In a nut shell, I purchased a collection of art at a local Grants Pass Oregon auction about 7 to 8 years ago for scene design and props for my company that does film and video production.

About 3 to 4 years after -- while transfering 16mm motion picutre film to video at Sinister Cinema in Medford, Oregon, I discovered, unearthed, recognized one of my paintings in this collection as a piece of art hanging on the wall in a party scene in the 1967 film: "Riot On Sunset Strip" starring Aldo Ray, Mimsy Farmer. What are the odds in discovering something like this?

The actual scene has THE BABE Mimsi Farmer dancing slow motion in front of the camera wearing a very colorful sexy tie-dyed dress. In the back ground is this abstract Green Forest scene painting hanging on the wall behind her. The painting is Oil on board. It is quite large, about 2.5 feet x 3 feet. Before knowing it was a famous painting, it was not one of my favorits. Now it is. The silver/ gold painted frame is a little cracked.

The actual discovery happened while I was recording a new  video master for a movie that Sinister sells in its mail order catalogue and I was shuttling full speed (fast forward) with the broadcast quality 3/4 inch video tape deck and noticed the cute girl dancing and stopped the tape and backed it up to watch it in normal speed and then noticed the girl was actually dancing in slow motion and then noticed the painting on the wall in the back ground. I told my manager that I thought I owned that painting and she did not believe me. All I said was it looked like a painting that was in my collectcion. I showed my friends a copy of the video trailer and then showed them the painting that was in another room and they all verified that it was the same painting. I took a photo of the Green Forest painting to work a couple of days later. I popped in the tape and pushed play/pause and stuck the photo right on the monitor screen and low and hehold: everyone at work was amazed! I was also, because how could someone even a mathamatition figure out the odds to something like this?

Riot on Sunset Strip was produced by American International Pictures and the movie poster says, One of this generations most shocking film. It's a hippy, drug anti cop movie about a girl who gets in trouble with a group of men and thinks it is not big deal because she was on acid at the time.

I do have access to the theater trailer on VHS video and I have in my collection the full lobby card set of 8, half sheet incert , full size 1 sheet poster, black and white movie still that you can see the frame of the painting in the back ground and do have a location of a collector who has the full movie on 1/2" VHS. I also own a copy of the Motion Picutre Soundtrack that books at over $50 to $100 now. At this time I do not know how much actual screen time the painting has, or if that adds to the value. I just know it is valuable to me and if you are interested in making a fair offer let me know -- I also don't know anything about the painter.
I have video stills from the movie trailer and scanned the photo of the Green Forest. I will also try to get an image of the signature of the artist on-line soon,

questions:

Who is the artist?

Art Direction -- George W. Davis  -- Merrill Pye  
 
Set Decoration -- Don Greenwood Jr.

Who picked out the painting? Bought it for the film?

How did it get to Grants Pass, Oregon?

Who sold the painting at the auction? (I still have the lot number)

Now you could be the lucky one who could own this rare item of Hollywood history!

thanks for reading....

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