Extensively signed Souvenir Book of the 1956 American epic biblical drama film produced, directed, and narrated by Cecil B. DeMille, starring Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter, Edward G. Robinson, Yvonne De Carlo, Debra Paget, John Derek, and Vincent Price, released by Paramount Pictures.  Oblong;  9.25" X 12.5". 32 pp, including numerous lavish color reproductions of artwork by Arnold Friberg depicting a multitude of scenes from the story which were used as previsualization paintings for the film and signed to their respective headshots by Heston (Moses), Hardwicke (Sethi I), Scott (Yochabel), Price (Baka), Anderson (Memnet) and Deering (Miriam). Rare. We have traced no authentically signed examples of this historic program having appeared at auction or in the trade.

In 1957, the film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, winning the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. DeMille won the Foreign Language Press Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director. Charlton Heston was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama). It is also one of the most financially successful films ever made, grossing approximately $122.7 million at the box office during its initial release; it was the most successful film of 1956 and the second-highest-grossing film of the decade. According to Guinness World Records, in terms of theatrical exhibition, it is the eighth most successful film of all-time when the box office gross is adjusted for inflation.

From the collection of Paul McMahon, a critic, photographer and artist who worked for more than 13 years touring with Marlene Dietrich as the icon’s stage manager, announcer, dresser, secretary and escort, and later spent 25 years as an arts and entertainment reviewer and photographer with Gay Community News, Esplanade, Tommy’s Connection, The Mirror, Bay Windows and other publications.