Finian's Rainbow

Burbank, CA: Warner Brothers, 1967. Rehearsal Script for the 1968 film. Notations in manuscript ink on page 29, noting changes to dialogue for characters Buzz and Howard (Ronald Colby, Al Freeman, Jr.), as well as a faint pencil notation on the front wrapper, presumably indicating a copy number.

Warner Brothers optioned the musical shortly after its premiere in 1947, but Harburg and Saidy were unwilling to tone down the racial satire to fit studio demands, holding out until the option was about to expire and Warner agreed to a script with only minimal changes twenty years later. Coppola was an odd choice to direct, with his realistic, New Hollywood Cinema approach to filmmaking at odds with the fantastical nature of the material, and the results were decidedly mixed, despite a widely loved performance by Petula Clark.

The original Broadway production opened at the 46th Street Theater on January 10, 1947, ran for 725 performances and won the 1947 Tony Awards for the Best Actor (David Wayne) as well as Music Direction and Choreography. The film was nominated for Best Sound and Best Score.

Pale green titled wrappers, noted as DRAFT on the front wrapper, dated May 19, 1967. Title page not present. 89 leaves, mimeograph on eye-rest green stock, with blue revision pages throughout, dated 5/24/67. Pages Near Fine, wrapper Very Good bound internally with two gold brads.

[Book #131264]