Film industry history: Marx Brothers




 Talking about collectibles and memorabilia is virtually impossible without thinking about the film industry and all the potential it has for collectors all over the world. In this field almost anything is valuable, from autographs to props, love letters between movie stars and even legal documents or official letters. 

Back in 2015 RR Auction had the chance to sell an incredibly valuable document related to the film industry of the 30s. This is basically an agreement between the Marx brothers and Paramount Productions, Inc. According to RR Auction, a lawsuit was intended by the Marx brothers who, at the time were yet to be paid for Monkey Business which was a great success at the box office. Additionally, they also needed to receive payment for Horse feathers, which was Paramount’s highest grossing film that year. As it turns out, the studio owed them $205,000.

As a result, the Marx brothers threatened to breach contract with the studio and walk out with one more film to go. They even planned on starting their own production company at the time. As stated by RR Auction, the lawsuit did not quite reach a verdict as the two parties managed to settle the dispute amicably. On top of that, the same day the settlement was signed, they also agreed to make yet another film for Paramount for a flat salary of $300,000. 

As mentioned by RR Auction, the lawsuit did not prevent this last film to be a box office disappointment, despite the positive reviews it gets nowadays. However, the agreement, which is signed by four Marx brothers is of great importance to the movie industry and to anyone passionate about classic film.

In part, the settlement reads: “The undersigned, jointly and severally, hereby promise and agree…that the suit now pending in the Supreme Court in New York County, New York, brought by the undersigned as Plaintiffs against said Paramount Publix Corporation, as Defendant, in connection with the photoplay entitled Monkey Business shall be discontinued, without cost to either party…provided, however, they there shall be reserved to said Plaintiffs the right to prove their claim in the bankruptcy proceedings against said Paramount Publix Corporation for any monies that may be due…by said Paramount Publix Corporation from the distribution of said photoplay entitled Monkey Business…upon the basis of the amount of net profits derived from said photoplay entitled Monkey Business…the undersigned further promise and agree that the amount of net profits derived from the photoplay entitled Horse Feathers…shall be accepted as correct.”
In spite of some expected document wear and toning, creasing and some barely perceivable tears along the right edge, the document was sold back in 2015 for no less than $5,017. Additional details on the items are available on RR Auction’s website!

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