Historic 1974 Hollywood Studio & Network Disaster Cinema Archive — Cleavon Little Hand-Signed ABC Feature Contract, Malchi Little, Ltd. Corporate Loan-Out Agreement, and The Day the Earth Moved Studio Production Portfolio

This archive highlights an exceptional, museum-grade piece of modern television history, studio labor archaeology, and classic American cinema biography: the complete, fully executed original vintage Actors Television Motion Picture Contract for Daily, Three-Day or Weekly Employment dated July 9, 1974. This historic industrial instrument is personally hand-signed on the principal talent validation line by the legendary Tony Award-winning actor, comedic vanguard, and silver screen icon, Cleavon Little.

The agreement formalizes his casting parameters, high-value salary allocations, star billing credits, and corporate loan-out structures for a major network movie production. Executed during the absolute zenith of his historic biographical timeline—coinciding exactly with the 1974 theatrical release of his career-defining, monumental starring role as Bart in Mel Brooks’ masterpiece Blazing Saddles—this document captures Little utilizing his immense box-office leverage to secure an elite prime-time network contract. Studio covenants carrying active-era legal signatures from this revered pioneer of American comedy and film represent a premier cornerstone acquisition asset for advanced performance art archives, cinema historians, and elite pop culture manuscript collections globally.

Key Archive Features & Production Specifications

• POWERHOUSE ABC NETWORK CORPORATE PROVENANCE: The agreement establishes an official, legally binding casting framework under the absolute authority of a vanguard broadcasting giant, explicitly logged across the master opening text block: "THIS AGREEMENT made this 9th day of July, 1974, between AMERICAN BROADCASTING COMPANY, A Division of American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., 9255 Sunset Boulevard, Beverly Hills, California ('Company') and CLEAVON LITTLE...".

• THE MASTER "THE DAY THE EARTH MOVED" PRODUCTION LINK: Section 1 maps out the specific artistic coordinates and project indices securing his lead presence for the network's high-stakes, star-studded disaster suspense film:

  • The Production Title: Formally designated as the celebrated feature-length thriller: "THE DAY THE EARTH MOVED" ("Photoplay").

  • The Scripted Part Role: Cast in the primary lead persona of "HARLEY COPELAND".

  • The Project Classification: Officially tracked by the studio under Production No. 7403.

  • The Employment Tier: Framed as a premium Weekly Basis track.

• PRIVATE HOLLYWOOD LOAN-OUT CORPORATION HOUSING: Highlighting a sophisticated independent financial framework, the contract routes his performance tracks, federal tax identification, and compensation through his personal corporate banner: LOAN OUT: MALCHI LITTLE, LTD., (FSO CLEAVON LITTLE) A California Corporation, cataloged under the corporate reference row Corp. # 95-2788821.

• ELITE HIGH-VALUE SALARY STRUCTURE: Reflecting his iconic star pedigree, the studio guarantees a lucrative financial package across Paragraph 3 and Paragraph 4:

  • The Guaranteed Term: Binds the network to furnish the actor not less than 10 days of active employment.

  • The Financial Payout: Commits to an exceptional total sum of $10,000.00 computed via a staggering Weekly Salary: $5,000.00.

• CHRONOLOGICAL METADATA AND WILLIAM MORRIS DIRECTORY: Paragraph 5 schedules principal photography and recordation to commence on or about July 17, 1974. The document tracks the actor's legal notices directly back to his elite agency representation base: c/o Wm. Morris Ag., alongside his private coastal residency row at 18810 W. Topanga Beach Rd., Malibu, Calif., and his active telephone routing line 456-3130.

Ironclad Special Provisions, Global Bonuses & Star Billing

The reverse panels and addenda text fields lay down a highly customized legal architecture protecting the actor's international image rights and industry rank:

• $10,000.00 THEATRICAL BONUS OVERRIDES: Special Provision 33.A outlines massive financial windfalls if the network television movie is expanded into general theatrical release tracks:

  • Domestic Box-Office Bonus: Commits to an additional payment of $5,000.00 if released theatrically in the United States.

  • International Box-Office Bonus: Commits to an identical payment of $5,000.00 if put into general theatrical release outside of the United States.

• ELITE "SECOND STAR" SCREEN CREDIT CARD: Special Provision 33.B guarantees prestigious billing placement on all released prints, explicitly dictating: "SCREEN CREDIT: Second Star, in the main titles on a separate card. No other Player shall receive larger or more prominent billing, except as to position.".

• FIRST-CLASS TRANSPORTATION & MALIBU OVERNIGHT PER DIEMS: Special Provision 33.C forces the studio to handle all travel logistics with absolute comfort: "Company shall provide Player with round-trip transportation from Los Angeles to such place, first class if available. Company shall pay Player a living allowance of $50.00 per day while Player is required to render services hereunder on an overnight location.".

