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HUGE lot of 1940s era 20th Century Fox documentation

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This lot appears to have originated at the University of Southern Carolina around 1940. It, most likely, was either a teaching aid, or a student project. It consists of this large 14" x 19" rivet-bound portfolio, containing what appears to be every administrative form used by the 20th Century Fox movie studio at that time. This is an extremely rare collection, possibly one-of-a-kind, saved in a single bound format.

First, the problems: the glue used to attach the documents to the pages was not archival quality; thinner paper has been browned by the glue, and many of the papers have become loose from the pages. It is possible that there are forms missing, given the number of pages and the number of loose forms falling off the pages. This lot is sold as-is, but it should still have more than enough to appeal to any collector of studio memorabilia from over 60 years ago. Again, these forms were considered disposable and rarely survived to modern day except in 20th Century's own file cabinets.

Most forms are blank, and have been marked with a purple "SPECIMEN" stamp, adding to the authenticity of the forms. Documents in duplicate generally are complete with their additional multi-colored pages. Other forms are 'photocopies' (or whatever process they used) of actual forms used in production; these are copies of actual forms complete with information and data for the film in process at the time -- these are, by far, the rarest items in the collection -- most likely, the only copy is the original, buried deep within Fox's archives.

The list below is by no means complete; there are hundreds of forms in this binder. I have picked out the highlights, or described sections by their studio purpose, in general:

  • An aerial photo of the 20th Centry Fox studios along Olympic Boulevard (undated) on 11x14 paper
  • Copy of a "Production Cross Plot Shooting Schedule", dated 11-8-40 "NOV-DEC", for the film Tobacco Road, directed by John Ford. No actors are requested; cast on-call is described by character: "Jeeter Lester," "Sister Bessie," "Chief of Police." Also requested are "xtras with cars" and a dog. People listed are Production Manager Ed Ebele, Asst Dir Ed O'Fearna, Asst Dir Win Smith, Art Director Jim Basevi, and script clerk Meta Stern.
  • Detailed, hand-drafted department flowcharts of 20th Century Fox's internal operations, ranging from the overall diagram, to production organization, to treasury, art, construction, wardrobe, makeup, accounting, etc. Each flowchart lists an average number of employes (ex: Min 10 Max 85 for the makeup department)
  • copy of a Call Sheet for the film "The Private Practice of Michael Shayne", showing Lloyd Nolan, Marjorie Weaver, Irving Bacon, Donald McBride, Michael (Adrian) Morriss, George Meeker, and several extras were expected to be on the set on Thursday October 10, 1940.
  • copy of the Daily shooting schedule for October 10, 1940, listing the films Chad Hanna, Tin Pan Alley, Western Union, Private Practice of Michael Shayne, describing the sets & locations and a brief description of the activity ("Wardrobe Test of Two girls (one dancer and one show girl")
  • misc pre-production forms for requisitioning items or describing items that will be necessary for a future production
  • construction quotes, requests, and expense details for both temporary and permanent sets
  • copies of Construction Department reports for the films Ride On, Vaquero, How Green Was My Valley, Uncensored, Tobacco Road, Dead Men Tell, and A Very Young Lady. Each form lists a number of producers & the director for each project; all are dated in late 1940.
  • Prop rental, distribution, creation, and sale forms
  • Wardrobe estimates, rentals, check-out, fitting, and order forms
  • Labels & tags for film reels, with descriptions like "Variable Area Sound", "Movietone Picture Positive", "Daily Print". Also negative inventories, lens & camera inventory and rental forms, projection room and director's review forms, cameraman and soundman daily reports, projection & process shot requests and documentation
  • copies (made from carbons via typewriter) of a daily progress report for the films "Western Union" and "Light of Heart", and sound crew reports for November 8, 1940, with no specific films described.
  • customs forms for the import and export of studio properties
  • a generic form, in duplicate, from the studio for converting a daily SAG contract to a weekly SAG contract
  • a 2-part "Screen Actors Guild Minimum Contract for Free Lance Players", a contract for actors with a minimum one-week of employement with the studio. A typed note at the bottom describes it as including the contract revisions as of 1938.
  • Studio "daily voucher", apparently for paying non-union extras on a daily basis. Total value of the voucher, minus taxes, is $10.78.
  • Music cue and production forms
  • a publicity studio pass, with the 20th Century Fox logo, saying "TWENTIETH CENTURY-FOX FILM CORPORATION cordially invites you and a guest to attend the screening of: __________ on ____________ at 8:15PM in Projection Room One. Use Pico Entrance. Non-transferable." Also, there's a "reponse card" asking for the screener's opinion of the film.
  • a copy of an announcement of a new production, "Blood and Sand", production number A-287, to start filming Jan 27, 1940 (this appears to be a typo, as the note is dated December 21, 1940)
  • A studio counter check, with stub. This is an amazing find: it, unlike the other forms, is not marked SPECIMEN; instead, the signature like is stamped "CANCELLED". It is printed on a patterned background to discourage counterfeiting, and draws on the Beverly Hills branch of Bank of America. The corners are only slightly yellowed by the glue residue, as the paper is quite heavy. The check is perforated for easy removal from the stub.
  • Numerous accounting forms, including petty cash requests, check requests, various account ledgers, expense reports, credit union documents, etc.
  • Employee insurance data cards (they look like old computer punchcards, but are not computerized)
  • Huge DETAIL PICTURE COST STATEMENT form, apparently designed to account for the entire cost of a film's production
  • Bank of America deposit form, with 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, "Account No. 1" imprinted at the top
  • an "interview pass" allowing access to ONLY the person designated, on a specific date, and does not allow access to "the Studio Cafe, stages, dressing rooms, or any other part of the studio premises." Also there is an Administration Building Pass (for access to only the admin building) and a Special Courtesy Pass (to tour the studio and/or visit a specific stage)
  • "Requisition for Evening Dinner Served At The Coffee Shop Only", apparently to allow late-night employees to have dinner on the studio's tab
Again, this is an extraordinary and enormous archive; the folio itself measures almost 2" thick, and what I described above is a basic description of the contents.


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