Happy Birthday a play in two acts, Anita Loos 1st Edition Samuel French NY LA Toronto, 1952. blue cloth board with navy blue title on spine and on cover, DJ. Helen Hayes starring, repro photograph on frontis. With dust jacket From the estate of Beverly Hills socialite Connie Wald, and Producer screenwriter Jerry Wald. The son of a dry goods salesman, Jerry Wald was the go-getting Hollywood writer-producer of popular imagination: charismatic, ambitious, shrewd, frequently brilliant, and filled with a nervous energy driving him from one project to another. An avid reader, with an innate sense of literary judgement, Wald began in the industry in 1929 as a radio columnist with a less-then-glamorous publication, The New York Evening Graphic. At the same time, he completed his studies in journalism at New York University. Before long, his skills as a writer for popular radio stars, such as crooner Russ Columbo, led to further work writing short features for RKO which, in turn, attracted the attention of Warner Brothers. Signed to a contract in 1934, Wald started as a screenwriter, often in collaboration with Julius J. Epstein, Mark Hellinger or Richard Macaulay. He worked on such seminal films noir as The Roaring Twenties (1939), Torrid Zone (1940) and They Drive by Night (1940), his role being essentially that of the 'ideas man', who comes up with a catchy title, original storyline, twists and plot devices. Never without pad or pencil, Wald constantly brainstormed ideas. He eventually acquired a reputation of being able to promote a picture before it had even left the drawing board. Once he had a clear vision, shooting could well commence within a week. In keeping with his credo, that there were "no washed up actors, only washed up stories", he rejuvenated the careers of some of Warner's biggest female stars by casting them in some of the best-written films of the period: Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce (1945) and Humoresque (1946); Claire Trevor - in Key Largo (1948); and Jane Wyman - in Johnny Belinda (1948). Approx.
Measurements: 5.125 x 7.5 x 0.75 inches.
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Overall very good condition, cloth covers slightly mottled, little wear, toning to end papers. DJ has some light edgewear, toning, small abrasions. phb1515