On display Spring/Summer 2026: an exhibit of vintage movie posters from local collector & writer Barry Yuen.

"NO, BUT I SAW THE MOVIE…". - FULL EXHIBIT WRITEUPS (pdf)

Since Hollywood is always searching for content for movies, it only makes sense that they should turn to novels and short stories for ideas, and if the book is a best-seller, all the better, because they’re guaranteed to have an audience for the movie and make a profit. Look at GONE WITH THE WIND, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, THE GODFATHER, THE EXORCIST, and more recently, the HARRY POTTER and the LORD OF THE RINGS films. And of course, the latest adaptation of WUTHERING HEIGHTS has proven to be popular, despite complaints that it has very little to do with the book.

But not every book-to-movie adaptation is considered prestigious. Hollywood has a history of making movies from low-brow, even trashy popular fiction. PEYTON PLACE was a famous example, and the novels of Harold Robbins (who nobody talks about today) were often made into movies. And who remembers LOVE STORY (1970)? But I have a fondness for VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, which is included here. I think the book is actually better than people give it credit for. So for this exhibit, it’s fun to look at both the reputable and the disreputable adaptations. As the advertising campaigns would often say, READ THE BOOK! SEE THE MOVIE!”

Barry Yuen, Kingston-based poster collector and writer