BORIS KARLOFF - CONTRACT SIGNED 11/24/1948 CO-SIGNED BY: LELAND HAYWARD - HFSID 68335

BORIS KARLOFF and LELAND HAYWARD
Karloff and his manager signed this contract in 1948 to appear as Descius Heiss in a Broadway production of The Shop at Sly Corner in 1948. This wasn't one of Karloff's more successful ventures, as the show closed after only seven performances.
Contract signed "Boris Karloff" and "Leland Hayward" in blue ink. 2 pages, 8¼x21¾, 1 sheet, front and verso with a 1-page 8½x11 carbon copy rider. Nov. 24, 1948. Titled: "Actors' Equity Association/Standard Run-of-the-Play Contract". Karloff signed this to appear as Descius Heiss in The Shop at Sly Corner for $1,000 a week and 10 percent of the play's gross receipts. The Shop at Sly Corner was a popular play when it opened in London, England in 1945 and went on to be adapted into a film called Code of Scotland Yard in 1947. The Shop at Sly Cornerdidn't fare quite as well on Broadway; it opened at the Booth Theatre on Jan. 18, 1949 and closed on Jan. 22, 1949 after only seven performances. Boris 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. Also signed by manager and producer Leland Hayward (1902-1971). His Broadway productions included the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals South Pacific (1949) and The Sound of Music (1959). Among his film productions were The Old Man and the Sea (1958) and Gypsy (1959). He produced both the stage and film versions of Mr. Roberts. His success as a Hollywood agent was no less. His clients included Fred Astaire, Jimmy Stewart, Ernest Hemingway, Judy Garland, Ginger Rogers, Henry Fonda, William Wyler, Greta Garbo Katherine Hepburn and of course Boris Karloff! Contract is lightly toned and creased. 2 file holes near top edge. Staple holes near left edge. Folded five times and unfolded. Rider is lightly toned and creased. Carbon copy marks Staple holes near left edge. Light tear near lower right corner. Folded twice and unfolded. Top fold is worn and has light tears on right and left edges. Otherwise in fine condition.