Producer's Annotated Copy of the Screenplay of The Seven Year Itch

Producer's Annotated Copy of the Screenplay of The Seven Year Itch Twentieth Century-Fox, 1955. Mimeographed Manuscript, 'The Seven Year Itch / Screenplay / by / Billy Wilder and George Axelrod,' 88 pp, 4to, Los Angeles, July 23, 1954, in green Twentieth Century-Fox wrappers marked 'Temporary Incomplete, annotated in pencil throughout by producer Charlie Feldman, thumbing, abrasion and wear to covers. WITH: Typed Memo from Feldman to Darryl Zanuck, 2 pp, 4to, Los Angeles, October 22, 1954, marked 'Never Sent' in ink at bottom, pushing back on criticism of Billy Wilder's direction of the film. AND WITH: Typed Memo from Feldman to Billy Wilder (Feldman's retained copy), 2 pp, 4to, Los Angeles, December 23, 1954, on inter-office memo letterhead, sending Wilder notes on the first cut of the film and discussing reshoots. AND WITH: a Typed Carbon of the title credits, 1 p, January 21, 1955. CHARLIE FELDMAN'S EARLY DRAFT OF THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH, ANNOTATED. George Axelrod's comic play, The Seven Year Itch, took Broadway by storm in 1952 and producer Charlie Feldman quickly snapped up the film rights, knowing that the part of 'The Girl,' the beautiful actress who lives upstairs from the advertising executive alone for the summer, would be perfect for his client Marilyn Monroe. The adaptation process, however, was agonizing, as Wilder and Axelrod had to write a play about adultery without actually showing any adultery, on camera or off. In this draft, the two writers condense scenes and characters and add new twists. Feldman adds his penciled notes in the margins, often referring back to Axelrod's original play ('Page 43 of play' or 'check not covered scene page 26') and on p 78 adds 'From here I would go back to play 91--that she doesn't go out with boys ... Act II Scene 2 96-97.' The additional documents here include the title credits, an unsent pre-production memo to Zanuck pushing back on criticism of Billy Wilder's progress, marked 'not sent'; and a retained copy of another memo to Wilder giving his impressions of the film's first cut. 10 x 11.5 in. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing