Edward Gorey &
The Wrong Box

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This Collector Guide was written by Xandy Hand with initial support from Todd Camp.

First published: 2025-02-02.
No edits.


Contents:



What is The Wrong Box?

The Wrong Box is a novel that was published in 1889 and co-authored by Robert Louis Stevenson and his stepson Samuel Lloyd Osbourne. A British film adaptation was released in 1966. It featured an all-star cast including Michael Caine, Peter Sellers, Nanette Newman and a host of other British comedy talent. The film was internationally distributed.
The posters (and other materials) for the British film release included illustrations by English poster artist, Vic Fair. For the American release, Edward Gorey created several illustrations for the film which would be used in various ways, often in combination with Vic Fair’s drawings. These illustrated designs by both were then used for various international releases of the film – essentially being used like clip-art would be today.



What illustrations were created?

There appears to be eleven illustrations produced by Gorey for The Wrong Box. For ease of reference, the different illustrations will be coded (arbitrarily) G1 to G11 as follows:

Wrong Box Illustrations
G1
Dr Pratt (Peter Sellers) with cats
 G2
Michael Finsbury (Michael Caine) with barrel & arm
 G3
Two characters (probably Morris Finsbury & John Finsbury (Peter Cook & Dudley Moore)) with upright coffin
 G4
The Strangler (Tutte Lemkow) knitting
G5
Morris Finsbury (Peter Cook) opening crate containing a statue
 G6
Clergyman (Norman Bird) with mourners Mrs Hackett (Irene Handl) and Joseph Finsbury (Ralph Richardson) at funeral
 G7
Masterman Finsbury (John Mills) in coffin
Note: This is not the same as the coffin in G10.
 G8
Major Martha (Cicely Courtneidge) holding collection tin
G9
Joseph Finsbury (Ralph Richardson) staggering from train wreck
 G10
Whole cast chasing the coffin
 G11
Unopened crate with Michael Finsbury (Michael Caine) and Julia Finsbury (Nanette Newman)
 -




Reconstruction of the illustrations

Many of Gorey's original illustrations would be reconstructed, redesigned and often traced/copied to create customised work (and probably avoid copyrights issues) for use in different scenarios.
The closer you look, the more clear it becomes that every country had its own unique version of the illustrations - sometimes only a single added line, change to a cat's tail, reduction of a moustache length or simplification of a hand is the giveaway.
It's also interesting to note that even the U.S. colourised versions contain errors - such as G1's chaise longue where parts of the wood which should be brown have been coloured the same green as the fabric.
Below are some examples of the edits:

Reconstructed Illustrations
Original Artwork Colouring Modifying Tracing
G5
(Taken from US Promo Pack)
(Taken from US Poster)
(Taken from Spanish Poster)
(Taken from Argentinian Poster)
As far as I'm aware this is the unedited original artwork. The outline is all intact, but colours have been added.
    The original illustration has been modified in a number of different ways:
  • The top slat has been enlarged and move to cover the chest,
  • A neck for the statue has been added,
  • The right hand of the statue has been moved,
  • The hair and face of the statue have been simplified and tilted,
  • The second slat has been enlarged,
  • The third slat has been enlarged,
  • The knot(?) near the statues left hand has been removed,
  • The ankles on the statue have been removed,
  • The statue's plinth has been simplified,
  • An additional shadow has been added to the right of the statue plinth,
  • The openers hair has been modified to show the ear more,
  • The openers jawline has been moved down to have a rounder face,
  • The openers arm gap has been make more triangular,
  • The openers white shirt has been changed into a line,
  • The openers crowbar shape has been changed,
  • The openers fingers gripping the crowbar have been altered,
  • The openers middle and ring fingers have been brought closed together,
  • The openers coat tails have been shortened,
  • The openers trouser flairs have been removed
  • The planks have been joined at the base of the box,
  • The top support plank nearest the openers nose has been removed,
  • The top support plank on the left side has been tilted and resized,
  • The bottom support plank on the right side has been shrunken,
  • The top right corner of the box has been squared,
  • Most of the partially drawn plank lines have been completed, and one partial has been added.
 Gorey's design remains in tact but the illustation has been completely redrawn and the statue now resembles a living person in a swimsuit.




