An Archive of Fourteen Scripts and Associated Documents for: THE PARADINE CASE
1961WRCLIT67388Culver City: Vanguard Films Inc. / Selznick International 1961. Fourteen volumes / items. Quarto and folio. Mimeographed and spirit- duplicated typescripts printed on rectos only. Bradbound or stapled in stencil printed wrappers or stapled in self-wrappers. A few items a bit used as noted below but generally very good to fine. A substantial archive of scripts and technical documents tracing the long and troubled history of this film adaptation of Hichens's 1933 novel. According to one source Selznick had acquired the film rights to the novel prior to its publication but submission of a preliminary script in 1934 to the Breen Office resulted in assurances that it would not pass muster according to the PCA. So the project was shelved for over a decade. This archive records much of that evolution and consists of the following: a Unspecified draft of a October 1934 screenplay by Lewis Waller 124 leaves rerun by Vanguard 25 March 1946; b an unspecified draft of a February 1942 screenplay prepared for MGM written by Salka Viertel and Polly James 124 leaves plus lettered inserts rerun by Vanguard 1 April 1946 creased bruise at middle brad to early leaves ; c a wholly new script denoted a "First Rough Draft With Dialogue from Novel" by Alfred Hitchcock and Alma Reville April 1946 195 leaves rerun by Vanguard 12 August 1946; d a roster of "Costumes Compiled from the Novel" 10 leaves 17 April 1946; e a "Description of Settings and Props Compiled from the Novel" 27 leaves 17 April 1946; f a "Gay Comparison" compiled by Alice Hartman 23 Sept. 1946 - a comparison of the script and the novel of the scenes involving the character Gay Keane; g a "Third Draft Script" credited to James Birdie based on an adaptation by Alma Reville 205 leaves 10 August 1946; h the "Final Shooting Script" credited to David O. Selznick based on Reville's adaptation 3154 leaves dated December 1946 small snag in fore-edge of upper wrapper; i a preliminary Dialogue Continuity foliated in reel format 12 June 1947; j a Dialogue Cutting Continuity foliated in reel format dated 19 February 1948; k a Dialogue Cutting Continuity for the Trailer 5 leaves 27 February 1948; l a large folio Trailer Spotting List 5 leaves somewhat ragged; m a large folio minutely detailed complete continuity with corrections dated March 1948 compiled by S. G. Samuels outer leaves a bit ragged; and finally n a late 30 April 1961 Combined 16mm Continuity script. Final screen credit for the screenplay fell to Selznick and neither Hecht's nor Birdie's contributions were credited. Hitchcock directed and Gregory Peck Ann Todd Charles Laughton Ethel Barrymore in a role that earned an Oscar nomination and Louis Jourdan starred among others and a 29 December 1947 premiere brought to a conclusion the long and tangled series of attempts to bring Hichens' novel to the screen. Vanguard Films, Inc. / Selznick International unknown books
