Beschreibung:

Paramount Pictures, 1939. Mimeographed manuscript, screenplay by Jesse Lasky, Jr., 206 pp (divided into 7 parts, A-G), dated October 14, 1938 and marked "Second Buff Script" on title page (with "To be revised / JL" handwritten underneath), signed ("Jesse L. Lasky Jr.") to front matter, bound in morocco leather with "Union Pacific" and "Jesse Lasky Jr." embossed in gilt to cover and "Union Pacific" embossed in gilt to spine. Director Cecil B. DeMille believed that the Union Pacific Railroad was built on "sweat, blood, and steel," a sentiment he proclaimed to Jesse Lasky, Jr. when he hired him to help write the screenplay. Starring Joel McCrea and Barbara Stanwyck, the film revolved around the building of and complications surrounding the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad, with a love story thrown in for good measure. On his script, Lasky has sketched a moving train as well as taped a note he received from DeMille which states, "Jesse– / Business is things for the actors to do rather than describing their looks or feelings." Below this, Lasky has written, "A note of guidance from DeMille." Evidently, DeMille was pleased with Lasky's work, as they went on to collaborate on 7 more films until DeMille's death in 1959. Provenance: Pat Silver-Lasky. 8.75 x 11 x 1 in.