We wanted to show you a bit more work from German artist Rolf Goetze. We settled on this West German poster for the quasi-western drama The Treasure of the Sierra Madre because the film premiered in West Germany today in 1949. This is Goetze at his best. For that matter, it’s Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, and John Huston at their best too. That isn’t just our opinion—Walter Huston won a Best Actor Academy Award for his performance, and John Huston won both Best Director and Best Screenplay. If you’re not familiar with the film, we’ll just tell you it’s a cautionary tale about the lust for riches, and it contains this classic and oft-mangled quote: “Badges? We ain’t got no badges. We don’t need no badges. I don’t have to show you any stinking badges!” More Goetze poster work to be seen here and here.
1933—Prohibition Ends in United States
Utah becomes the 36th U.S. state to ratify the 21st Amendment to the United States Constitution, thus establishing the required 75% of states needed to overturn the 18th Amendment which had made the sale of alcohol illegal. But the criminal gangs that had gained power during Prohibition are now firmly established, and maintain an influence that continues unabated for decades.