A STAR IS BORN ARCHIVE: The Director's Copy of the Original 1936 Script as well as Dorothy Parker's Copy of Part of the Script with additional material

Published by Selznick International Pictures, Inc. 16 October 1936, [Los Angeles], 1936

  • First Edition
  • Signed
  • Softcover
  • Used
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Heritage seller

Seller: Charles Agvent, est. 1987, ABAA, ILAB, Fleetwood, PA, U.S.A.Charles Agvent, est. 1987, ABAA, ILAB

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AbeBooks seller since January 17, 1998

Association member: ABAAILAB

Softcover

Condition: Used

US$ 43,750.00

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Item description from seller

Quarto (8-1/2" x 10-7/8") in stiff yellow wraps with the left margins punch-holed with metal clasps. The archive includes two copies of the Final Shooting Script (one belonging to Director William A. Wellman and the other, a partial script, to screenwriters Dorothy Parker and her husband, Alan Campbell); a SIGNED 8" x 10" Photograph of Fredric March who starred as Norman Maine (INSCRIBED "To Zoila/all good wishes/always/Fredric March/1937"); a formal 8" x 10" photograph of Parker and Campbell; and a small photograph of Wellman's secretary, Zoila Conan, holding two Oscar statues and annotated on the verso in an unknown hand: "Zoila Conan at Paramount Studios with Bob Carson's Oscar + Wm. Wellman's Oscar awarded for A STAR IS BORN made at Selznick Studios with Janet Gaynor & Fredric March." The film was nominated for 7 awards, including Best Screen Play, winning Best Original Story for Wellman and Carson. Wellman's copy of the script, acquired from his secretary, is numbered to 127 pages, though some numbers are skipped and others labeled "A," printed on various colored paper representing revisions and with a number of pages with pencil annotations by him. It also credits Carson for the screen play in addition to Parker and Cunningham. Parker's copy, acquired from her estate and with her last name in pencil at the top corner of the front cover, contains only the first 27 pages, plus a loose unnumbered page, and does not credit Carson on the cover. It differs quite a bit from Wellman's right from the beginning using a rabbit instead of a wolf in the opening scene and having the first scene take place in a movie theater instead of Esther's home. Parker's contribution to the finished script has long been a question. When she first saw the film, Parker was proud of her contribution and boasted about both the script and the film, but in later life she believed that she had contributed nothing of significance. The discovery of this script goes some way towards answering that question. A STAR IS BORN, the quintessential Hollywood story, was filmed from October to December 1936 and premiered in April 1937. Wellman's script has December pages included. In addition to the Oscar for Best Original Story, the film also received an honorary Academy Award for color photography. It was the first color film to be nominated for best picture. A STAR IS BORN has been remade three times, in 1954 with Judy Garland and James Mason, in 1976 with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, and most recently in 2018 with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. Expected wear for working scripts but Very Good and stunning.…

Seller Inventory # 019214

Bibliographic details

Title
A STAR IS BORN ARCHIVE: The Director's Copy of the Original 1936 Script as well as Dorothy Parker's Copy of Part of the Script with additional material
Author
PARKER, Dorothy; CAMPBELL, Alan; CARSON, Robert; and WELLMAN, William
Publisher
Selznick International Pictures, Inc. 16 October 1936, [Los Angeles]
Publication year
1936
Signed
Signed by Author(s)
Binding
Softcover
Edition
First Edition.
Seller catalogs
Literature: American, Modern First Editions, Movie Scripts, Signed

Charles Agvent, est. 1987, ABAA, ILAB

Fleetwood, PA, U.S.A.

5-star seller

AbeBooks seller since January 17, 1998

Association member:

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We maintain an active inventory of 5000 to 7500 books, letters, manuscripts, and photographs. The majority of those items are Rare as opposed to Used. We are always looking to buy new material, so please offer us anything that you think might be of interest. We have been in business since 1987 and are proud to be members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA) and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB).

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Signed & Inscribed Books, Modern First Editions, African-American Literature, Poetry, Limited Editions Club, Hand-Colored Plate Books, Presidential Autographs, Autographs, 19th Century Literature, Early Printing

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Charles Agvent, est. 1987, ABAA, ILAB

PA, U.S.A.