BERNADINE 1956 Original Movie Script Pat Boone Fox Script Department Draft COA

  

Pat Boone's breakthrough film - this Fox Script Department draft captures the studio system at its most polished, the kind of internal document that rarely surfaces outside the lot. A piece of 1950s teen culture history before the genre had a name. Guaranteed Vintage and Original as issued. Comes with COA from the Museum of Mom and Pop Culture! Stiff Fox Production Covers - 116 White Pages - Final Script - Dec.

14, 1956 - Written by Theodore Reeves. Possessory signature in pencil on cover, A.

OVERALL CONDITION: See Photos - Good or better with cover blemishes and water stains on first and last few pages - Cut out Loan Slip. HISTORICAL INFORMATION: Bernardine is a 1957 American musical film directed by Henry Levin and starring Pat Boone, Terry Moore, Dean Jagger, Dick Sargent, and (in her last film, after a 19-year hiatus) Janet Gaynor. The 1952 play upon which the movie is based was written by Mary Coyle Chase, the Denver playwright who also wrote the popular 1944 Broadway play Harvey. The title song, with words and music by Johnny Mercer, became a hit record for Boone. Buddy Adler of 20th Century Fox bought the film rights in 1955 as a vehicle for Robert Wagner.

The film, however, was reworked as a vehicle for Pat Boone. In 1956 Boone was one of the biggest music artists in the US. Several movie studios pursued him and Adler was successful, signing him to a multi-picture contract with Fox. Bernardine was to be his first film. Boone tested for the roles of both Beaumont and Sanford.

He was eventually cast as Beaumont - the role played on stage by John Kerr. Dick Sargent received his first important screen role as Sanford. Edd Byrnes reportedly also tested for the role. Janet Gaynor was lured out of retirement to co-star as Sanford's mother. In the 21st century, TV Guide called Bernardine...

Fox's answer to the Presley films. Boone, who first achieved national recognition on Arthur Godfrey's TV show, is the white-on-white hero, one of several young and definitely unsleazy students who create a mythical girl named Bernardine that they would all love to love. In 2019, Diabolique magazine, criticizing Sargent's performance in the leading role, said the filmmakers erred by not giving Boone that part instead.

This weird casting decision was presumably made so as not to burden Pat too much on his first time out. After all, in Love Me Tender, Elvis plays a supporting role to Richard Egan. Later, in Hound Dog Man (1959), Fabian would support Stuart Whitman. But those were good parts.

Pat Boone's role is lousy. The main thing he does in the movie is sing (including "Love Letters in the Sand" which became a huge hit) and introduce an elder brother (James Drury) who runs off with Terry Moore. Boone's presence even throws the movie off a little. He gets screen time his character doesn't deserve, and when he sings love songs - despite not having an on-screen love interest - it feels weird. STORYLINE: High school students enter a fictional woman's name (Bernardine Mudd) in a contest.

The contestant wins and hilarity ensues. SEE MORE CLASSIC PLAYS, MUSICALS AND SCREENPLAYS FROM THIS AMAZING 150K SCRIPT ARCHIVE IN OUR OTHER AUCTIONS - AND IN THE WEEKS TO COME! If it is a birthday or emergency, we can make special arrangements. We love to combine, but if you win more than one item, wait for us to pack and weigh your total order and invoice you for that total. We use UPS for higher-grade material unless there is some kind of specific issue such as size.