Wuthering Heights (Original screenplay for the 1939 film) by Wyler, William (director); Charles MacArthur, Ben Hecht (screenwriter); Samuel Goldwyn (producer); Emily Bronte (novel); Laurence Olivier, Merle Oberon, David Niven (starring) - 1939

Los Angeles: Samuel Goldwyn Company, 1939. Draft script for the 1939 film. Based on the 1847 novel by Emily Bronte. Produced after the film's release for academic purposes at the Washington Square College of Arts and Sciences. While "Wuthering Heights" proved to be a difficult production following a difficult casting, producer Samuel Goldwyn insisted for years that it was the best film he ever created. After a prolonged dispute with director William Wyler about the film's grim tone, Goldwyn went over Wyler's head to shoot a final scene suggesting that Heathcliffe and Cathy were together in the afterlife, strongly departing from the source work, and creating a rift between Goldwyn and Wyler that would never heal, even as the film went on to be both critically and publicly lauded.Lawrence Olivier would later attribute much of his film acting ability to Wyler, who was known for forcing actors to repeat scenes ad nauseum, forcing Olivier to tone down dramatic actions that were better suited for the stage.Winner of an Academy Award and nominated for seven others, including Best Picture. This script states that at the time of its creation the copyright was held by Walter Wanger Productions (Wanger originally purchased the rights of the book as a vehicle for Charles Boyer and Sylvia Sidney, but sold the script to Goldwyn when Sidney refused a role in his 1938 film "Algiers").Set in the fictional Wuthering Heights, shot on location in California. Blue untitled wrappers. 126 leaves, with last leaf of text numbered 123. Mimeograph, with white revision pages throughout, dated variously between 12-1-28 and 1-23-39. Pages Near Fine, wrapper Very Good, side stitched with brown binding tape.National Film Registry. Weldon 1996.