Alternative Titles:

(List from IMDB with amendments)

Alternative Titles
Country of release Title Google Translation of Title Promotional Material uses Gorey Illustrations
Argentina La caja equivocada The Wrong Box Yes
Australia The Wrong Box - No
Brazil A Loteria da Vida The Lottery of Life Unknown
Bulgaria Грешният багаж The Wrong Luggage Unknown
Canada The Wrong Box - (See USA)
China 入错棺材死错人 (Mandarin) The Wrong Person Died in the Wrong Coffin Unknown
不是这个盒子 (Mandarin, Alternative Title) Not This Box Unknown
Denmark Det forkerte lig The Wrong Body Yes
Ecuador The Wrong Box - Unknown
Finland Tappajaiset Killing Party No
Tappajaiset eli kertomus elävästä ruumiista Killing, or a story about a living corpse No
France Un mort en pleine forme A dead man in great shape Unknown
Greece 13.000.000 δολλάρια ζητούν κληρονόμο $13,000,000 is asking for an heir Yes
Hungary Elcserélt küldemények Exchanged Shipments No (One computer edited EG has been seen)
Italy La cassa sbagliata The Wrong Box Yes
Japan The Wrong Box (Japanese) - Unknown
Mexico La caja equivocada The Wrong Box Unknown
Norway Den som lever sist, lever best He who lives last lives best Unknown
Portugal A Fabulosa Troca de Caixões The Fabulous Coffin Exchange Unknown
Romania Cutia greşită Wrong Box Unknown
Soviet Union Другой ящик Another Box Possibly (One computer edited EG has been seen)
Spain La caja de las sorpresas The Box of Surprises Yes
La caja de sorpresas The Surprise Box No
Sweden Ärver bäst som ärver sist (video title) Inherit best who inherits last Unknown
Man bara dör... eller historien om det lefvande liket You just die... or the story of the living corpse Yes
United Kingdom The Wrong Box - Yes
U.S.A. The Wrong Box - Yes (originals)
West Germany Letzte Grüße von Onkel Joe Last greetings from Uncle Joe Yes




The Wrong Box Collection:

The collection consists of multiple items: Posters, promotional packs, advertising, audio and video material.
I have decided the best way to group them is by country of origin.

United States of America & Canada - The Wrong Box:

United States of America & Canada - The Wrong Box
Item Photo Description Illustrations Reference
U.S.
Promotional Catalogue
National Screen Service (NSS)
Undated
(43.1cm x 27.9cm)		 Front/Page1: Adverts: 301-357, 401-536, 501-1000:
Similar to U.S. Main Theatrical Poster but with only two illustrations.		 G1, G5.
Page2: Adverts: 502-620, 403-396:
Very similar to U.S. Theatrical Lobby Card with one additional illustration.
 G1, G4, G5, G6.
Page3: Adverts: 503-500:
Very different to any advert seen published elsewhere.		 G1, G2, G5, G11.
Page3: Adverts: 302-279:
Similar to U.S. Theatrical Poster with one illustration repositioned and one swapped with another.		 G1, G5, G6.
Page4: Adverts: 404-512:
Very different to any advert seen published elsewhere.		 G1, G2, G5, G9, G11.
Page7: Adverts: 305-195:
Very different to any advert seen published elsewhere.		 G1, G2, G5, G9, G11.
Reverse/Page8: Book:
Example of the U.S. Book.		 G3, G5, G8.
Reverse/Page8: 3 sheet:
Similar to the U.S. Main Theatrical Poster with the illustrations repositioned.		 G1, G4, G5.
Reverse/Page8: 1 sheet:
The U.S. Main Theatrical Poster.		 G1, G4, G5.
U.S.
Main Theatrical Poster
(104.2 x 68.7cm)		 A white background with three illustrations by Gorey and two by Fair. Nanette Newman is wearing a green shirt. G1, G4, G5.
U.S.
Lobby Card
(27.9cm x 35.7cm)		 A white background with three illustrations by Gorey and two by Fair. Nanette Newman is wearing a green shirt.
The lobby card comes as part of a set of eight different cards, only the main title contains a Gorey image - the rest are stills from the movie.		 G1, G4, G5.
U.S.
Lobby Card Style Poster
(55.7 x 71.0cm)		 A white background with three illustrations by Gorey and two by Fair. Nanette Newman is wearing a green shirt. G1, G4, G5.
U.S.
Large Theatrical Poster
(~48cm x ~33cm)		 A white background with three illustrations by Gorey and two by Fair. Nanette Newman is wearing a pink shirt.
(Note: I have only ever seen reproductions of this poster, never an original.)		 G1, G4, G5.
U.S.
Elongated Theatrical Poster
(91.0cm x 35.6cm)		 A white background with three illustrations by Gorey and two by Fair. Nanette Newman is wearing a purple shirt. G1, G4, G5.
U.S.
Book by Geoffrey Napier
Dell Publishing
1966 September
(17.8cm x 10.6 cm)		 Large examples of illustrations on dark-orange background G3, G5, G8.
U.S.
LP: Mono - Not For Sale
Mainstream
1966?
(17.8cm x 10.6 cm)		 Front: White background with pink box, G1 illustration has been flipped and coloured in and there are six other low resolution illustrations.

