SCREENPLAY

[‘Clemence Dane’, i.e. Winifred Ashton, playwright, novelist and Oscar-winning screenplay writer.] Typed Letter Signed discussing a misunderstanding of her book ‘Legend’, with inscribed photographic portrait.

Author: 
‘Clemence Dane’, nom de plume of Winifred Ashton (1888-1965), playwright, novelist and Oscar-winning screenplay writer [G. Ralton Barnard of York]
Clemence Dane
Publication details: 
TLS: 17 January 1922; on letterhead of 26 Castellain Mansions, Maida Vale, W.9. [London.] Photograph without date or place.
£120.00
Clemence Dane

See Ashton’s entry in the Oxford DNB. Both items in good condition, lightly aged, with evidence of mount to blank reverse of photograph. ONE: TLS. 17 January 1922. 1p, 12mo. Folded once. Signed ‘Clemence Dane’. Addressed to G. Railton Barnard, 6 The Crescent, York. She thanks him for his ‘interesting letter’: ‘If the same question had not already crept up once or twice, I should not have thought it possible for anyone so to misunderstand Legend, but I know people do, clear as I thought I had made it.’ Barnard is ‘absolutely right’: ‘Madala Grey is head over ears in love with her husband.

[Christopher Fry; Dino De Laurentiis; John Houston.] Photostat pages of the first part of Fry's screenplay of the 1966 American-Italian religious epic film 'The Bible: In the Beginning...', produced by De Laurentiis and directed by Huston

Author: 
Christopher Fry (1907-2005) [Dino De Laurentiis; John Houston; 20th Century Fox]
Publication details: 
On p.2: 'Property of: | DINO DE LAURENTIIS CINEMATOGRAFICA S. p. A. | Via Pontina Km. 23-270 | ROMA'.
£200.00

Photostat pages of the first part of Christopher Fry's screenplay of the lavish 1966 American-Italian 20th Century Fox religious epic film 'The Bible: In the Beginning...', produced by Dino De Laurentiis and directed by John Huston. [2] + 7pp, 4to. Photostats of a typescript, on seven leaves.

[Paddy Carstairs, film and television director.] Two Autograph Letters Signed to 'Mrs Greenwood', the first encouraging her screenwriter aspirations, the second rejecting one of her scripts.

Author: 
Paddy Carstairs [John Paddy Carstairs, born John Keys] (1910-1970), film and television director
Publication details: 
Both on letterhead of Two Cities Films Ltd, 15 Hanover Square, London. The first undated (but with date of receipt noted as 10 July 1949; the second dated 22 July 1949.
£50.00

Both 1p, 8vo, and each in fair condition, on aged paper, with creasing along one edge. The first letter with smudged date of receipt in one corner. The first letter signed 'Paddy Carstairs', the second 'John Paddy Carstairs'. ONE: Begins: 'Dear Miss Greenwood | What can I possibly say? I am “set” for my next pic, but always want very unique stories – who doesn't?! | In 22 years (nearly!) I've only sold 3 originals for the screen and none of my novels – you see, there aren't any rules'.

[ Mandela; Sir Ronald Harwood, playwright and screenwriter. ] Shooting Script, with numerous pages of amendments, of the British television drama film 'Mandela'.,directed by Peter Saville and starring Danny Glover.

Author: 
Sir Ronald Harwood (born South Africa, 1934 as Ronald Horwitz), Oscar-winning playwright and screenwriter [ Peter Saville (1930-2016), British film director; Nelson Mandela ]
Publication details: 
[ TVS Limited, Shepperton Studios. ] Dated 9 September 1986.
£220.00

Typed screenplay, 103pp., 8vo. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. Paginated to 99, but with the pagination heavily disrupted by the addition and removal of a large number of pages of revisions on pink or blue paper, each amended leaf dated at the head. Held together with two metal studs, in yellow card binding with windowpane for title. Title-page states 'MANDELA | by | Ronald Harwood | 9 September 1986', without further details. Loosely inserted is a six-page 'Call Sheet No.

[ Warwick Deeping, novelist. ] 5 Autograph Letters Signed and 3 Autograph Notes Signed to Margaret Greenwood, regarding the adapation of his work for film. With 3 Autograph Letters Signed from his wife, and 13 copies of Greenwood's letters.

