The Front Page, approximately 1927 to 1939

The Front Page sub-series (approximately 1927-1939) is comprised of materials pertaining to the production process of The Caddo Company's April 4, 1931 release of The Front Page. The sub-series contains advertising and publicity, administrative, financial, legal, and production and direction, and story development records. Director Lewis Milestone, along with editor Duncan Mansfield and writers Ben Hecht, Charles MacArthur, and Bartlett Cormack helped the film earn Academy Awards nominations for Best Director and Best Picture in 1929. The black-and-white photographic prints and negatives, primarily attributed to Newton Hopcroft, depict set and production stills of the principal and supporting cast and locations in the film.

Advertising and publicity records include newspaper clippings detailing the film’s release, articles of local advertising campaigns, and publicity stills of principal and supporting cast members. Administrative records include correspondence pertaining to the editing, censorship, and distribution of the film, as well as shipping receipts. Legal records include supporting actor and domestic distribution contracts. Production and direction records include production stills of principal and supporting cast, interior and exterior sets, and a sound and production daily report ledger. The story development records include production scripts, as well as cutting continuities and dialogue scripts for domestic and international releases.