LEON URIS - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 10/22/1955 CO-SIGNED BY: HAL B. WALLIS - HFSID 323310

LEON URIS and HAL B. WALLIS
Signed letter detailing the termination of his employment with Paramount Pictures, with Uris signing his name in acceptance
Typed Letter signed: "Hal Wallis", "Leon Uris" in blue ink, 1p, 8½x11. 1955 October 22. In full: "Dear Mr. Uris: Please take notice that your employment agreement with the undersigned, dated October 17, 1955, is hereby terminated as of October 22, 1955 at the end of said day. Very truly yours". The employment stated here is most likely for his screenplay for the Western film, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), which wouldn't be released until two years later. In a career spanning four decades, LEON URIS (1924-2003) wrote eleven epic novels, including Exodus(1958),Topaz(1967),QB VII(1970),Trinity(1976), and Redemption(1995). His large-scale, action-filled works often depict courageous individuals caught up in major events of modern history. Before Uris became a novelist, he was a member of the United States Marine Corps, enlisting soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He served in the South Pacific from 1942-1945. HAL B. WALLIS (1898-1986) rose from the lowly post of office boy (after being forced by poverty to leave school at 14), to become one of Hollywood's most successful and respected producers. Working at Warner Bros. until 1944, he was an independent producer thereafter. His greatest triumph was Casablanca (1942), but he produced one movie blockbuster after another from Little Caesar (1930) to Rooster Cogburn (1975). His film credits read like the syllabus for a course in the history of American films: I am a Fugutive from a Chain Gang (1932), The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Knute Rockne, All American (1940), The Maltese Falcon (1941), Sergeant York (1941), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), Gunfight at the OK Corral (1957), King Creole (1958), Becket (1964) and True Grit (1969). Light surface creases. Toned. Corners lightly worn. Normal mailing folds. Paper clip crease on top margin. Otherwise, fine condition.