Nov 5, 2025 10:00 EST
Stage & Screen featuring The Estate of Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
60
An early script for what became Stephen Sondheim's Company
GEORGE FURTH [HAL PRINCE and STEPHEN SONDHEIM]
An early script for what became Stephen Sondheim's Company, then titled A Husband, A Wife, and Friend. A brad-bound script with mustard yellow covers, circa 1969-70, the cover and title page both with printed stickers reading "A Husband, A Wife, and A Friend by George Furth" overlaying another title (visible as Company under the sticker on the title). The script is in 7 sections titled for couples, each about 10-20 pages, and with some overlays and one annotation within, this script before the additions of Stephen Sondheim's songs. The sections are titled: "Sarah and Harry"; "Cynthia and William"; "Laraine and Allen"; "Peter and Georgia"; "Jenny and David"; "Cleola and John"; and "Dorothy and Lou." Some spotting within but generally clean, creases and small losses to covers; Together with a first production souvenir booklet (this booklet was prepared before the replacement of Dean Jones with Larry Kert. One the cover Kert's name is pasted over Jones's; within Jones's bio and photo are bound-in, while Kert's is laid-in, similar to an understudy insert); and an early Playbill.
An interesting early and transitional script of George Furth's A Husband, A Wife, and Friend as it morphed into Hal Prince & Stephen Sondheim's 1970 hit musical Company. A recent book describes this transition:
"Furth had written an evening of eleven short plays about marriage, tied together as a vehicle for the revered Kim Stanley. This had been announced, as a three-character comedy encompassing seven of the plays, for a March 1969 opening. When the producers couldn't raise the capitalization for A Husband, A Wife, and a Friend (as the play was called), Furth's friend Sondheim sent the plays to Hal Prince. Excited by the episodic notion of Furth's piece, Prince conceived the musical and incorporated three of the one-acts into Company. Following the musical's success, Furth built Twigs on four of the remaining one-acts" (Steven Suskin, Offstage Observations: Inside Tales of the Not-So-Legitimate Theatre, Bloomsbury, 2022, p. 190).
Sold for $608
Estimated at $400 - $600
Includes Buyer's Premium
GEORGE FURTH [HAL PRINCE and STEPHEN SONDHEIM]
An early script for what became Stephen Sondheim's Company, then titled A Husband, A Wife, and Friend. A brad-bound script with mustard yellow covers, circa 1969-70, the cover and title page both with printed stickers reading "A Husband, A Wife, and A Friend by George Furth" overlaying another title (visible as Company under the sticker on the title). The script is in 7 sections titled for couples, each about 10-20 pages, and with some overlays and one annotation within, this script before the additions of Stephen Sondheim's songs. The sections are titled: "Sarah and Harry"; "Cynthia and William"; "Laraine and Allen"; "Peter and Georgia"; "Jenny and David"; "Cleola and John"; and "Dorothy and Lou." Some spotting within but generally clean, creases and small losses to covers; Together with a first production souvenir booklet (this booklet was prepared before the replacement of Dean Jones with Larry Kert. One the cover Kert's name is pasted over Jones's; within Jones's bio and photo are bound-in, while Kert's is laid-in, similar to an understudy insert); and an early Playbill.
An interesting early and transitional script of George Furth's A Husband, A Wife, and Friend as it morphed into Hal Prince & Stephen Sondheim's 1970 hit musical Company. A recent book describes this transition:
"Furth had written an evening of eleven short plays about marriage, tied together as a vehicle for the revered Kim Stanley. This had been announced, as a three-character comedy encompassing seven of the plays, for a March 1969 opening. When the producers couldn't raise the capitalization for A Husband, A Wife, and a Friend (as the play was called), Furth's friend Sondheim sent the plays to Hal Prince. Excited by the episodic notion of Furth's piece, Prince conceived the musical and incorporated three of the one-acts into Company. Following the musical's success, Furth built Twigs on four of the remaining one-acts" (Steven Suskin, Offstage Observations: Inside Tales of the Not-So-Legitimate Theatre, Bloomsbury, 2022, p. 190).
Auction: Stage & Screen featuring The Estate of Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Nov 5, 2025
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Popular Stage & Screen Auction on November 5, 2025 Attracted Global Audience
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Memorabilia, Autographs, Artwork & Photographs Celebrating Theater, Hollywood, Music and Dance
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Archive of Samuel Beckett Material from the Estate of His American Director Alan Schneider Topped $75,000
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Sale Featured a Special Section Devoted to the Estate of Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
NEW YORK, NY -- Doyle's popular Stage & Screen auction on November 5, 2025 attracted fans and collectors around the world vying for an exciting range of offerings celebrating the performing arts of Theater, Hollywood, Music and Dance.
The Estate of Alan Schneider
Featured in the sale was fascinating collection of early Waiting for Godot material from the Estate of Alan Schneider that topped $75,000 amid trans-Atlantic competition. “The primary American director of Samuel Beckett plays” and a close friend of the playwright, Alan Schneider died in 1984, and his widow died at 101 this past summer. This remarkable archive offered an extraordinary glimpse into the creative partnership between Schneider and Beckett, spanning decades of groundbreaking theatrical work. Highlights included Schneider’s annotated working copy of Waiting for Godot used in the landmark American production, an inscribed typescript of Eh Joe, and first editions and presentation copies of Endgame and Happy Days, many personally inscribed to Schneider by Beckett. Other treasures included manuscripts, letters, awards, recordings and posters that document a pivotal collaboration in modern theater history. Read more
The Estate of Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
Doyle was honored to offer a sequel to the successful 2011 auction of property from the estate of the legendary actor. Featured in the sale were artwork, furniture, photographs and memorabilia. Read More.
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