‘SHIRLEY VALENTINE’, 1989 (QTY)

A collection of production material including:

- Two file copies of a ‘Memorandum of Agreement’, 15 February 1988, both 23 pages, with attached Schedule A and B, Subject: “Shirley Valentine”/ Lewis Gilbert, Director and Producer, the agreement between Paramount Overseas Productions Inc and Novarro Anstalt for the directing and producing services of Lewis Gilbert;

- A group of scripts comprising: a ‘First Draft Screenplay’, 105 pp. of mimeograph typescript bound in cream covers, the front with typescript label SHIRLEY VALENTINE / by Willy Russell / FIRST DRAFT SCREENPLAY, unannotated; another version, 94 pp of mimeograph typescript, unbound, the first page initialled top right L.G., with minor mimeograph amendments in Gilbert’s hand; a 47 pp. mimeograph treatment, unannotated and unbound; a partial mimeograph typescript script, pp. 10 – 105, unannotated and unbound in a black hardback script folder, the front labelled in an unidentified hand SHIRLEY VALENTINE; and a mimeograph typescript copy of the screenplay, 105 pp. bound in red card covers, unannotated;

- A ‘Shooting Schedule No. 6’, 20 October 1988, 8 pp;

- A three-page mimeograph Call Sheet, 25 October 1988 with a mimeograph map attached ‘Waldegrave School’;

- A four-page mimeograph typescript document ‘General Note’ concerning guidance on script revisions;

- A small file of correspondence, December 1987 - February 1990, including letters of congratulation on his BAFTA nomination, letters of thanks and a few letters regarding the production;

- 35 black and white photographs, some publicity, some taken on location, all – 20 x 30 cm.; eight identical black and white photographs of Gilbert directing, all 11 x 17 cm.; four similar colour snapshots of Gilbert with Pauline Collins, and three small copies of colour publicity photographs of Collins, in a black vinyl hardback folder;

- 45 Title Sequence drawings and concepts, 44 of which xeroxes, and one original pencil drawing by storyboard artist Vernon Harris, in a large brown envelope titled in an unknown hand SHIRLEY VALENTINE DRAWINGS, the envelope addressed to Mr Michael O’Sullivan, Paramount British Pics Ltd, additionally inscribed in red felt pen LEWIS GILBERT TO BE COLLECTED, comprising 15 xeroxes of drawings for the opening title sequence showing Shirley Valentine doing domestic chores; 12 xeroxes showing Shirley Valentine doing domestic chores corresponding to those in the title sequence with a further seven xeroxes of revised versions of the same with notes in the artist’s hand, one with original pencil inscription this is not original seen in mock up, with the corresponding original pencil drawing of Shirley in the supermarket and a handwritten note in Vernon’s hand in pencil on a torn sheet of paper Did you see all the other drawings / ? / looking more like P. Collins / (John Dark said to Eric doesn’t matter) / Supermarket not original…….- 21 x 30 cm.; and 10 xeroxes of drawings depicting Shirley at various stages of her life, all drawings – 30 x 42 cm.;

- A scrapbook of press cuttings;

- A large metal souvenir paper clip from Greece with a handwritten note, probably in Hylda’s hand, Lewis’ from filming of “Shirley Valentine”; and

- A cd of the soundtrack     (a lot)

In 1986, Willy Russell contacted Gilbert about his new play ‘Shirley Valentine’ which was about to open at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool.  At a low ebb following the disappointment of his latest film Not Quite Jerusalem, Gilbert and Hylda travelled to Liverpool for the opening night of the play, as Gilbert recalls in his autobiography….”Willy had thrown me a lifeline”.  However, on the opening night, the lead, and only actress, Noreen Kershaw, fell ill and with no understudy, Russell himself read the whole play from a lectern.  Gilbert recalls…”Hylda and I were enthralled, and I couldn’t wait to get back to Peggy Ramsay’s [Russell’s literary agent] office.”  The film was released to rave reviews and was nominated for a host of awards, including the Academy Award and BAFTA for ‘Best Actress’ for Pauline Collins, the latter of which she won; Gilbert won the BAFTA for ‘Best Film’ and Willy Russell for ‘Best Adapted Screenplay’.

PLEASE NOTE:  The following is WITHDRAWN from the lot, 'A mimeograph typescript agreement dated 15 September 1987, between Willy Russell (“Author”) and the undersigned Navarro Anstalt (“Purchaser”) together with a covering typescript letter'.

Photograph Sold Without Copyright 

Literature: GILBERT, Lewis All My Flashbacks The Autobiography of Lewis Gilbert, Sixty Years A Film Director, Reynolds & Hearn, London, 2010

Bellmans is grateful to Wallace and Hodgson for their assistance with cataloguing the Lewis Gilbert Film Script and Production Archive.