"The Outlaw" (ならず者), Original Japanese First‑Release Movie Poster 1952, Ultra Rare, B3 “Nakazuri” Size (36 × 51 cm), J126A
This is an original Japanese B3 “Nakazuri” poster printed for the first Japanese theatrical campaign of Howard Hughes’s notorious Western The Outlaw, starring Jane Russell, Jack Buetel, Thomas Mitchell, and Walter Huston. In Japan the film opened 1 November 1952 through RKO (RKO日本支社). “Nakazuri” B3s are the double‑sided sheets designed to hang in public transit and theater foyers; they typically carry editorial text and photos on the back—exactly like this example.
Design
A sensational hand‑painted pin‑up tableau: Jane Russell reclines in straw—blouse provocatively askew, revolver across a scarlet skirt—while the English title THE OUTLAW floats beside bold, canary‑yellow brush lettering 「ならず者」 on a matte charcoal ground. At upper right sits RKO Radio Pictures’ lightning‑bolt shield; the Japanese titling at upper left reads 「ハワード・ヒューズ 製作・監督 / ジェーン・ラッセル 主演」. The illustration is signed “miya” at lower left. Contemporary auctioneers and dealers credit comparable early‑1950s Japanese poster art to the illustrator “Miya” (sometimes cataloged as “Miya Uchi / Miyauchi”), including the famed Japanese Thing from Another World STB and The Las Vegas Story B2; while biographical details remain elusive, the signature match is consistent across these RKO‑era campaigns.
Format note: B3 “Nakazuri” posters measure c. 36 × 51 cm (14 × 20 in) and are double‑sided with extra information printed on the verso; they were intended to be suspended (“hanging inside”) and are prized today for their display‑friendly size.
Cult status / film notes
Produced and directed by tycoon Howard Hughes, The Outlaw became a cause célèbre. Hughes famously commissioned a “cantilever” underwire bra for Russell, sparking publicity that intertwined with years of battles with American censors. Russell later explained she did not wear Hughes’s contraption on camera—she padded her own bra instead—yet the controversy and “haystack” imagery helped mint her star persona. After limited U.S. play in the 1940s, RKO (by then owned by Hughes) reissued the film in 1950 and again in 1952, with the Japanese release following that autumn. Posters from the first Japanese campaign (1952) are exceptionally scarce; B3 Nakazuri examples are particularly desirable for their vivid illustration and two‑sided printing.
Condition
Excellent for age. Rich, unfaded colors with light handling, minor spots, and the original factory fold typical of the period. Clean back printing (the Nakazuri “press‑style” text and photo montage). Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.
This poster is an original Japanese theatrical B3 Nakazuri from the 1952 first‑release campaign (often dated 1951 in dealer shorthand, but contemporary Japanese sources record the national opening on 1952/11/01). It is not a reproduction or a reprint. It is about 73 years old. Certificate of Authenticity included.
