TLS signed “Edw. D. Wood Jr.,” one page, 8.5 x 11, personal letterhead, September 30, 1958. Letter to Marge Usher, in part: "Pursuant to our discussion, I am prepared to transfer to you my completed shooting script…as well as approximately two thousand (2,000) feet of film pertaining to the picture (finished) 'Hell Born,' for the sum of three thousand dollars ($3,000.00). I am also prepared to deliver the actors seen in the filmed portion—and further I will personally do what I can, in anyway, to enhance the production of this film." In fine condition.
Hellborn remains one of the great mysteries in the Ed Wood oeuvre, as it was a partially finished film that he frequently spoke of returning to, but never had the chance. Producer George Weiss evidently ran out of money to finance the production, leaving Wood to turn to others—including Marge Usher, who had invested in his 1955 sci-fi horror flick Bride of the Monster—for financing, but the project never came to fruition. According to co-star Conrad Brooks, Wood shot about 15 to 20 minutes of footage for the project—accurately corresponding to the "2,000 feet of film" mentioned here. These reels included a fight sequence, a gas station holdup, and a boozy picnic scene—some of which footage would be incorporated into Night of the Ghouls (1959) and The Sinister Urge (1960). A rare and intriguing piece of cinematic correspondence by the B-movie icon.
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