Lot 34
Revised final draft of Preston Sturges' Unfaithfully Yours screenplay
25 November 2013, 13:00 EST
Los AngelesSold for US$1,625 inc. premium
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Revised final draft of Preston Sturges' Unfaithfully Yours screenplay
Mimeographed Manuscript, 154 pp, dated February 10, 1948 and marked "Revised Final" on title page and cover, additionally stamped [copy number] 24, bound in red Twentieth Century-Fox wraps with "Grayce Artinian" penciled to upper right corner, and with extensive pencil annotations in the same hand to the title page listing preliminary casting decisions, some smudging from pencil to title page, otherwise internally very clean, and with minimal wear to cover, in custom clamshell box.
Provenance: the Richard Manney Collection.
Unfaithfully Yours, Sturges' black comedy about a famous conductor who plots to murder his wife after he finds out she has apparently been unfaithful, went into production at Fox on February 18, 1948. This copy bears blue revision pages dated February 13, 16, 18, 23 and March 4, 1948. The penciled casting notes at the beginning are a nearly complete list of the final cast with a few exceptions: Julius Tannen's character is listed as "Tailor" rather than "O'Brien"; the Dowager is as yet uncast (Sturges' favorite Georgia Caine would appear); James Conlin's character is listed as the "Baldwin Man" (later cut from the film); Mme Pompadour is as yet uncast (Evelyn Beresford); and the "Deaf Gentleman" is uncast (not credited in film).
The film today takes its place among Sturges' canon, but at the time it was released it was a commercial failure, likely because of the negative publicity over the death of Rex Harrison's mistress, Carole Landis, who killed herself when the actor refused to divorce his wife and marry her.
Provenance: the Richard Manney Collection.
Unfaithfully Yours, Sturges' black comedy about a famous conductor who plots to murder his wife after he finds out she has apparently been unfaithful, went into production at Fox on February 18, 1948. This copy bears blue revision pages dated February 13, 16, 18, 23 and March 4, 1948. The penciled casting notes at the beginning are a nearly complete list of the final cast with a few exceptions: Julius Tannen's character is listed as "Tailor" rather than "O'Brien"; the Dowager is as yet uncast (Sturges' favorite Georgia Caine would appear); James Conlin's character is listed as the "Baldwin Man" (later cut from the film); Mme Pompadour is as yet uncast (Evelyn Beresford); and the "Deaf Gentleman" is uncast (not credited in film).
The film today takes its place among Sturges' canon, but at the time it was released it was a commercial failure, likely because of the negative publicity over the death of Rex Harrison's mistress, Carole Landis, who killed herself when the actor refused to divorce his wife and marry her.
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