Hollywood film directors saluted on US stamps

As part its ongoing salute to Hollywood, the US Postal Service announced it will issue a series of four stamps in 2012 depicting great film directors, launching in 2012 with Oscar-winning John Ford, who directed classics such as 1940's The Grapes of Wrath and 1952's The Quiet Man.

The painting of Ford on the stamp depicts an image from his film The Searchers, starring John Wayne, whom he featured in several western movies such as 1939's Stagecoach and 1950's Rio Grande, which established the actor's reputation in the genre.

The portraits are designed against a background of scenes from their work. Noted illustrator Gary Kelley created the images for the US Postal Service.

Another director in the Legends of Hollywood postage stamp series is Oscar winning Frank Capra, who directed films from the 1920s to the ‘60s and is known for his uplifting stories and iconic comedies, such as 1946's It's a Wonderful Life, 1944's Arsenic and Old Lace and 1937's Lost Horizon.

The Capra stamp shows a scene from 1934's It Happened One Night starring Claudette Colbert as a runaway heiress and Clark Gable as a newspaper reporter.

Both filmmakers' movies are listed among the 100 greatest films compiled by the American Film Institute.
Two more stamps honoring renowned American film directors will be announced later this year.

In addition, the Post Office will release five stamps on August 19 based on the animated Pixar Studios' blockbuster films Cars, Ratatouille, Toy Story, Up and WALL*E.

RC