HATTIE McDANIEL and DANIEL T. O'SHEA The year the famous actress won her Academy Award for Selznick's Gone With the Wind, the first Black American to win an Oscar signs an agreement to work for Selznick International Pictures in 1940 with options through 1946. Partly Printed Contract signed: "Hattie McDaniel", 22p, 8½x11. Culver City, California, 1939 December 30. Countersigned: "Daniel T. O'Shea" as Producer. In part: "Subject: Producer employs Artist to render her services exclusively to Producer as an actress, performer, or entertainer in motion picture photoplays, television, and to make radiobroadcasts and personal appearances when, where and as requested by Producer. Term: From: January 1, 1940 (20 week guarantee) To: June 30, 1940. Compensation: $500.00 per week (20 week guarantee)…." Eight options after the principal six month period ends are listed, raising McDaniel's salary to $550 per week to the end of 1940 with consecutive annual raises which would reach $1500 per week if she worked for Selznick through 1946. read more...

D. W. GRIFFITH Chastened by a messy divorce from his first wife, the famed director signs a prenuptial agreement with his bride to be, Evelyn Baldwin, who has also signed here. Document signed: "David Wark Griffith", "Evelyn Baldwin", 2 pages, 8½x13. No place, 1936 March 2. In anticipation of his pending marriage to Evelyn Baldwin, Griffith irrevocably transfers to her all rights to an annuity contract with the Aetna Life Insurance Company of Hartford, Connecticut, yielding annual income of $5,632.80 for the rest of her life. In exchange, Baldwin releases Griffith, along with his heirs and assigns, from any additional claims except for assets freely given to Baldwin by Griffith. The agreement is to become effective only on the consummation of the Griffith-Baldwin marriage. David Llewelyn Wark GRIFFITH (1875-1948) directed his first film in 1908, and in 1910 became the first to shoot a film in Hollywood. His Judith of Bethulia (1914) was among the first feature films, and the controversial Birth of a Nation (1915), became the first blockbuster movie hit, inspiring the movie industry that we have known since. read more...

W. C. FIELDS and FLO ZIEGFELD Both sign and initial a typed documentary letter (1924) extending Fields' contractual obligation to a Ziegfeld production. Documentary Letter signed: "W. C. Fields", "F. Ziegfeld, Jr." , 1 page, 7¼x10½. New York City, 1924 November 12. On Ziegfeld's New Amsterdam Theatre letterhead to W. C. Fields, New York City. Both have initialed a one-line ink addition in Ziegfeld's hand. Noting that Fields' current Equity Run-of-the-Play Contract for J. P. McEvoy's "Comic Supplement" expires on June 1, 1925, Fields agrees to extend his commitment after that date at the rate of $1,750 per week, provided that Fields is successful through the Actors Equity Association in getting released from a conflicting commitment with Phillip Goodman. Fields' weekly salary is to rise to $2,000 per week if "Comic Supplement" should continue running into 1926. Red-nosed, gravel-voiced, bottle-hitting American comedian W. C. FIELDS (1880-1946), born William Claude Dukenfield, began his career in silents, later excelling in such films as David Copperfield (as Micawber), My Little Chickadee (with Mae West) and The Bank Dick read more...

W. C. FIELDS 11x14 sepia photo of Fields in the stage version of his skit, "The Caledonian Express," signed and inscribed to author and publisher Arthur Samuels. Field's inscription includes one of his famous lines from the stage and screen skit: "You'll ha to git oot/o' the compartment." Oversized Photograph inscribed and signed: "To My friend/Arthur -you'll ha to git oot/o' the compartment,/from his friend/Bill Fields/Oct 11 - 1928." Sepia, 11x14. Remarkable studio portrait inscribed to Arthur Samuels, who was involved with the publishing of "Ladies Home Journal" and authored Poppy. Half-view left profile by Hal Phype. Fields has quoted one of his lines from the Earl Carroll's Vanities sketch "The Caledonian Express" (1928), in which the legendary comedian played four Scottish characters trying to remove an uninvited guest from a train compartment. Fields repeated the skit in the film Follow the Boys (1945), but that time played the intruder. Samuels' Poppy made Fields a Broadway star in 1923, and he reprised the role in two film versions. Surface creases at upper right corner with fraying at that corner, else fine, handsome and rare. read more...

