*ANGELS OVER BROADWAY (1940) Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Toasts Rita Hayworth 8x10

Description

This is a vintage original 8x10 in. US single-weight glossy photograph from the popular 1940's crime drama adventure comedy,
ANGELS OVER BROADWAY
, released in 1940 by Columbia Pictures and
co-directed by Ben Hecht and Lee Garmes
.
A cuckolded embezzler on the verge of suicide is helped by a tout, an alcoholic playwright, and a pick-up girl to reimburse the money with a gambling sting.
The image features an interior medium shot at a bar as Bill O'Brien (
Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
) raises his glass to toast Nina Barona (
Rita Hayworth
) as they gaze at each other. This vintage original photograph is in good+ condition only with random signs of wear and some discoloration in the borders a 4 in. diagonal scratch just below Hayworth's breasts; a 2 in. wide semi-circular shaped crease on the right arm of the man to Hayworth's left; a 4 in. horizontal crease above the bottom border at the center; and small surface creases that are fairly unobtrusive. The image quality is razor-sharp with fine detail and nice contrast.
The working title for this film was
Before I Die
. Actress Jean Arthur was offered the role of Nina Barone, but turned it down.
The tagline on the original movie poster - "A HECTIC ROMANCE TO BLOW THE FUSES OUT ALONG MAZDA LANE" - refers to the Broadway theater district in New York City as "Mazda Lane." Mazda was a brand of light bulbs common in the first half of the 20th century, with a name referencing an ancient Persian god of light and good. Broadway was and is known for its brightly lit marquees, and had many nicknames in its heyday.