Historic 1957 Larry Hagman Goodyear Playhouse Contract Archive

This museum-grade, fully executed four-page Standard AFTRA Engagement Contract for Television—dated July 8, 1957—stands as an exceptional artifact of Golden Age television history and American broadcasting archaeology. Personally hand-signed on the principal talent validation line by legendary actor Larry Hagman, this legal instrument structures his early professional footprint decades before his generation-defining roles as Major Anthony Nelson on I Dream of Jeannie or the scheming oil baron J.R. Ewing on Dallas.

Captured during the twilight era of live anthology studio dramas, this document preserves the strict labor frameworks managed between corporate network executives and rising Hollywood talent.

Production Specifications & Anthology Casting Covenants

The multi-page agreement, issued from the executive Rockefeller Plaza headquarters of the National Broadcasting Company, Inc. (NBC), outlines a structured live television framework:

• The Master Goodyear Playhouse Provenance: Codifies Hagman's casting parameters within one of mid-century television's absolute pillars of live dramatic anthology theater, sponsored nationally by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.

• The Episode & Role Assignment: Logs his placement in the live network installment titled “Bakowoods Cinderella,” casting Hagman to perform the character role of Peter.

• Logistical & Temporal Parameters: Schedules the live network transmission for July 14, 1957, under a standard commercial broadcast structure.

• Mid-Century Salary & Billing Metrics: Secures the young actor a flat performance fee of $600.00 and contractually guarantees him “Second feature billing” on screen.

• Studio Executive Verification: Formally validated on behalf of NBC by pioneering production executive and casting director Martin Begley (signed by proxy as C. Moos).

Autograph Pedigree & Multi-Page Union Layout

The contract houses an immaculate presentation of active-era talent signatures and historical metadata:

• Pristine Hagman Signature: Positioned flawlessly in the lower-left quadrant of page one, the future television titan hand-penned an exhibition-quality signature in blue ink: "Larry M. Hagman".

• Vintage Alphabet-Exchange Phone Code: Directly below his signature, Hagman hand-wrote his regional telephone coordinate utilizing the post-war alphabet-exchange framework: “WO-6 1459.”

• Regulatory Layout: Spanning four complete sheets, the portfolio preserves the entire legal landscape mandated under the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), including rigid clauses governing public morals (Section 23), recording rights (Section 4), and an eight-day post-broadcast exclusivity window (Section 9).

Archival Condition

Dating back nearly seventy years, the original premium bond paper stock sheets remain in magnificent, pristine archival condition with sharp corners and clean natural edges. Hagman's blue ink signature and handwritten telephone digits are beautifully preserved with absolute clarity. For strict data privacy compliance, sensitive individual Social Security fields have been cleanly blacked out. This certified archive portfolio represents the absolute zenith of premium Golden Age television heritage collecting.