RECORD PRICE OF £40,000 PAID FOR FILM RIGHTS TO BROADWAY PLAY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 55, 20 March 1937, Page 16

RECORD PRICE OF £40,000 PAID FOR FILM RIGHTS TO BROADWAY PLAY

A Broadway play nas been sold to ; Hollywood for the huge. figure of £40,000. Columbia Pictures have purchased the comedy, "You Ca'n't Take It With You," by George Kaufmau and Moss Hart, which, opening in New York at the New Year, soon became one of the few outstanding successes of . the season. One unusual clause in the contract, j presuaaably designed to prevent any i falling off in the box-office receipts during the Broadway run, prohibits exhibition of the film version before May, 1938. . Never 'before has £40,000 been paid for the film rights of a book or play, b.ut large prices are by no means unprecedented. The following is a list of playstand one novel recently bought by Hollywood, with the names of the purchasers: — ' ' Dodsworth ' ' ( Samuel Goldwyn) £35,000 "These Three," called in America "The Children 's Hour" (Samuel Goldwyn) .. 32,000 "The Petrified Forest" (Radio) 30,000 "Great Laughter," by Fannie Hurst (M.G.M.) 20,000 "Anything Goes" 17,000 "Merrily We Roll Along" (M.G.M.) 15,200 "Three Men on a Horse" (Warners) 15,000 uPage Miss Glory" (Warners) 14,500 "The Faraier Takes a Wife" (Fox) 13,000 "Accent on Youth" (Paramount) 12,000 It is estimated that Hollywood paid authors of plays and novels at least £300,000 in 1935, and not much less in 1936.