DS, signed with his shaky, Parkinson’s-affected “Eugene O’Neill,” three pages, 8.5 x 11, February 18, 1947. An agreement between O’Neill and RKO extending the studio’s lease on the play Mourning Becomes Electra “due to various unavoidable delays in the production of such motion picture” and specifying a payment to O’Neill and the Theater Guild of 20% of the net profits, “but in no event less than … $125,000.” O’Neill has signed at the conclusion of the second page. Originally released in a three-hour version, the film, though it garnered Oscar nominations for its male and female leads, tanked at the box office. The studio later cut its running time by more than an hour, though the film may now be seen in its original, fully restored version. O’Neill later “enjoyed” greater, though posthumous, success at the box office with the critically acclaimed 1962 screen version of his play Long Day’s Journey Into Night. Staple holes and a very subtle hint of marginal toning to signed page, otherwise fine, clean condition. Auction LOA John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and R&R COA.
