American Graffiti (Universal, 1973), Fred Roos Extensive Archive of Casting Notes and Signed Harrison Ford Poster....

Description

American Graffiti (Universal, 1973), Fred Roos Extensive Archive of Casting Notes and Signed Harrison Ford Poster. Before Star Wars, there was American Graffiti, the film that launched George Lucas's career and solidified his collaboration with casting director and producer Fred Roos. Offered here is Roos' vintage original archive of casting materials, housed in (3) 14 x 11" manila envelopes, with 1-bearing an American Graffiti sticker on the cover. Nearly every young actor and future star in Hollywood auditioned for the film, including Kurt Russell, Don Johnson, and Robin Williams. Featuring 100+ handwritten pages on various sizes of paper, ranging from 4" x 6" to 8.5" x 14", documenting the casting of Ronny Howard in one of his first adult roles and the discovery of future TV star Suzanne Somers. It also includes 50+ behind-the-scenes materials, photographs, and production-related documents. Perhaps Roos' most significant find was Harrison Ford, cast as the cowboy hat-wearing racer Bob Falfa. Ford's name appears almost as an afterthought on one of Roos' extensive casting lists. Roos had previously hired Ford for carpentry work at his home before the inspired decision to cast him- a collaboration that would lead to Ford's role as Han Solo in Star Wars and a decades-long partnership with Lucas. Includes dozens of handwritten casting notes on yellow legal paper, cast and crew sheets with Roos' annotations, long guest lists for the premiere, expense reports, and weekly rate sheets for cast and crew. Also included are (3) black and white behind-the-scenes photos dated June 1972: one reads "First Nite of Shooting" in red ink, featuring Francis Ford Coppola in a top hat, Fred Roos, and Coppola's children on set; another shows Roos standing with famed DJ Wolfman Jack, accompanied by a signed photo inscribed, "Fred - I know '74 is going to be a good year for you / Wolfman Jack", and the third captures another candid moment on set. 1-of the folders is dedicated to casting and production notes for American Graffiti II (then titled Purple Haze), containing script treatments and related documents. Comes with a color copy of the the film's lobby card, signed by Harrison Ford and Paul Le Mat measuring 14" x 11". Also included are (10+) behind-the-scenes stills from both films, Roos' personal copy of the movie's novelization, a Japanese press kit featuring a stylized drawing of Richard Dreyfuss' character with a hot rod on the cover, a folded poster from the film, and a 26" x 18" Italian poster showcasing vibrant artwork from the film's international release. Items show signs of production and handling wear, age, toning, minor fading, bumped corners, and some edge wear. The envelopes display general signs of use, and the posters show typical fold lines and softening along the edges. An extraordinary record of the casting behind one of the 1970s' first blockbusters, and a documentation of the moment a Hollywood legend-Harrison Ford-began his rise. Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions. From the Estate of Fred Roos.

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