ROBERT E. SHERWOOD - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 09/08 - HFSID 42543

ROBERT SHERWOOD
The American dramatist discusses his first play, The Road to Rome.
ALS: "Robert Sherwood", 2p, 8½x11. New York, no year, September 8. On letterhead of "Life" to Miss George. In part: "I have made one or two cuts in the first act, and several in the second. In the third act, I find that the cuts were made in the proofs of the book before publication, so that it is now trimmed down to the length I wanted it to be...I have watched the audience reaction very closely, and whenever there is any perceptible dragginess at any point, it is brought about by a very slight margin - two or three sentences, perhaps. The main thing - particularly in the long Hannibal and Amy N's scene in Act II - is to get as much variety in the tempo as possible. At the opening night, both Miss Cowl and Mr. Merivale played it at a persistently slow pace, which started the cough barrage. That was due to nervousness, of course, and subsequently they got it going well. It is important to impress upon McKay Morris the fact that he must not take this scene (in its earlier stages) too seriously. He must not try to be heavy or impressive. Hannibal, at this point, is letting down after a hard day and giving himself over to light, social conversation. It is thus that Amy N's catches him off his guard - and before he has had time to throw up his usual defenses, she has touched him on a sensitive spot. All through this scene, from the time they sit down at the table until the end of the act, Hannibal is undergoing a steady change of mood. With each change, Amy N's sees her advantage and follows it up. These successive stages are readily identified in the text. I certainly hope that you'll be entirely happy in this play - and please remember that you can count on me for all the co-operation and support that I can possibly give." Sherwood, who was Associate Editor (1920-1924) and Editor (1924-1928) of "Life", wrote his first play, The Road to Rome, in 1927. The play, a historical comedy, was an immediate success. Sherwood won Pulitzer Prizes for his later plays: Idiot's Delight (1936), Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1939) and There Shall be No Night (1941) and for his biographical study, Roosevelt and Hopkins (1949). He also won an Academy Award for the screenplay of 1946's Best Picture, The Best Years of Our Lives. Creased and worn. Folds, slightly shaded at mid-horizontal fold on signature side. Slight separation at worn edges of folds touch some words. Overall, fine condition.