Saboteur (Universal, 1942), Typed-Carbon Universal/Central Files Screenplay by Alfred Hitchcock and Joan Harrison....

Description

Saboteur (Universal, 1942), Typed-Carbon Universal/Central Files Screenplay by Alfred Hitchcock and Joan Harrison. Vintage original 164-pg typed-carbon Saboteur (1942) screenplay on vellum tissue leaves, brad-bound, dated October 30,1941, in studio-typed wraps "Saboteur/ by Alfred Hitchcock and Joan Harrison/ ****/ October,(sic) 30, 1941" and stamped "Property of Universal City Studios/ Return to Central Files". Presumed an early draft, as it precedes the eventual contributions of two legendary literary figures, Dorothy Parker and Peter Viertel. A top-notch American spy thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Saboteur stars Priscilla Lane, Robert Cummings, Otto Kruger and Norman Lloyd (in his first of many appearances in various Hitchcock projects) in a picture containing "3000 Miles of Terror!" according to publicity at its release. When aircraft plant worker Barry Kane (Robert Cummings) is wrongly accused of starting the fire that kills his best friend, he begins a desperate race across the country in order to clear his name in this Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece. Aided by Patricia Martin (Priscilla Lane), Kane exposes the real culprits, a group of unspecified, though clearly Nazi-esque saboteurs, (played by Otto Kruger and Norman Lloyd) leading to a tense confrontation atop the Statue of Liberty. The film's most important legacy is as an early expression of Hitchcock's obsessive fear of authority, often seen throughout his storylines of a regular man-in-the-street suddenly, even violently, thrown into a maelstrom of false accusation and authoritarian persecution, a la The Wrong Man (1957), North by Northwest (1959), etc. Wraps are age-toned and noticeably brittle, with minor to moderate chipping and tears around margins, a 2" separation to front wrap near spine from a complete vertical crease, and 3" separated corner which is affixed internally with archival tape. Interior leaves remain fresh and relatively unhandled save for the first few, which have age-toned from adjacency to the acidic front wrap, and page 1 bears a 7" diagonal crease from handling. The poster image is for reference only and is not included with this lot. Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions.

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