FANNY BRICE - DOCUMENT SIGNED 12/31/1942 - HFSID 274085

THE ENTERTAINER AMENDS PAYMENT ARRANGEMENTS FOR HER SERVICES AND THE RIGHTS TO HER FAMOUS CHARACTER, "BABY SNOOKS"
 
FANNY BRICE. Carbon Typed DS: "Fanny Brice" in ink, 2p, 8½x11, separate sheets. No place, 1942 December 31. In letter form from Brice to Benton & Bowles, Inc., New York, N.Y. In part: "I heretofore entered into an agreement with you dated July 1st, 1941, providing for my exclusive radio services in connection with a series of radio programs to be broadcast on behalf of your client, General Foods Corporation, and providing for certain rights and options as set forth in said agreement...I granted you certain rights in connection with the well known character 'Baby Snooks' including, but not being limited to, the right to use such character on these programs without any payment or obligation on your part...the right to use 'Baby Snooks' in advertising and publicizing these programs and the products of your client, and the right to use the name 'Baby Snooks' for premiums or giveaways, and I agreed not to permit anyone else to use the character 'Baby Snooks' on any other radio program, and I also agreed to otherwise restrict the name and character 'Baby Snooks'...I asked you for a certain amount of money per week as full payment for my services and all other rights and options I gave you. I did not break this down as between payment for my services and payment for the rights in connection with 'Baby Snooks' because there was then no reason whatsoever to so break down the amount of such payment. However, I have requested you to amend our said agreement...so that the weekly payment therein provided for, at the rate of $5000.00 per week, shall be broken down so that you shall pay me $2500.00 per week for my personal services and $2500.00 per week for all the rights granted you in said agreement in connection with 'Baby Snooks'...I have explained to you that unless such apportionment is made, it is possible that the entire payment made to me each week might be deemed by appropriate government authorities to be in payment for services while, as I have represented, actually I have always deemed only one-half of such amount to be for my personal services and the other half to be payment for 'Baby Snooks' rights granted to you...." Typed signature of a representative of Benton & Bowles, Inc. at lower right corner of signature page. On thin paper. Entertainer Fanny Brice (1891-1951)starred in the Ziegfeld Follies in the 1920s and 1930s, becoming known for her beautiful voice and limber grace, which she always used in the service of humor. In the Broadway comedy, Crazy Quilt (1931), she introduced the character of "Baby Snooks", a precocious, mischievous brat she had first played in vaudeville in 1912. Brice performed as "Baby Snooks" in Ziegfeld Follies of the Air, and the character then became part of the Maxwell House Coffee Time radio show. In 1938, Brice launched her own weekly broadcast, The Baby Snooks Show. Brice's enormously successful run on radio lasted until her death in 1951. Slightly creased. Chipped at upper right blank corner on first page. Staple holes at upper left corners, two file holes at upper blank margins. Fine condition.