Original art for Honky Tonk up for sale.

The original artwork by artist, Diane Mastel, that went on the VHS boxes for the 1941 Clark Gable film, Honky Tonk, are for sale on eBay . Honky Tonk, was inspired by the 1935 book, The Reign of Soapy Smith, with Gable playing the lead role of Soapy Smith. In order to side-step legalities with Jefferson R. Smith III (Soapy's son), MGM changed the characters name to "Candy Johnson."

Here is how the auction description reads:

"Starring: Clark Gable / Lana Turner. No video Box Included. About the art: This original hand painted art was done for MGM Studios between 1987 and 1995. At that time MGM was re-releasing many old movies on video. These paintings were the art used on the video boxes. You have probably rented some of these videos and the art may look familiar. Diane Mastel, a Hollywood artist at the time did over 500 titles. The subject matter is quite varied. I have these paintings for sale. Each is an original and each is a part of Hollywood history. You can Google up these movie titles and often see that they are still using the same art on the now released DVD's. I plan to list 10 per week until they are gone. These paintings were returned to Diane Mastel to keep, or sell but may not be reproduced in any manor without the written permission of MGM Studios. This is a common practice. Sometimes MGM would send along an unused never folded video box (no video) along with the returned art. The art is meant for collection and display. If you buy these paintings, you have absolutely no reproduction rights but they would sure be grand to hang in your home theater. The paintings are not framed. They are mounted on a backing board and are just as they came back from MGM Studios. The art averages about 11" X 16". All are signed on the back by the artist. Due to easy reproduction there are no returns."

Remember that purchases made on eBay are "protected" from fraudulent sellers but it is up to the buyer to prove that the item is not what it is claimed to be, Caveat emptor.