"Because of Sex" Typed Manuscript

Item Details

"Because of Sex" Typed Manuscript play by Irving Wallace, 1937. 102 pages. Hollywood, California. 

Typed manuscript with several handwritten corrections in pencil by Wallace including on page 62 at the end of Act II, Scene I "(End this scene on a kiss to keep it clean - how's that Clark?). Many of the changes in pencil, strike or change words possibly considered "improper" in the 1930's, such as 'pregnant', changed to 'in a family way', 'damned', 'my God', 'what the hell', and 'dammit'. Play is brad-bound in brown binder with tape on spine. Mild wear and soiling. Interior pages clean with light toning, especially to fore edge. Very Good condition. 

Also throughout, 'Because of Sex' is struck and replaced with 'Love is Like That', including on the label on front of binder. 

Irving Wallace (1916-1990) was a novelist, screenwriter, and non-fiction author who grew up in Wisconsin--he began selling articles to magazines in his teens. His later work was known for mixing sex, politics, and intrigue. He wrote "The Chapman Report" in 1960 followed by "The Prize", "The Word", and "The R Document".  

This play, written at the age of 20 or 21 may well be one of his earliest pieces.

In John Leverence' "Irving Wallace: A Writer's Profile", Leverence states on page 58 states that "In 1936 Wallace spent his Sundays writing plays. He submitted his first three act drama to Edward Clark, proprietor of the Edward Clark Academy Theatre... Early in 1937 the Ben Bard Playhouse another little theatre in Hollywood, accepted his second play 'Because of Sex."  Despite this note, we find no record in theatre databases that the play was ever produced. Nor do we find any reference in Newspapers.com of an announcement for this play in the 1930's or 40's. 

This manuscript was initially acquired from the estate of Edward Clark, (proprietor of the Edward Clark Academy Theatre).

Irving Wallace's papers and scripts are held by University of Southern California and the University of Wyoming, American Heritage Center.