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20th Century Fox to Auction Contracts for Charity

Who wouldn?t love to own a little piece of Hollywood history in the form of a contract signed by famous film stars from yesteryear? Now it may just be possible to purchase one of these contracts ? if you are willing to pay the right price. 20th Century Fox has announced that it will be opening up its official archives to the public and auctioning off original documents and contracts that were signed between the studio and actors.

The sale, which is due to take place on January 25th, will be performed through Swann Galleries, an auction house in New York. Proceeds from the sale of contracts will go towards a special charity for Hollywood actors and employees, called the Motion Picture and Television Fund. The studio announced that it would be auctioning off over 200 items in the sale.

There will be an amazing variety of contracts up for auction, all showing rare snippets of the film and entertainment industry?s history. An official memo up for sale stipulates that Norma Mae Dougherty was changing her name to Marilyn Monroe. Another demands that film stars, Laurel and Hardy, purchase their own wardrobe for their movies. Contracts in the sale include those signed by Rita Hayworth, Clark Gable and Judy Garland. The latter?s contract even includes a termination letter after Garland turned up drunk for work at the studio.