Note: The same sheets were printed for the Mono and Stereo - the only difference was where they were glued together, the "STEREO" text should be barely visible on the mono editions but often the pasting alignment means they are visible on the back, edge or even on the front.

The disk inside has a white label.		 G1 (flipped/coloured), G2, G3, G4, G5, G6, G7.
Reverse: White background with four low resolution illustrations.

It should also have D. J. NOT FOR SALE stamped with blank ink.		 G1, G2, G4, G5.
U.S.
LP: Mono
Mainstream
1966?
(17.8cm x 10.6 cm)		 Front: White background with pink box, G1 illustration has been flipped and coloured in and there are six other low resolution illustrations.

Note: The same sheets were printed for the Mono and Stereo - the only difference was where they were glued together, the "STEREO" text should be barely visible on the mono editions but often the pasting alignment means they are visible on the back, edge or even on the front.

The disk inside has a blue label.		 G1 (flipped/coloured), G2, G3, G4, G5, G6, G7.
Reverse: White background with four low resolution illustrations. G1, G2, G4, G5.
Canada
LP: Mono
Mainstream
1966?
(17.8cm x 10.6 cm)		 Front: White background with pink box, G1 illustration has been flipped and coloured in and there are six other low resolution illustrations.

The disk inside has a green label.		 G1 (flipped/coloured), G2, G3, G4, G5, G6, G7.
Reverse: White background with four low resolution illustrations.

It will have "Printed in Canada" at the middle-bottom.		 G1, G2, G4, G5.
U.S.
LP: Stereo
Mainstream
1966?
(17.8cm x 10.6 cm)		 Front: White background with pink box, G1 illustration has been flipped and coloured in and there are six other low resolution illustrations.

It should have "STEREO" clearly visible in the top-right.

Note: The same sheets were printed for the Mono and Stereo - the only difference was where they were glued together, the "STEREO" text should be barely visible on the mono editions but often the pasting alignment means they are visible on the back, edge or even on the front.		 G1 (flipped/coloured), G2, G3, G4, G5, G6, G7.
Reverse: White background with four low resolution illustrations. G1, G2, G4, G5.
U.S.
CD: Promotional
Mainstream
Unknown date
(12.5cm x 14.2cm)		 Front: Very similar to U.S. LP with the pink changed to a red colour.
Note there is no "John Barry" text top left under title.		 G1 (flipped/coloured), G2, G3, G4, G5, G6, G7.
Reverse: Similar to U.S. LP, with illustrations repositioned. G1, G2, G4, G5.
CD: Two illustrations on a white background. G1, G4.
U.S.
CD: Promotional
Mainstream
Unknown date
(12.5cm x 14.2cm)		 Front: Very similar to U.S. LP. G1 (flipped/coloured), G2, G3, G4, G5, G6, G7.
Reverse: Similar to U.S. LP, with illustrations repositioned. G1, G2, G4, G5.
CD: Two illustrations on a white background. G1, G4.
U.S.
CD: Special Edition
Intrada
2011
(12.5cm x 14.2cm)		 Similar to U.S. Main Theatrical Poster, with illustrations repositioned. G1, G4, G5.
U.S.
DVD
Sony Pictures
(19.0cm x 13.5cm)		 Same picture as U.S. Lobby Card G1, G4, G5.




United Kingdom - The Wrong Box:

United Kingdom - The Wrong Box
Item Photo Description Illustrations Reference
U.K.
Campaign Book
1966
BLC Films Ltd/Columbia
(33.0cm x 24.1cm)		 - G10.
U.K.
CD
2008
Harkit
(12.4cm x 14.2cm)		 Similar to Spanish main poster, but with the illustrations re-cut and repositioned. G1, G2, G5, G9.




Spain - La Caja de las Sorpresas:

The Spanish collection are all modified from the original illustrations (See Reconstruction of the illustrations).
The collection includes a lot of very thin & delicate paper "programme fliers" which seem to have been used nationally to promote local screenings of the film from 1967 until at least 1971. It is likely more of these exist, although all that I have seen are mentioned in the table below.

Spain - La Caja de las Sorpresas
Item Photo Description Illustrations Reference
Spain
Main Theatrical Poster
(99.5cm x 68.0cm)		 A black background with four illustrations by Gorey illustrations inside coloured shapes. G1, G2, G5, G9.
Spain
Programme Flier
(8.9cm x 13.0cm)
Reverse is blank. G1.
Spain
Programme Flier
6 June 1967
(8.9cm x 13.0cm)
Reverse starts with: "Moderno". G1.
Spain
Programme Flier
8-9 July 1967
(8.9cm x 13.0cm)
Reverse starts with: "Cine Esplai". G1.
Spain
Programme Flier
5 August 1967
(8.9cm x 13.0cm)
Reverse starts with: "Un < Maraton >". G1.
Spain
Programme Flier
15 September 1968
(8.9cm x 13.0cm)
Reverse starts with: "Cine Iberia". G1.
Spain
Programme Flier
21-27 September 1970
(8.9cm x 13.0cm)
Reverse starts with: "Cine Cervantes". G1.
Spain
Programme Flier
29 June – 4 July 1971
(8.9cm x 13.0cm)
Reverse starts with: "Inauguracion Temporada". G1.
Spain
VHS
(20.0 x 12.1 x 3.1cm)		 Similar to main Spanish poster. G1, G2, G5, G9.
Spain
Blu-Ray
2023
Mon Inter Comerz
(17.1 x 13.5 x 1.1cm)		 Front: An amended version of the US Main Theatrical Poster. G1, G4, G5.
Reverse: Copy of the Spanish Main Theatrical poster. G1, G2, G5, G9.




