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5 typescript leaves. A sequence of three separate typed letters signed, all related to George Eustis Corcoran's desire to secure the film rights to George Bernard Shaw's "The Demi-Gods." The first, dated October 2, 1930, from the general manager of Macmillan New York, directs Corcoran to contact James Stephens who "alone has the right to dispose of [Shaw's] works in the moving picture field" at the company's London office. Corcoran does so on October 6th, enclosing the first letter, and proposing that instead of paying for the rights beforehand, "that perhaps you would be satisfied from the sale of the book of which The Macmillan Company could get out a special edition illustrated from the moving picture, which of course would have a tremendous vogue." The third letter, dated October 14, 1930, is from Corcoran to George Bernard Shaw himself ("Dear Shaw"), and expresses his frustration at not hearing back from Stephens. He repeats the book proposal from the second letter, but Shaw rejects this out of hand, annotating holographically in the margin (presumably to Stephens), "Don't entertain this for a moment. The talkie rights of the Demi-Gods may be worth more than any of the other rights." In the fifth paragraph, Corcoran writes, "I can't agree with you about the 'talking pictures' taking the place eventually of the stage productions…," adding, "…I miss the personal touch," to which Shaw notes: "This man has never given a moment's thought to the question. No actor can give the personal touch as intensely on the stage as he can with a lens and microphone to magnify him. What actor on earth is as real to us as Chaplin?" One leaf on Macmillan letterhead, the remaining four on Corcoran's personal stationery, rectos only, each folded horizontally for mailing, small tears and chips at edges of folds, last letter annotated in autograph black ink by Shaw.
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