Friday, January 31, 2014

A Poster Poser

Reader Alastair Baker has written in to shed some light on the distinctive poster art seen in David Collins' bedroom on Dark Shadows in early 1969: "I finally figured out the two posters on David's wall," says Alastair, "They've been driving me mad for months. They are from the Fillmore Auditorium in late 1967. The one by his bed is from August 22-27 featuring the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Cream and South Side Sound System. The second on a far wall is from August 29–September 3 1967, featuring Cream and Electric Flag."

During the mid 1960s, San Francisco's Fillmore Auditorium was a hub for counterculture and psychedelic music, playing host to Jimi Hendrix and The Doors, amongst others. "For a show not renowned for cultural referencing, aside from women's fashion trends, this was a surprise," says Alastair. "Do you know how they got on set? Did an actor or a tech visit San Fran on holiday and check out these gigs and decide to update David's room?" 


Who knows, but it's a rare example of contemporary culture making it across the threshold of Collinwood. Here are the original posters in all their retro glory. Click on the images below for a larger view.

6 comments:

Ronny G said...

Great detective work, Alastair!
Maybe Sy Thomasoff put them on the wall since he was the set designer?

Unknown said...

The one by the bed is eerily similar to Johnny Dep's "barnabas"...look at the hands!!

Lori said...

I believe David in some scenes has a little H.R. Pufnstuf figure on his bedside table. I could never get a clear look; perhaps one of your readers could confirm.

Unknown said...

There was a Major Matt Madon moon base at one point, as well!

Byron Arnold said...

I have both of these posters in my collection.

Byron Arnold said...

I have both of these posters in my collection. The first is from the first show Cream performed at the Fillmore West SF.