“A Stranger in Town” (暁の用心棒), Original Japanese Movie Poster 1967, Tony Anthony / Frank Wolff, STB Tatekan Two-Sheet Format (c. 51 × 145 cm) — U4

This is an original Japanese STB tatekan theatrical poster for the 1967 Japanese release of A Stranger in Town, released in Japan as 暁の用心棒. Also known as One Dollar in the Teeth, the film opened in Japan through Towa on 24 June 1967. This complete two-sheet example combines a commanding portrait of Tony Anthony with dusty frontier imagery and oversized red brush lettering.

Directed by Luigi Vanzi, credited as Vance Lewis, the Italian Western stars Tony Anthony and Frank Wolff, supported by Jolanda Modio and Gia Sandri. Anthony plays the Stranger, an opportunistic wanderer who becomes involved with a Mexican bandit gang planning to intercept a shipment of American gold. An uneasy partnership gives way to betrayal, captivity, and a violent confrontation, with the Stranger’s resourcefulness central to his survival.

Printed on two sheets arranged vertically, the design makes striking use of the tall tatekan format. The upper section is dominated by Anthony’s face beneath a deeply shadowed hat, framed by the folds of his dark poncho. His prominently displayed double-barrelled shotgun rises along the left side, while a smaller action image shows a man thrown backwards amid gun smoke. The muted yellow background and dark photographic treatment create a tense, sun-scorched atmosphere.

The oversized red lettering 「暁の用心棒」, the film’s Japanese title, begins on the upper sheet and continues down the left side of the lower section. Below the portrait, mounted figures approach through a dusty frontier street, while a gunman takes cover beside a tipping mine cart on curving rails. Rough fencing, barbed wire, and smaller character scenes add further detail. “ONE DOLLAR IN THE TEETH” is printed in black above the green Japanese credits, with the TOWA logo below.

The prominent red promotional text includes:

「暁の荒野を血で染める必殺のショットガン！」
“A deadly shotgun stains the wilderness with blood at dawn!”

The adjacent black copy promotes the film as the latest entry in Towa’s “Yojimbo” series, preserving the distributor’s contemporary branding of Italian Westerns for Japanese audiences. The combination of the looming shotgun, shadowed portrait, and forceful typography gives this poster a distinctive presence. It is an especially appealing example for collectors of Tony Anthony, Frank Wolff, Spaghetti Westerns, and Japanese film poster design of the 1960s.

Condition: Excellent.

Please review all photographs, including the individual sheets and reverse, as they show the exact poster for sale.

STB tatekan format: approximately 51 × 145 cm when assembled.
Stock code: U4.

It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

Certificate of Authenticity included.

About STB (Tatekan) posters
Japanese STB / tatekan posters were tall standing-board advertisements, printed in two pieces to be joined vertically for cinema display. Typically measuring around 51 × 145 cm, their elongated proportions offered considerable scope for distinctive compositions. Designed for temporary theatrical use, complete surviving examples preserve an important part of Japan’s cinema advertising history.