• MOTION PICTURE RELIEF FUND DEDUCTION: Highlighting his support for industry labor philanthropy, Paragraph 18 features a formal authorization directing the studio to deduct 1% of each installment of compensation to support the Motion Picture Relief Fund of America, Inc..

• RIGID STUDIO RIGHTS AND ANTI-COMPENSATION WARNINGS: The contract incorporates the standard 1971 Screen Actors Guild Television Agreement. It houses strict legal parameters governing unique artistic services (Paragraph 20), perpetual global studio ownership (Paragraph 23), and severe criminal warnings under the Federal Communications Act regarding unauthorized product plugs or hidden payments (Paragraph 26).

Key Autograph Features & Studio Counter-Signatures

The conclusion of this multi-layered entertainment law instrument features an exceptional presentation of active-era talent and executive validations:

• THE "CLEAVON LITTLE" LEGAL LOAN-OUT AUTOGRAPH: Positioned flawlessly across the primary line designated "Player" at the lower margin of the special provisions panel, the cinematic legend has hand-penned an absolute exhibition-quality legal signature: "Cleavon Little". Written in rich ink with magnificent line contrast, his autograph captures his classic, highly distinct cursive calligraphy style. Characterized by an elegant, looping capital "C" and a towering capital "L" that lead seamlessly into a beautifully controlled, fluid script finish, this signature stands as an investment-grade masterpiece of his handwriting pedigree.

• THE AMERICAN BROADCASTING COMPANY EXECUTIVE ENDORSEMENT: Documenting its formal corporate execution and green-light validation by the network, the adjacent column features the formal endorsement on behalf of AMERICAN BROADCASTING COMPANY, A Division of American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.. The primary validation line designated By is authorized by a senior studio executive with a bold, cascading script signature penned in deep blue ink.

Collector's Archival Condition

Dating back over a half-century to a golden era of 1970s Hollywood cinema history, this multi-page network television feature film contract portfolio is in magnificent, museum-quality condition. The original off-white contract bond paper stock sheets remain exceptionally clean, bright, and structurally stable, showcasing sharp corners, natural edges, and perfectly uniform typewriter typography and printed corporate headings across all presentation pages.

Little’s beautiful cursive signature, the blue ink network executive counter-signature, the printed legal codes, and the sharp typewriter text blocks are flawlessly preserved on the paper face with immense visual contrast and absolute clarity, offering a spectacular visual layout for custom gallery framing, multi-panel archival exhibition, or permanent museum manuscript curation. The sheets display immaculate historical stability, entirely free of modern surface creases, smudging, or age-related paper decay. To ensure absolute compliance with modern data privacy metrics, highly sensitive individual social security identification numbers located within the primary data grid have been cleanly, neatly, and completely blacked out. This highly coveted piece of cinematic heritage and entertainment industry archaeology comes safely protected within archival-grade storage parameters to ensure permanent preservation.

Disclaimer

Please be advised that the financial parameters, character allocations, studio production numbers, legal agency addresses, and historical 1974 calendar dates provided map directly to the exact physical vintage American Broadcasting Company contract sheets and verified ink handwritings preserved within this archive portfolio. As an authentic, hand-signed biographical collection from an entertainment giant whose unmatched artistic range, historic Tony Award-winning Broadway triumphs, and generation-shaping starring role in Blazing Saddles permanently anchored him among the most universally revered, boundary-breaking, and culturally significant comedic icons of modern global pop culture, the precise character of the pen strokes, the aging of the vintage paper stock, and the alignment of the typewriter typography are entirely unique to this individual piece of show business lore.

Own an Unrivaled Piece of Cinema History Today!

While common modern reproduction prints, generic mass-produced modern movie posters, or standard commercial trade autographs can be found anywhere in the open marketplace, an original, fully executed multi-page studio contract containing the pristine active-era signature of Cleavon Little from the monumentally significant summer of 1974 represents the absolute zenith of premium entertainment heritage collecting. Because elite talent film agreements and network feature covenants require legally binding signatures from the principal entertainer to permanently clear global distribution tracks, authorize major corporate production funds, and satisfy strict Hollywood labor union compliance, they offer a completely un-staged, official confirmation of a legendary icon's private daily footprint and real-world commercial power behind the studio gates long before a movie ever hits the screen. Directly tracking to his individual identity alongside cinematic history, the elite Sunset Boulevard agency files under the William Morris umbrella, and a flawlessly preserved rich ink signature profile, this certified archive portfolio is a premier crown-jewel centerpiece for any world-class collection of fine art artifacts, movie history, or rare twentieth-century Americana manuscripts.