Author: 
Warwick Deeping [ George Warwick Deeping ] (1877-1950), English best-known for 'Sorrell and Son' (1925) and his wife Maud Phyllis Merrill (c.1882-1971) [ Margaret Greenwood ]
Publication details: 
On blind-stamped letterheads of his country house Eastlands, Weybridge, Surrey. 1949 and 1950.
£500.00

21 items. In good condition, lightly aged, held together with a brass stud. Deeping's eight items of correspondence - all signed 'Warwick Deeping' - total 9pp. His wife's three letters total 4pp. One of Deeping's letters is in its envelope, addressed by him to 'Miss Margaret Greenwood | 15 Horsham Road | Bexleyheath | Kent'. The copies of Greenwood's typed letters, totalling 16pp., date from between 27 July 1949 and 22 July 1950, bookending the whole correspondence. They are written on the backs of discarded typed drafts of pages from Greenwood's screenplays.

[ Anthony Berkeley Cox, crime writer. ] Eleven Typed Letters Signed (nine 'Francis Iles' and two 'A. B. Cox') and one Typed Postcard Signed to Margaret Greenwood, on her wish to adapt 'Malice Aforethought' for film, with copies of her letters to him.

Author: 
Anthony Berkeley Cox (1893-1971), British crime writer under the pseudonyms 'Francis Iles', 'Anthony Berkeley', and 'A. Monmouth Platts', best-known for 'Malice Aforethought' [ Margaret Greenwood ]
Publication details: 
Nine on letterheads of 86 Hamilton Terrace, NW8 [ London ]; and two on letterheads of Linton Hills, Welcombe, Bude. Between 8 June 1949 and 13 July 1950.
£750.00

A total of 30 items. Cox's eleven letters total 16pp., and Greenwood's eighteen letters total 28pp. (several written on drafts of pages of her writing). In good condition, lightly aged, held together with a brass stud. An amusing correspondence, with Cox responding with amused bewilderment to the inexperienced approaches of his enthusiastic correspondent. Greenwood – who writes from 15 Horsham Road, Bexleyheath, Kent – is something of a bluffer.

[ Unmade British film noir based on the Burke and Hare murders, apparently intended as a vehicle for Sir Donald Wolfit. ] Typed screenplay of 'The Body Snatchers by John Lemont and Leigh Vance', 'Treatment by Bill Strutton'.

Author: 
John Lemont (1914-2003), Canadian director; Leigh Vance (1922-1994), producer; Bill Strutton (1918-2003), Australian screenwriter; Zodia Productions, London [Sir Donald Wolfit; Burke and Hare murders]
Publication details: 
'A Master Film Treatment for Zodiac Productions | Copyright: Zodiac Productions Ltd: 171, Shahftesbury Avenue, London, W.C.1.' Undated [ circa 1958 ].
£400.00

[1] + 62pp., folio. On rectos only. Bound with metal studs into yellow card covers, with the spine reinforced with cloth tape. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. Loosely inserted is a five-page carbon typescript describing 'Approximate number of costumes necessary'. Also inserted is a typed page beginning with an 'Extract from letter from Sir Donald Wolfit: 8.7.58. | At the moment it looks like an opening date in the second half of September out of London for six or seven weeks first. Mr. Laurence Irving will be in touch with you in the near future for a preliminary discussion'.

[ Robin Chapman, novelist and screenwriter. ] Corrected typescript of adaptation, from a translation by Jill Booty, of Joao Bethencourt's 'Pure Pornography'. Accompanied by a Typed Letter Signed to Chapman from Laurence Harbottle, on the subject.

Author: 
Robin Chapman, English novelist and screenwriter; Laurence Harbottle (1924-2015) [ Joao Bethencourt [ João Estevão Weiner Bethencourt] (1924-2006), Hungarian/Brazilian playwright; Jill Booty ]
Publication details: 
Typescript: 6a Sloane Square, London, SW1. Undated [circa 1966]. Harbottle's letter: on letterhead of Harbottle & Lewis, Solicitors, 34 South Molton Street, London. 8 December 1966.
£180.00

Typescript: 132pp., folio. Each page on a separate leaf, all of which are attached with metal clasps in a grey card folder, with the label of the International Copyright Bureau Ltd, London, on the front cover (as well as on the title page). In fair condition, lightly-aged and worn, with title leaf coming away. Text with a few minor manuscript emendations. Accompanying the typescript is Harbottle's letter, signed 'Laurence'. 1p., 8vo. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper.

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