American Film Industry Rights Assignment Signed by Director Mervyn LeRoy, 1967

Mervyn LeRoy

Manuscripts & Autographs

LeRoy, Mervyn. Who Dare To Live rights assignment, 1967, documents the contractual system through which a major Hollywood director and producer transferred his ownership interests in a prospective motion-picture property. The agreement records how intellectual property moved within the film industry by identifying LeRoy as “Seller” and assigning his rights, title, and interest in specified underlying agreements. It provides primary-source evidence for the study of motion-picture development, rights acquisition, and the legal mechanisms governing unrealized or developing film projects. LeRoy’s career included directing Little Caesar, a film credited with helping initiate the early 1930s gangster-film cycle, and producing MGM’s The Wizard of Oz.

LeRoy, Mervyn. Document assigning rights in Who Dare To Live. March 3, 1967. One page. The contract states in part: “Mervyn LeRoy, herein called the ‘Seller’ for a good and valuable consideration . . . sells and assigns . . . all of his rights, title and interest in and to those agreements hereinafter set forth.” This language demonstrates the process by which LeRoy’s contractual interests were conveyed to another party, distinguishing the document from a general production memorandum or informal statement of intent. LeRoy signed boldly in blue ink, apparently “Mervy Leroy,” as transcribed in the supplied description. Punch holes appear along the upper edge.

By 1967, LeRoy had worked for four decades as a director and producer across the studio era, with an AFI filmography encompassing more than one hundred credited and associated titles. His earlier work at Warner Bros. helped define the visual and narrative conventions of the gangster film, while his subsequent production career at MGM included involvement in one of the studio’s most enduring fantasy productions. The assignment reveals how rights remained subject to formal sale and reassignment even when a project’s subsequent production history is not established by the document itself. Two punch holes at the top; blue-ink signature remains bold and legible, with no other defects reported. Excellent. A concise film-business document linking LeRoy’s established Hollywood career to the contractual management of literary and motion-picture property.

Item #8984

Price: $85.00