[Rarebooks] FS: 4 Letters from John O'Hara: "Heywood Broun used to fill a water pitcher with gin, but I could not deceive my public to that degree"

[Charles Agvent]

One of about 90 wonderful items, including a number of archives, 
contained in our new internet-only Catalogue--20TH CENTURY LITERARY 
MANUSCRIPTS, LETTERS, AND PHOTOGRAPHS--scheduled to appear on our 
website late Tuesday afternoon.

O'HARA,  John. ARCHIVE of 4 TYPED LETTERS SIGNED (TLSs). Group  of
four  TYPED  LETTERS SIGNED, three of them on the acidic 8-1/2" x  11"
paper  O'Hara  often used in correspondence and one on smaller  Nassau
Club  stationery. All are to O'Hara's friend and film producer  Gordon
Haight;  one  is  SIGNED  in full, two are SIGNED "John"  and  one  is
SIGNED  "J." In part: "I'd like to bring my wife to meet you ...  but,
like  a  farmer,  I have to look ahead.... I see  just  about  nothing
coming  if  I don't now apply the tapering fingers to  the  typewriter
...  and  then  we'll  be  able to tell  the  truth  of  that  dubious
statement:  you  can't shoot a man for trying." O'Hara also  discusses
his  reluctance  to accept invitations to speak, "but as Belle  points
out,  the few times I've done it, I've enjoyed it.... However, I don't
think   I'll  ever  make  a  John   Mason  Brown.  John  has  his  two
double-bourbons  after he holds forth; I, as you found out, require my
scotches  before,  during,  and after. Heywood Broun  used  to  fill a
water  pitcher  with  gin, but I could not deceive my public  to  that
degree."  O'Hara  mentions  that Haight is co-producing  a  television
version  of APPOINTMENT IN SAMARRA, but apparently this never came  to
fruition.  O'Hara  demanded a great amount of money to have his  first
book  made  into a film, and despite interest at different times  from
David  Selznick and Paul Newman, O'Hara stuck to his guns and the book
was  not  filmed. Paper browned with a few short tears with  no  loss.
Good                                                          $1250.00

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CHARLES AGVENT
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