Edward Gorey Mystery! Original 1981 Poster (Host Vincent Price) PBS TV 46x30

Description

1981 (Second Season) poster for Mobil's Masterpiece Theater series on Chanel 13 PBS, featuring design by the legendary American writer and artist of the macabre and signed in the plate (lower right). The poster measures 46" x 30" and has some minor edge wear from its original storage, but is otherwise in excellent condition. It is part of a collection of promotional television, movie, and concert posters unearthed in in New York City in the early 2000s.
Mystery! is a television anthology series produced by WGBH Boston for PBS in the United States. The series was created as a mystery, police and crime drama spin-off to the already established PBS show Masterpiece Theatre. From 1980-2006, Mystery! aired mostly British crime series purchased from or co-produced with the BBC or ITV and adapted from British mystery fiction. Mystery! is noted for its animated opening and closing title sequences with original drawings created by cartoonist Edward Gorey, whose first attempt at creating a storyboard of the opening was estimated to run 10 minutes.
Because executive producer Joan Wilson was looking for a 75-second sequence, Gorey was eventually asked to hand over the drawings and allow animators to use his work as inspiration. Gorey, known for his eccentric and stubborn nature, recounted: "I gave them a scenario for the credits, but they said, 'Thank you, very much, dear, but this will take half an hour.' I told them it wouldn't if they put in on at a reasonable rate of speed, but they didn't seem to care for that idea very much."
The characters in the posters — from the three detectives to the moaning damsel in distress, the bat and even the eye in the sky — are all from the opening sequence which consisted of a non-linear series of animated period country house tableaux and changed several times over the years.
Will ship rolled in a sturdy, 36-inch tube. Condition is subjective and items are sold as-is, but I would be happy to answer questions or provide more pictures if needed.