Sons Of Liberty (1939) Original Movie Poster

This summer, the United States of America will mark its 250th Birthday. July 4, 2026. Considering how many movies have been made about America's wars, it is noteworthy that there really aren't that many about The American Revolution. And there are even fewer good ones. This was even more true in the 1930s, when one of the Warner Brothers, Harry, embarked on more or less a personal project at the studio. It was a series of short subjects intended to spotlight important figures during the period. These short films were part of a series of two-reel shorts, about 20 minutes in length, called the "Old Glory" shorts. They were produced in a period of national anxiety about what appeared to be a new war brewing in Europe. In the face of rising authoritarianism, Warners embarked on this effort to enhance civic education about democracy and the costs of achieving it. Several shorts were made about patriots during the period leading up to and during the Revolution. "Give Me Liberty" in 1936 concerned Patrick Henry and the Virginia Convention. "The Declaration of Independence" in 1938 dramatized the debates around the Declaration and its adoption by the assembly. In that storied year for American movies, 1939, as the persecution of Jews in Europe was intensifying, the producers of the series turned their attention to a little-known patriot Haym Salomon. Salomon was a successful Jewish businessman who had emigrated to America from the Poland-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1775. He was adept at finance and made considerable money. He had great empathy with the colonists and became an important source of funds for the war. He was an admirer and compatriot of George Washington, and Washington's army needed cash desperately. Haym Salomon was there when the colonists needed him. It is clear that this was a story that would resonate with Harry Warner, and the studio would produce "Sons of Liberty" with one of the studio best players, Claude Rains, in the role of Salomon. The short was produced in Technicolor with a runtime of 20 minutes and was released to theaters on May 20, 1939. The one-sheet features one of the better images of Claude Rains. He is shown on the poster with Montagu Love, who portrayed George Washington. Included in the cast were Gale Sondergaard, Donald Crisp, Henry O'Neill and James Stephenson. To say the poster is rare is an understatement. Linen backed with minimal restoration, a very fine example.

MICHAEL CURTIZ - Director
Claude Rains - Actor
Gale Sondergaard - Actor
Donald Crisp - Actor
Montagu Love - Actor
Henry O'Neill - Actor
James Stephenson - Actor
Wilfred Lucas - Actor
Jack Mower - Actor
Moroni Olsen - Actor
Sarah Padden - Actor
Frank Reicher - Actor
Vladimir Sokoloff - Actor
John Sutton - Actor
Larry Williams - Actor