Classic Directors Get Some Classy Looking Stamps

Attention cinephile philatelics, four classic directors have had their likenesses printed on stamps in the U.S. in what is hopefully the first in a series of releases. Combining the directors' faces with scenes from some of their most recognisable films, the Great Film Directors First-Class Forever stamps bear the visages of John Ford, Franz Capra, Billy Wilder and John Huston. Not a bad bunch o' dudes!

Here's some more information from the U.S. Postal Service about the stamps:

"The background art for the stamp honoring Frank Capra shows a scene from It Happened One Night, a comedy in which a runaway heiress (played by Claudette Colbert) and a reporter (Clark Gable) compare their hitchhiking skills.

"For the John Ford stamp, the background recalls a scene from The Searchers, an influential Western starring John Wayne in which Ford made characteristic use of the American landscape.

The Maltese Falcon inspired the background art for the John Huston stamp. In this classic mystery, gumshoe Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) goes up against various unscrupulous characters (among them Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, and Sydney Greenstreet).

"And for Billy Wilder, the background artwork was inspired by Some Like It Hot, a farce about two male musicians (Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis) who seek refuge from gangsters by posing as members of an all-girl band featuring luscious singer Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe).

"These four filmmakers received multiple Academy Award nominations, 15 Oscars, and numerous other honors during their lifetimes. But their greatest accomplishment lies in the vitality and artistry of the stories they told through film.

"Art director Derry Noyes designed these stamps using art by award-winning illustrator Gary Kelley, who created the images using pastels on paper".