involved:
To Theresa Helburn and Lawrence Langner
October 19, 1954
Dear Terry and Lawrence:
I returned from California a few days ago and found your disturbing, but flattering, letter. Because I was the one who withdrew from the project originally, I am answering your letter myself rather than in conjunction with Fritz, even though Fritz and I have discussed the matter thoroughly and I am, in a sense, speaking for both of us.
My reaction is puzzlement 57 and bewilderment. Pascal, not The Theatre Guild, was the owner of the rights, and it was he who approached us about the project in California, much before any arrangement with The Theatre Guild. Our obvious obligation, if not legal, but definitely ethical, is to Pascal. When I came to New York two or three months later, Fritz and I were told by Gaby that he was entering into a producing partnership with the Guild. I can only believe that, in your great love for the property itself, and your highly complimentary enthusiasm for Fritz’s and my participation in it, which we both remember well, you have forgotten some of the facts. After all, Gaby was negotiating with Thompson and Allen 58 before he died. Suppose that negotiation had been concluded and they had approached Fritz and me and we had accepted? Would you have written us as you did? Of course not. The property belonged to Pascal as it now belongs to his estate, and it is with his estate we negotiated.
That disposed of, perhaps you are wondering why Fritz and I didn’t come to you now, when we suddenly found a solution for some of the artistic problems. The answer is very simple. I am sure you remember the difficulty you and I had over the royalty agreement. Nothing discouraged me as much at the time as the fact that everybody held firm on their royalty and only the author was asked to accept less than minimum.My ego was not troubled, but my sense of fairness was definitely jarred. Suffice to say I have improved my lot with Herman Levin.
In spite of the above, I found my brief association with you most pleasant and cannot but hold you both in the highest esteem and greatest respect. Fritz and I sincerely hope we will receive another letter from you soon, wishing us both good luck on a very difficult venture.
Sincerely,
Alan Jay Lerner
They replied the following day, reminding him, “You withdrew from the project because you said you were unable to lick the book. It was a blow to us because everything had been agreed upon and we were under the illusion that everything was going forward.” But in spite of Helburn and Langner’s indignation, Lerner was immovable, not least because he was indebted to Levin, to whom he had promised
Abner
.
While Levin started to negotiate with various actors (including Noël Coward and Michael Redgrave) to star in the musical, Lerner hastened to complete the work for which he was under contract at MGM. September had seen the premiere of the screen adaptation of
Brigadoon
—neatly bringing a new “Lerner and Loewe” product into the public eye at just the moment the team reunited—but the combination of Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse, under Vincente Minnelli’s direction, did not meet with universal acclaim from the critics. 59 Nevertheless, Minnelli and Lerner pushed on with their next movie together. The director completed the screen test for
Green Mansions
with Angeli and Edmund Purdom, 60 and in this letter Lerner gives Freed his detailed reaction to the two of them, as well as updating him on
Pygmalion
and asking when shooting would begin on
Huckleberry Finn
:
To Arthur Freed
November 15, 1954
Dear Arthur:
I have thought about the test a very great deal.
Let me begin by saying that obviously Vincente did a wonderful job, despite the limited time and the handicap of shooting indoors.As for judging Angeli and Purdom, it
To Theresa Helburn and Lawrence Langner
October 19, 1954
Dear Terry and Lawrence:
I returned from California a few days ago and found your disturbing, but flattering, letter. Because I was the one who withdrew from the project originally, I am answering your letter myself rather than in conjunction with Fritz, even though Fritz and I have discussed the matter thoroughly and I am, in a sense, speaking for both of us.
My reaction is puzzlement 57 and bewilderment. Pascal, not The Theatre Guild, was the owner of the rights, and it was he who approached us about the project in California, much before any arrangement with The Theatre Guild. Our obvious obligation, if not legal, but definitely ethical, is to Pascal. When I came to New York two or three months later, Fritz and I were told by Gaby that he was entering into a producing partnership with the Guild. I can only believe that, in your great love for the property itself, and your highly complimentary enthusiasm for Fritz’s and my participation in it, which we both remember well, you have forgotten some of the facts. After all, Gaby was negotiating with Thompson and Allen 58 before he died. Suppose that negotiation had been concluded and they had approached Fritz and me and we had accepted? Would you have written us as you did? Of course not. The property belonged to Pascal as it now belongs to his estate, and it is with his estate we negotiated.
That disposed of, perhaps you are wondering why Fritz and I didn’t come to you now, when we suddenly found a solution for some of the artistic problems. The answer is very simple. I am sure you remember the difficulty you and I had over the royalty agreement. Nothing discouraged me as much at the time as the fact that everybody held firm on their royalty and only the author was asked to accept less than minimum.My ego was not troubled, but my sense of fairness was definitely jarred. Suffice to say I have improved my lot with Herman Levin.
In spite of the above, I found my brief association with you most pleasant and cannot but hold you both in the highest esteem and greatest respect. Fritz and I sincerely hope we will receive another letter from you soon, wishing us both good luck on a very difficult venture.
Sincerely,
Alan Jay Lerner
They replied the following day, reminding him, “You withdrew from the project because you said you were unable to lick the book. It was a blow to us because everything had been agreed upon and we were under the illusion that everything was going forward.” But in spite of Helburn and Langner’s indignation, Lerner was immovable, not least because he was indebted to Levin, to whom he had promised
Abner
.
While Levin started to negotiate with various actors (including Noël Coward and Michael Redgrave) to star in the musical, Lerner hastened to complete the work for which he was under contract at MGM. September had seen the premiere of the screen adaptation of
Brigadoon
—neatly bringing a new “Lerner and Loewe” product into the public eye at just the moment the team reunited—but the combination of Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse, under Vincente Minnelli’s direction, did not meet with universal acclaim from the critics. 59 Nevertheless, Minnelli and Lerner pushed on with their next movie together. The director completed the screen test for
Green Mansions
with Angeli and Edmund Purdom, 60 and in this letter Lerner gives Freed his detailed reaction to the two of them, as well as updating him on
Pygmalion
and asking when shooting would begin on
Huckleberry Finn
:
To Arthur Freed
November 15, 1954
Dear Arthur:
I have thought about the test a very great deal.
Let me begin by saying that obviously Vincente did a wonderful job, despite the limited time and the handicap of shooting indoors.As for judging Angeli and Purdom, it
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