Document Signed by 25 of the Cast and Crew of the 1940 MGM Musical Extravaganza "Broadway Melody of 1940."

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8 1/2" x 11"; 1 page (front and back); fine, fresh; 1940. Rare and unique gathering of autographs, not be found elsewhere! Signed on the front by: Fred Astaire as Johnny Brett; Eleanor Powell as Clare Bennett; Frank Morgan as Bob Casey; George Murphy King Shaw Ian; Hunter as Bert C. Matthews; Florence Rice as Amy Blake, Casey's Secretary; Ann Morriss as Pearl Delonge; Dore Schary - Story; George Oppenheimer - Screenplay; Jack Cummings - Producer; Oliver Marsh - Cinematography; Bill Ryan - Assistant Director; George B. Elder - Property Master Plus - Sound Technician; Dick Chaney - Wardrobe; Bud Graybill - Still Photographer; Muriel Gallagher - Wardrobe; Stanley Briggs - Script; John Howard Detlie - Associate Art Director; Merrill R Pye - Art Director; Phyllis Loughton - Miss Powell's Coach; Gertrude Kuhn - Hairdresser; Art Smith - Unit Manager; Georgie Lane - Make-Up; Allen Hurley - 2nd Prop Master. "Broadway Melody of 1940" was released in 1940, directed by Norman Taurog from a story by Jack McGowan and Dore Schary. Screenplay by Leon Gordon and George Oppenheimer. "Broadway Melody of 1940" was Fred Astaire's first picture for M-G-M since the 1933 film "Dancing Lady", and it was the first picture Fred Astaire made following his departure from RKO. It was also the fourth and last of M-G-M's "Broadway Melody" pictures. According to modern sources, the film was originally to have been shot in Technicolor, but because of the unsettled economic conditions caused by the start of the war in Europe, M-G-M decided to film it in black and white. Modern sources add that the set for the "Begin the Beguine" number cost $120,000 to construct and used a sixty foot multi-paneled mirror mounted on a revolving track that swung around to change backgrounds during the dance. Cole Porter wrote the song in 1935, and it was one of the biggest hits. "Broadway Melody of 1940" was the only film Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell worked together. Provenance: from the estate of director Norman Taurog. Seller Inventory # 604061

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