JAMES CAGNEY Signed letter filled with recollections of playing George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy, and of Cohan's reaction to the film. Cagney's account, brimming with colorful anecdotes, illuminates a landmark of film history. Typed Letter signed: "J. Cagney", 2 pages 7¼x10½. Verney Farm, Staffordville, New York, 1979 July 3. To "Dear Mr. McGilligan", in full: "In answer to your recent letter, all the information you mention regarding the Cohan contribution to 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' is quite accurate. There was never a script submitted to Mr. Cohan. He sent a friend out, who was a lawyer, to view the rough cut. My brother Bill escorted Mr. Raftery to a projection room, and sat him down in a big comfortable chair. Inasmuch as the script had not been submitted, my brother was full of misgivings, feeling the lawyer would step all over it. My brother was wrong. About twenty minutes into the film it really got to Mr. Raftery. As he sat on the other end of the room, my brother could feel the lounge vibrating as he realized Mr. Raftery was crying. Bill knew he was home free then. The other obstacle was in reference to Cohan's first wife, Ethel Levy. read more...

BORIS KARLOFF Movie still from 1931's Frankenstein, with Karloff as the monster and choking a victim to death in a doorway, signed "Sincerely" by him. A must have for horror fans! Photograph signed "Sincerely/Boris Karloff". B/w, 7¾x10 overall, 7¼x9¼ image, one surface. This is a prize horror autograph and one that every horror fan should have: a signed photograph of Boris Karloff as the monster in 1931's Frankenstein! Karloff (1887-1969, born William Henry Pratt in Camberwell, London, England) was an English actor. Karloff had originally wanted a career in the diplomatic service, but he instead became one of Hollywood's most frightening actors. In 1931, he starred as the monster in the original Frankenstein, a role that had been turned down by Bela Lugosi. Karloff, who also scared the daylights out of movie-goers in the films The Mummy (1932) and The Ghoul (1933), also hosted and occasionally starred in the TV series Thriller. He gave one of the best of his many film performances in the 1968 Peter Bogdanovich film Targets, in which he virtually played himself - an aging star of horror movies. Lightly toned, creased and bowed. read more...

W.C. FIELDS Original Prohibition-era W.C. Fields comedy sketch. Manuscript Comedy Sketch titled and signed: "One of the six best Cellars/By/W.C. Fields", 13¼p, 6x8¼, separate sheets. No place, no date. The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution went into effect on January 16, 1920. As of that date, "the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited." Prohibition is the topic of this comedy sketch, One of the Six Best Cellars, which is written with a bit of satire. The phrase "six best cellars" was an expression first used in 1920 referring to the best hideaways where liquor was stored during Prohibition. The phrase was used in a "Los Angeles Herald" story on December 8, 1920 stating that actress Mabel Normand, known to be a heavy drinker, had one of the "six best cellars" of Prohibition liquor in the Hollywood film colony. Although not dated, this comedy sketch was likely written during the Prohibition era. In the early 1920s Fields wrote many comedy sketches while performing in New York's vaudeville, most notably in the Ziegfeld Follies read more...

W.C. FIELDS, MAURICE CLEARY and GENE TOWNE The legendary comedian and actor and two others sign a six-month agreement for the production and airing of radio broadcasts starring Fields. Typed DS: "W.C. Fields" as Party of the First Part on page 4 and intiialed: "W.C.F." three times on page 3 and once on page 4, 4p, 8½x13, separate sheets, bound together onto 9x13¾ blue legal sheet (imprinted "Stephen Monteleone/Attorney and Counsellor at Law/Petroleum Securities Building/Flower Street at Tenth/Los Angeles)". Los Angeles, California, 1932 November 11. This agreement, which is for a period of six months (November 11, 1932-May 11, 1933), states that Fields, who "possesses special, unique and unusual ability as an artist", Cleary, "skilled and experienced in arranging for the production of any such performances [by Fields] and the disposal of the same for use over the radio", and Towne, who "possesses unique ability in the presentation of read more...

HUMPHREY BOGART and LAUREN BACALL Vintage black and white photograph showing the two relaxing together on his yacht Santana, signing as "Betty" and "Bogey". Photos of the famous Hollywood couple signed by both are extremely rare! Photograph inscribed and signed: "For Mina/Much love from/& Bogie"; Bacall has inserted "Betty" in front of her husband's name. B/w, 10x7¾. Signed in fountain pen. Photo: Floyd McCarthy. Next to Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart's dearest love was sailing. He purchased the 55-foot sailing yacht Santana from Dick Powell and June Allyson. Bogart was no mere dilettante, but a serious helmsman, spending more than half his weekends a year on the sea and competing successfully in serious races. Bacall met Bogart on the set of To Have and Have Not (1944), the first of four films they would make together. Bogart had been married three times before, but lived happily with Bacall until his death in 1957. read more...