FEATURED ITEM - AUGUST 2020
STAR FILMS * THE MARVELOUS MOVIES
JEROME KILTY + MARIO NASCIMBENE
FILM DEVELOPMENT ARCHIVE
[FILM DEVELOPMENT ARCHIVE] INTRODUCTION: This archive is assorted items on the development of a proposed movie on the history of films. The basic idea came from the noted innovative Italian film track composer Mario Nascimbene (1913-2002). His idea as presented in a 16-page outline/treatment was further developed by the American playwright and screenwriter Jerome Kilty (1922-2012) as seen in an edited and annotated original-ribbon script and two photocopied scripts with editing and annotations and also a typist original-ribbon script with a few edits and corrections (4 scripts altogether). In a letter to Kilty, a partner named Bob mentions, “I hope to see Mario [Nascimbene] when I get to Roma.” The project was apparently never produced.
ARCHIVE CONTENT: The following items by Mario Nascimbene are in a manila folder with the pencil notation on one panel “Star Film Scripts (and Photos): (A) Mario Nascimbene “THE MARVELOUS MOVIES” (“THE MARVELOUS CINEMATOGRAPH”), Sequences” giving location, date, and subject of 23 sequences, 1 page, original ribbon typed, 1-line spacing; (B) Mario Nascimbene “THE MARVELOUS MOVIES” (“THE MARVELOUS CINEMATOGRAPH”), 16-page outline/treatment of Nascimbene’s envisioning the origins and development of movies according to his 23 sequences as laid out on the single sheet (see above); excerpts include, “The story of the development of the cinematic art is a thrilling saga of an awe-inspiring adventure: the chain of discoveries that led to the birth and development of a new art which has taken its place as a dominative world-wide means of human expression and culture within the past fifty years…Our story begins in 1900, at the inauguration of the Universal Exhibition in Paris…Maurine, a young pianist who provides the musical accompaniment for the Lumiere films, and Jacqueline, an enchanting costumist, employed in Georges Melies film studio…Maurice and Jacqueline climb down the ship’s ladder…1st Sequence – Paris, 14 April 1900 – Maurice and Jacquline set up the Paris Exhibition thorough 23rd Sequence – Maurice and Jacqueline have ended their story – The Cineorama – Final…Now we all know about the marvelous cinematography. Future historians will hail its birth as an event of inestimable significance. We — all of us — have had the greet fortune to have witnessed that birth. THE END / March 1976………………………….Copyright 1976 / by Mario Nascimbene / Roma, 98 Via della Mendola”, with “Sequences” at varied locations at various dates with various related subjects such as Paris, 1784, show of Chinese shadows; Philadelphia, 1870, first public showing of animated photography; West Orange (NJ), Edison and his phonograph; Montreuil [France], 1900, “A Trip to the Moon”; (C) STAR FILM - 1900 A MUSICAL ABOUT THE MOVIES, A TREATMENT by Jerome Kilty and Leon Gluckman (based on an idea by Mario Nascimbene) Copyright 1976, by Kilty/Gluckman [“What the Devil!” crossed out under title], 38 pages photocopy of treatment with passages of script edited by Jerome Kilty, with cover sheet, unnumbered 2 introductory pages headed respectively “A Musical About the Movies” and “Principal Players”, Act I numbered I-1 to I-17, Act II numbered II-1-18, back page blank except for note at bottom “mimeographed by” with name of New York city duplicating service; in Act I, Kilty’s edits are occasional and limited, in Act II pages 1-10 the edits are similarly occasional and limited, with heavy editing for pages 11-18; a sampling of excerpts is, “the origins and development of the movies is followed through vignettes involving the three principal characters of Edison, Lumiere, and Melies plus the four secondary ones of Lumiere’s daughter Eli, an assistant who works for Edison and Meliere, a star who is an ‘archetypal dumb blonde,’ and an archetypal ‘money man’ who is a ‘protector’ of the star named Betty; with allusions to Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, Charlie Chaplin, Mack Sennett, and the Marx Brothers”; throughout Kilty notes where songs and dances treating these as carrying the story or as entertaining, though not irrelevant interludes come in, plus a single page headed STAR FILM 1900, overview of the elements and style of the film of the proposed films that is a blend of biographical, historical, and technical information and fantasy, 1 page, original ribbon typed, single spaced, in part, “THE STORY Man’s effort to capture his own image in film and, having captured it, to make it move. The comedy, trial, error, treachery and triumph of the three principal pioneers in this effort: the American, Thomas