Raiders of the Lost Ark (Paramount, 1981), Fred Roos Casting Notes for the Part of Indiana Jones Plus M...

Description

Raiders of the Lost Ark (Paramount, 1981), Fred Roos Casting Notes for the Part of Indiana Jones Plus Massive Cast List and Production Archive (ca. 1960s-2020s). A remarkable archive offering unprecedented insight into the casting process of Raiders of the Lost Ark, this lot includes extensive notes by casting director and producer Fred Roos, with dozens of pages devoted to the search for Indiana Jones. Among the highlights are handwritten and typed documents on Lucasfilm and Kennedy/Marshall stationery, detailing casting sessions for George Lucas and Steven Spielberg's first collaboration.
Included are pages listing actors and actresses considered for the iconic role-many ultimately rejected-alongside Roos's handwritten suggestions, which include Kurt Russell, William Hurt, Chuck Norris, Patrick Swayze, Jeff Bridges, Dennis Quaid, and others. For the part of Marion, Roos proposed Jamie Lee Curtis, among several alternatives. One handwritten note from Kathleen Kennedy reads: "Fred / Attached is the list of guys we saw yesterday," while a typed memo on her letterhead adds: "Jane Baye called requesting that we send you a list of everyone seen so far for Raiders." Dated from January 27 through February 27, these casting records trace the intense month-long search for leads. While Lucas and Spielberg initially sought an unknown, and Tom Selleck and Sean Young came close to landing the parts. Dozens of other actors were considered, including Harry Hamlin, David Hasselhoff, and Mark Harmon, demonstrating the exhaustive nature of the process. According to J.W. Rinzler in his book The Complete Making of Indiana Jones, Spielberg-supported by Roos, a staunch Harrison Ford advocate-reportedly remarked that Ford was "right under their nose." Three weeks later, Ford was cast in the role that would define his career. The archive also reflects Roos's extraordinary reach across five decades of American film and television, with an additional 80+ handwritten cast lists on yellow legal pads. These span both produced and unproduced projects, including The Rainmaker (Paramount, 1997), The Secret Garden (Warner Bros., 1993), Peggy Sue Got Married (Tri-Star, 1986), an unmade Sherlock Holmes film, The Andy Griffith Show (CBS TV, 1960-1968), That Girl (ABC TV, 1966-1971), Lenny (Columbia, 1974), Catch-22 (Paramount, 1970), The King of Marvin Gardens (Columbia, 1972), and many others. Several lists are accompanied by related research, memos, crew notes, and headshots-including early photographs of then-unknowns like Meryl Streep, who had yet to appear in a film. Despite the industry's shift toward digital tools, Roos maintained his analog workflow throughout his 50+ year career, continuing to handwrite cast lists for every project he touched. A unique and historically rich collection chronicling the careers of countless performers-and the behind-the-scenes influence of one of Hollywood's most consequential casting minds. Items exhibit production age and wear, with tears and oxidation to many production documents, while most documents present well with minor smudging and corner bumps. The poster image is for reference only and is not included with this lot. Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions. From the Estate of Fred Roos.

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