At the risk of seeming disrespectful, I have to confess that I was never a big fan of poster artist John Alvin, who died much too soon at the age of only 59 on February 6, 2008. Maybe it was the times but I felt instantly cool to his slick, streamlined style of art, which I probably felt back then was nailing closed the coffin of the grittier poster art of the 1970s. Alvin got his start in the early 70s, designing the one sheet for Mel Brooks’ comedy Blazing Saddles (1974) but it was in the 1980s that he really hit his speed as America’s premiere movie poster artist.

John Alvin was born in Hyannis, Massachusetts but, as the son of a military man, saw quite a bit of the world as his father was reassigned. Settled at long last in Monterrey, California, Alvin made reputation for himself in school by accepting commissions from his classmates to draw airplanes and girls. Reading the Sunday paper became a passion for the budding artist, who scanned the entertainment section for movie advertisements. Although he flirted with the notion of becoming a doctor and even began the study of medicine, the call of fine art drew him eventually to study at the Art Center College for Design in Los Angeles. Upon graduation in 1974, Alvin had no sooner set himself up as a freelancer than he was offered the opportunity of a lifetime.

The chance to try his hand at designing the poster for Blazing Saddles came about in a roundabout way typical for Hollywood, through the auspices of a well-placed friend. It was Alvin’s decision to play against the film’s slapstick style and push for a heroic interpretation that gave the comedy the look of a classic western. Brooks loved the approach and made sure Alvin designed the posters for his follow-up films Young Frankenstein (1974) and Silent Movie (1978). During his early years, Alvin also created posters for Brian De Palma’s The Phantom of the Paradise (1974), Peter Yates' Mother, Jugs and Speed (1976), John Milius' Big Wednesday (1978) and Peter Hyams' Hanover Street (1979). He paid his dues in his first decade in the business but it was in the 1980s that John Alvin found his niche.

Even if you didn’t see the movies, chances are you saw the posters. With a very specific and recognizable style that his colleagues referred to as "Alvinesque," John Alvin helped sell a slew of the decade’s most popular films, including Steven Spielberg’s E.T. (1982) and The Color Purple (1985), Blake Edwards’ 10 (1979), S.O.B. (1980) and Victor/Victoria (1982), Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982), Sidney Lumet’s The Verdict (1982), Joe Dante’s Gremlins (1984), Ron Howard’s Cocoon (1985), Hector Babenco’s Ironweed (1987), Joel Schumacher’s The Lost Boys (1987) and Rob Reiner’s The Princess Bride (1987). A profitable association with Walt Disney Productions saw Alvin designing posters for Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994) and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). He also created celebratory posters for the anniversary releases of George Lucas’ Star Wars (1977) and Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979) and was the official fine artist for the makers of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Looking back at John Alvin’s long and industrious career I actually find much to admire and that there are several designs to which I’m very partial – paintings I have long admired but never knew were his, including posters for The Phantom of the Paradise (which has been exhibited in the Smithsonian Institute), Bite the Bullet (1975), My Favorite Year (1982) and the mock vintage one sheets he designed for The Majestic (2001). With his death, a door has shut on an era of Hollywood’s ongoing legacy. Whether you appreciate John Alvin’s stuff or not, he was definitely a part of the big picture.

In an interview conducted by BladeZone: The Online Blade Runner Fan Club, Alvin summed up his life in movie art:

“It’s such a strange profession. I mean, I could down-play it and be humble with you and say I just work in advertising but the truth is this is the closest I could get to the movies I've loved all my life.”

At the time of his death, John Alvin is survived by his wife Andrea and daughter Farah, now a Broadway actress who as a child was the human hand model for her father's instantly classic poster for E.T.