Typed Letter Signed (“Scott Fitzg”), 1 p, 4to, Hollywood, September 11, 1940, to H.N. Swanson, regarding the recent sale of radio rights for a short story, on typing paper, perforations at upper left corner, small chip at upper margin, page creased and toned. With unsigned typed carbon of Swanson’s response, dated September 17, 1940. Even after Fitzgerald broke with the Ober Agency, Harold Ober continued to try to make sales based on the author’s previous work. Agency memos present in this collection reveal that Ober had a difficult time trying to make the sale for the radio rights of “The Dance,” largely because no one could find Fitzgerald in the summer of 1940. Once the sale went through, however, Fitzgerald took offense at publicity that insinuated Ober and Swanson were still representing him. In part: “Dear Swanie:- / Your office told me that the offer of $200., for the radio rights of ‘The Dance’ came through Harold Ober. I agreed to it with that understanding. / The implication of this announcement in the Reporter is that you are still my representative out here. This is emphatically not true. Your preposterous suggestion outside the theatre the other night that I advertise some commercial product is as near as you have come to representing me for almost a year. I must ask you to make no further announcements of this kind.” In his response, Swanie explains that the notice in the Reporter was standard practice, as was the splitting of the commission between Ober and Swanson. He goes on: “I hope your letter doesn’t mean what it just possibly might mean: that you would not have accepted money from the sale if you had known we were to get a portion of the commission. / I like to think that if our radio lads could bring you an offer for the rights of some of your published stories that you would still want us to negotiate for you. / At all events, Scott, I wish you would answer this last question for me. I feel I have known you for a long time and worked for you for a long time just as Harold Ober has. The fact that you are no longer with us as a client shouldn’t mean that you misunderstand or mistrust our motives. I will always be a booster of yours.” See illustration.
Typed Letter Signed (“Scott Fitzg”), 1 p, 4to, Hollywood, September 11, 1940, to H.N. Swanson, regarding the recent sale of radio rights for a short story, on typing paper, perforations at upper left corner, small chip at upper margin, page creased and toned. With unsigned typed carbon of Swanson’s response, dated September 17, 1940. Even after Fitzgerald broke with the Ober Agency, Harold Ober continued to try to make sales based on the author’s previous work. Agency memos present in this collection reveal that Ober had a difficult time trying to make the sale for the radio rights of “The Dance,” largely because no one could find Fitzgerald in the summer of 1940. Once the sale went through, however, Fitzgerald took offense at publicity that insinuated Ober and Swanson were still representing him. In part: “Dear Swanie:- / Your office told me that the offer of $200., for the radio rights of ‘The Dance’ came through Harold Ober. I agreed to it with that understanding. / The implication of this announcement in the Reporter is that you are still my representative out here. This is emphatically not true. Your preposterous suggestion outside the theatre the other night that I advertise some commercial product is as near as you have come to representing me for almost a year. I must ask you to make no further announcements of this kind.” In his response, Swanie explains that the notice in the Reporter was standard practice, as was the splitting of the commission between Ober and Swanson. He goes on: “I hope your letter doesn’t mean what it just possibly might mean: that you would not have accepted money from the sale if you had known we were to get a portion of the commission. / I like to think that if our radio lads could bring you an offer for the rights of some of your published stories that you would still want us to negotiate for you. / At all events, Scott, I wish you would answer this last question for me. I feel I have known you for a long time and worked for you for a long time just as Harold Ober has. The fact that you are no longer with us as a client shouldn’t mean that you misunderstand or mistrust our motives. I will always be a booster of yours.” See illustration.
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