Edison, and the two Frenchmen, the poetic Louis Lumiere and the magician, George Melies…THE STYLE Loose, free-form, fast flowing; a maximum use of song, ballet mime and the knockabout comic routines of the earliest flicks…THE TONE Innocent…We watch the birth of the movies”; with 7 legal-size pages held together, 3 full pages with heading at top of first page “Musical Numbers” plus 1 line on a fourth page (front of pages only), next 2 pages blank on both sides, last page (7th sheet) on the reverse are 10 lines of dialog, 3 pages with heading “Musical Numbers” are notes and outline citing dance and/or song numbers with reference to characters, scenes, or dialog at points of the musical, e. g., ballet, chorale company, song/Edison, duet Melies/Lumiere followed by respective scene or title of song, and also 20 black-and-white photographs, 19 numbered consecutively with circled numbers on back plus one with numbering looking like “S9” with no identification; most of the consecutively numbered photos with identifications such as Shadowgraphy (2), Edison’s ‘Black Maria’ (5), First Film (7), Melies Studio (12), On the Moon (18) are of the kinds relating to the history of the movies meant to be used for Mario Nascimbene’s concept of “The Marvelous Movies” in 23 “sequences” with accompanying photographs, though these 20 photos numbered and identified by Kilty do not correspond to Nascimbene’s sequences, and presumably were for Kilty’s reference or consideration for use in his development of Nascimbene’s concept /// [script] WHAT THE DEVIL! (A musical about the origins of the movies) by Jerome Kilty (Based on an idea byMario Nascimbene / Property of Jerome Kilty (Copyright 1977), 74 pages photocopy of script with cover sheet, a few editorial marks, two unnumbered front pages including “Note on Black Theatre” [“Illusionists, from the Chinese Puppeteers to the Black Theatre of Prague…have used a technique loosely called ‘Black Theatre’…”], “Note on the Lyrics” [These ‘songs’ in this first draft…are written out…to provide an idea of what the lyricist will deal with in the way of content. They are to be regarded as a point of departure.], and “Cast List”, Act One numbered I-1 to I-28, Act II numbered II-1 to II-28; although the same story with the same characters as the treatment described above, this version is completely different in dialog and scenes from the ones with the Nascimbene material with the additional content of Kilty’s lyrics (as cited in his introductory note); all pages with two punched holes at left edges; related to the foregoing edited script; with newspaper article headlined “Black Theater Afloat in Vienna” with pen notations at the top “Dec. 76 L. A. Times – Return to Jerry” /// The following materials are in a manila envelop marked “Jerome Kilty” with his Weston, Connecticut address, a phone number, and “Star Film, Typist’s copy Oct.10, 77”, (A) typed original ribbon script “STAR*FILM 1900”, 48 pages numbered 1-43 with a few pages additions to numbered pages numbered 18a, etc., handwritten editing in pencil and pen throughout, note in upper right corner of first page “N.B. typist: make your own pagination”; second copy, 45 pages, photocopy of the script with limited handwritten editing/changes incorporated; letter Western State Bank, South Bend, Indiana, letterhead, to “Dear Jerry”[Jerome Kilty] hand-signed “Bob” reading in part, Thank you for sending the script along…I really enjoyed ‘Dear Liar’ [Kilty play]…I hope to see Mario [Nascimbene] when I get to Roma…”, though undated, mention in the letter “after the 25th” and “The best of the month of June” suggest the letter was written in or about May/June in the mid 1970s at the time Kilty was working on his project as indicated by the copyrights of the items described above /// NOTES: Jerome Kilty: 1922-2012, American actor and playwright whose best known work is “Dear Liar: A Comedy of Letters” based on correspondence between George Bernard Shaw and the English stage actress Mrs. Patrick Campbell; in the early days of TV (ca. 1950s) he acted in popular TV shows, including Hallmark Hall of Fame and the Alcoa Hour; Mario Nascimbene: 1913-2002, one of the best known Italian film soundtrack composers of the 20th century; he was noted for his innovations such as including non-orchestral instruments (e. g., harmonica) in his compositions; he did soundtracks for more than 150 films in Italy and Hollywood, among these The Barefoot Contessa (1954), A Farewell to Arms (1957), The Vikings (1958), Sons and Lovers (1960) /// CONDITION: all items well-preserved, a few photocopied pages light but legible.
$2200.00 postpaid U. S. address; contact henryberryinct@gmail.com
