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...

CLINT EASTWOOD Contract signed the year he reprised his "Dirty Harry" role and first directed a Western. Document signed: "Clint Eastwood", 2p (front and verso), 8½X13. Beverly Hills, California, 1973 January 11. Signed on verso. Eastwood retains the William Morris Agency as his exclusive film agent for a period of 3 years. Originally specialized in Westerns, beginning with the Rawhide, Eastwood became a major star in the "Spaghetti Westerns" of Sergio Leone, beginning with A Fistful of Dollars (1964). While continuing to make Westerns, Eastwood proved a popular, hard-boiled detective as well, beginning with Dirty Harry (1971). He can play sensitive roles as well, as opposite Meryl Streep in The Bridges of Madison County, which he also directed (1995). Eastwood has continued to succeed as an older actor in films like In the Line of Fire (1995) and Space Cowboys (2000). He has also proven to be an outstanding director, winning Oscars for Unforgiven (1991) and Million Dollar Baby (2004) and getting another nomination for Mystic River (2003). 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...