Argentina - La Caja Equivocada:

The Argentinian collection (Which is possibly the same as the Mexican collection) contain heavily "airbrushed" versions of the Gorey original design (See Reconstruction of the illustrations). They keep the same design and feel but they have been completely recreated.

Argentina - La Caja Equivocada:
Item Photo Description Illustrations Reference
Argentina
Main Theatrical Poster
(109.8cm x 74.0cm)		 Similar to US main theatrical poster but airbrushed character photographs and letterbox has been adapted to read "BUZON".
The Gorey Illustrations have been trace-copied and have had their colours changed, and statue is now clothed.		 Adapted and traced: G1, G4, G5.
Argentina
Secondary Theatrical Poster
(109.2cm x 73.8cm)		 Yellow and blue with airbrushed character photos and with large actor credits for Michael Caine and Peter Sellers.
The Gorey Illustrations have been trace-copied and have had their colours changed.		 Adapted and traced: G1, G4.




Denmark - Det Forkerte Lig:

The Danish collection remain fairly true to the original Gorey design but they have been modified slightly (See Reconstruction of the illustrations).

Denmark - Det Forkerte Lig
Item Photo Description Illustrations Reference
Denmark
Main Theatrical Poster
(83.5 x 61.2cm)		 Similar to US main theatrical poster but character photos have been ‘cartoonised’; Nanette Newman in yellow shirt and the Letterbox has been entirely redrawn. G1, G4, G5.




Greece - 13.000.000 δολλάρια ζητούν κληρονόμο:

Greece - 13.000.000 δολλάρια ζητούν κληρονόμο
Item Photo Description Illustrations Reference
Greece
Advert from newspaper
Ταχυδρόμος
11 June 1967
(Source Aptlogs.com)		 - G5.




Germany - Letzte Grusse von Onkel Joe:

The German collection have heavily modified the illustrations (See Reconstruction of the illustrations).

Germany - Letzte Grusse von Onkel Joe
Item Photo Description Illustrations Reference
Germany
Main Theatrical Poster
(104.2 x 68.7cm)		 A white background with John Mills and Michael Caine & Nanette Newman kissing. G5 has had the crate and other character removed. G4, G5 (edited), G9.
Germany
Magazine
Film-Echo #3
11 January 1967
(31.0cm x 23.5cm)		 Cover adapted from German main theatrical poster. G5 has crate removed but character is intact. G4, G5 (edited).




Italy - La Cassa Sbagliata:

Italy - La Cassa Sbagliata
Item Photo Description Illustrations Reference
Italy
DVD
2017
A & R Productions
(19.0cm x 13.5cm x 1.5cm)		 Similar layout to the US Main Theatrical Poster with 2 additional character photos.
This release has been renamed "La Cassa Sbagliata".		 G4.
Italy
Main Theatrical Poster
(unknown size)		 Two illustrations including one from the same scene as G2.
They are significantly different to Gorey's, but feel somewhat inspired by his.		 Similarities to G2




Sweden - Man Bara Dör ... Historien om det Lefvande Liket:

The Swedish collection remain fairly true to the original Gorey design but they have been modified slightly (See Reconstruction of the illustrations).

Sweden - Man Bara Dör ... Historien om det Lefvande Liket
Item Photo Description Illustrations Reference
Swedish
Main Theatrical Poster
(100.4 x 69.6cm)		 Pink & Yellow. Michael Caine, Peter Sellers with cat, Nanette Newman and horse-drawn carriage.
Gorey illustrations are coloured.		 G1, G4.
Swedish
Possibly Lobby Poster
(70.0 x 32.0cm)		 Pink & Yellow. Peter Sellers with cat.
Gorey illustrations are uncoloured and not modified.		 G1, G4, G5.




Soviet Union/USSR - Другой ящик:

Soviet Union/USSR - Другой ящик
Item Photo Description Illustrations Reference
USSR Image is heavily computer edited and was possibly never officially used.
(Source: MostVideo.org)		 G1, G4.