During his off-time he got employment with  printing companies that did work for the movie studios.  He got extremely good at making the blocks & plates that were sent out to newspapers and theatres for advertising purposes.

As all good things come to an end, his tour was over and he decided to go back to Nebraska to get married and raise his family.  He was remembered by people in California as being very good at what he did.  When he opened up his own letter press shop in Omaha, the studios were soon sending him orders to produce the plates and blocks for their movies.  Why Omaha? you ask.  Because back in the day this central location was the most economical and expedient way to ship to all parts of the country.  He continued to produce this material until technology stepped in and changed forever how the process had been for five decades.  Computers, not artists’ hand-drawn work, changed the art & newspapers went from letter press to cold type offset printing, eliminating the need for printing blocks and engraving plates.

Offset press technology made all this material obsolete and it was simply disposed of, considered no longer of any use.    But Nebraskans are thrifty & savers.  This man saved everything from his shop until 1980 when he decided to close it & retire.He sold all his plates and blocks to another Nebraskan who was a big saver – a large Omaha antiques dealer who wanted this iconic stuff, but didn’t have any idea of what to do with it. So he stored it in a gigantic empty back room, & there it sat for 25 years.Eventually everyone forgot completely about how things “used to be”.  The movie business, printing industry and brick & mortar theatres totally changed with the high tech times.  It was hard to find anyone who even remembered what a letter press was or how it worked.

THE RARE FIND …. HOW IT GOT RE-DISCOVERED

Two other people from Nebraska eventually ran across this unbelievable and expansive collection, dusty, disorganized & disheveled but still in wonderful enough condition to take your breath away. What a historic trip down movie memory lane this truly was.  The fact that it was complete, in such good shape and untouched for so long  made it the only surviving rare historic find of it’s kind.  One of the leading and world renowned movie memorabilia appraisers called it the “Holy Grail” of movie history.

This launched a third chapter in this interesting story – one of searching & hunting to discover just exactly what place did this find have in our lives so many years ago.  It was also thought that maybe there was stuff like this everywhere – in many basements & collections.  Eventually talking to experts in this field and knowledgeable appraisers, we pieced together the history and established that this is THE ONLY COLLECTION OF ITS KIND LEFT – an extensive & comprehensive look into a golden time in our country and our lives.

There are 8,000 original engraving plates and 50,000+ individual cuts of many different sizes, mounted on blocks of wood, ready to be put on a letter press & reproduced.  These original plates and blocks are still printable as “re-strikes”.   Seeing this beautiful, original artwork gives you a unique history of the movie industry in our country in a gentler, slower moving but very creative time.   

             

GIVE ME AN IDEA OF WHAT’S IN THIS COLLECTION!

This living history of the early motion picture industry includes but not limited to the works of:

 

  • •    SHIRLEY TEMPLE          ERROL FLYNN        LANA TURNER        NELSON EDDY    
  • •    HUMPHREY BOGART    INGRID BERGMAN    TYRONE POWER    HENRY FONDA
  • •    JAMES STEWART          YVONNE DECARLO    ELVIS PRESLEY        THE BEATLES
  • •    ROLLING STONES         PINK FLOYD        WOODSTOCK        JANIS JOPLIN
  • •    DORIS DAY        DEBBIE REYNOLDS    MARILYN MONROE    ROCK HUDSON
  • •    CARY GRANT        GRACE KELLY        RONALD REAGAN    PETER CUSHING
  • •    CHRISTOPHER LEE    BORIS KARLOFF        VINCENT PRICE        HITCHCOCK
  • •    JOHN WAYNE        MICKEY ROONEY    ELIZABETH TAYLOR    JOEL MCCREA
  • •    CLINT EASTWOOD    BING CROSBY         GLENN FORD        ALEC GUINNESS
  • •    CHARLIE CHAN        FRED ASTAIRE        LIONEL BARRYMORE    SHIRLEY JONES
  • •    LEE VAN CLEEF        BETTE DAVIS        MAUREEN O’HARA    HOWARD KEEL
  • •    RICHARD BURTON    KIRK DOUGLAS        STEVE MCQUEEN    ALAN LADD
  • •    LUCILLE BALL        BOBBY DARIN        SPENCER TRACY        GARY COOPER
  • •    MARLON BRANDO    RANDOLPH SCOTT    RAQUEL WELCH        DAVE CLARK 5
  • •    PIPER LAURIE        CHARLTON HESTON    JOAN CRAWFORD    ROY ROGERS
  • •    JULIE ANDREWS    ROCK HUDSON        SEAN CONNERY        SONNY / CHER
  • •    JOHN TRAVOLTA    HARRISON FORD    AUDIE MURPHY        JANE RUSSELL


King Kong holding a small but very detailed Fay Wray. Most of Howard Hughes’ movies are represented. There are Movie Fight Films, Baseball movies, Deep Throat, X-rated B movies and other questionable choices. We could go on and on, but this gives you an idea of the extensiveness of the collection.