Historic 1957 NBC Television Engagement Portfolio — Early Career Larry Hagman, "Goodyear Playhouse" Anthology Casting, and Complete Four-Page Standard AFTRA Labor Covenant

This listing highlights a spectacular, museum-grade piece of television history, mid-century broadcasting lore, and pop culture genealogy: an original, fully executed four-page Standard AFTRA Engagement Contract — Television dated July 8, 1957. This historic broadcast instrument documents the early professional foundations of television icon Larry Hagman, 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.

The collection spans four full sheets documenting the transactional tracks between the artist, his legendary representation team, the network executives, and the formal labor union guidelines of the era. Complete, multi-page talent agreements from this definitive Golden Age television framework represent a premier cornerstone acquisition piece for advanced entertainment history museums, broadcast archive curators, and elite twentieth-century Americana manuscript collections.

Key Archive Features & Production Specifications

• AUTHENTIC LARRY HAGMAN ACTIVE-ERA AUTOGRAPH: The lower left validation quadrant of the primary contract sheet features a brilliant, exceptionally bold example of his classic signature, hand-penned in blue ink: Larry M. Hagman.

• VINTAGE HOLLYWOOD RESIDENTIAL & MANAGEMENT ROLES: The opening panel establishes his primary agency channel at the dawn of his career, routing his official union notifications through his iconic personal manager:

  • The Performer: LARRY HAGMAN c.o Jane Deacy.

  • The Office Grid: 60 E 42 St., New York, New York.

• THE MONUMENTAL "GOODYEAR PLAYHOUSE" PROVENANCE: The document codifies his casting parameters within one of the absolute pillars of live dramatic anthology theater: GOODYEAR PLAYHOUSE. Sponsored by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, the prestigious live broadcast was legendary for launching the careers of top-tier directors, writers, and actors.

• THE "BAKOWOODS CINDERELLA" BROADCAST: The contract details the specific live network installment assignment, tracking the core narrative properties:

  • The Episode Title: Bakowoods Cinderella.

  • The Role Assignment: Hagman is cast to perform the character part of Peter.

  • The National Network Metrics: Stamped with explicit union classifications indicating a Network transmission rather than a local feed, funded under active Commercial sponsors rather than sustaining network capital.

• CHRONOLOGY & FINANCIAL METRICS: The legal action binds the performer to a precise production window, logging mid-century salary metrics:

  • The Performance Date: Scheduled for live transmission on July 14, 1957.

  • The Financial Compensation: Formally set at a flat rate of $600.00.

  • The Professional Billing Rank: Formally typed into the accounting lines to guarantee: Second feature billing.

• EXECUTIVE CHIEF PRODUCER COUNTER-SIGNATURE: The document is validated on behalf of the studio entity, NATIONAL BROADCASTING COMPANY, INC., 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York 20, N.Y., carrying the signature of legendary NBC casting pioneer and production executive Martin Begley (signed by proxy as C. Moos).

• VINTAGE EXCHANGE SYSTEM NUMERALS: Positioned directly below his signature, Hagman has hand-written his active regional telephone coordinate line utilizing the classic post-war alphabet-exchange framework: WO-6 1459.

Comprehensive Multi-Page Structural Layouts

The portfolio preserves the complete four-page operational landscape mandated under union regulations to govern a live commercial television transmission:

1. Page One (The Ingestion Manifest): Houses all the direct localized transaction fields, corporate addresses, performance dates, episode names, cash values, and primary execution signatures.

2. Page Two (Standard Terms & Conditions): Contains detailed multi-column regulatory text blocks dictating standard industry definitions across performance standards, recording parameters, and structural safeguards, including:

   • Section 1 (Performance): Restricts the performer from making offensive or distasteful remarks.

   • Section 4 (Recording Rights): Details the network's authority to record the live feed via wire recording, tape, or film for future broadcast under AFTRA Code provisions.

   • Section 5 (Force Majeure): Protects the parties against cancellations caused by strike, war, or acts of God.

3. Page Three (Additions Not Part of Standard Form): Outlines specialized regulatory boundaries regarding commercial endorsements and backend repeat systems:

   • Section 8 (Advertising Rights): Regulates the usage of the performer's name, biography, and likeness.

   • Section 9 (Exclusivity): Restricts the actor from appearing on competing broadcasts for a period of eight days post-transmission.

   • Section 17 & 18 (Overscale Payments & Rehearsal Hours): Establishes maximum rehearsal capacities and bonus structures for overscale talent.

4. Page Four (The Concluding Regulatory Index): Finalizes the union parameters across technical and ethical performance metrics, mapping out Section 20 through Section 28:

   • Section 23 (Public Morals): Grants the network cancellation authority should the performer degrade themselves or involve themselves in public scandal or ridicule.

   • Section 24 (Physical Disfigurement): Details operational adjustments should the performer experience physical changes detracting from their on-screen appearance.

Collector's Archival Condition

Dating back nearly seventy years to the peak era of 1950s live studio dramas, this complete four-page union portfolio is in magnificent, museum-quality vintage condition. The original premium bond paper stock sheets remain exceptionally clean, crisp, and structurally flawless, showcasing pristine edges, sharp borders, and completely legible typescript across all panels.

Larry Hagman's elegant blue ink signature and his handwritten telephone digits are beautifully preserved on the front page with absolute clarity, providing spectacular visual contrast for high-end gallery display. To maintain complete data privacy compliance, the social security number block located below his telephone exchange field has been safely, neatly, and completely blacked out. This incredibly rare piece of television heritage comes safely protected within archival-grade storage sleeves to ensure permanent preservation.

Disclaimer

Please be advised that the financial figures, text fields, character roles, historical 1957 calendar dates, and structural descriptions provided map directly to the exact physical four-page vintage entertainment contract sheets and verified ink handwritings preserved within this archive portfolio. As an authentic, hand-signed biographical collection from an entertainment colossus whose legendary career permanently redefined the reach of American primetime serial television, the precise character of the pen strokes, the aging of the 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 Television History Today!

While common modern reproduction prints, vintage promotional photographs, or generic commercial trading cards can be found anywhere in the open marketplace, a complete, fully executed four-page network performance contract from Larry Hagman’s foundational career timeline represents the absolute zenith of premium entertainment heritage collecting. Because elite live talent and corporate studio covenants require legally binding signatures from the principal entertainer to clear public presentation rights, authorize financial payouts, and validate specific billing ranks, they offer a completely un-staged, official confirmation of a future television giant's private daily footprint and real-world work ethic inside the live NBC studios. Directly tracking to his individual identity alongside Martin Begley, the Goodyear Playhouse history, and a flawlessly preserved ink signature profile, this certified multi-page archive is a premier crown-jewel centerpiece for any world-class collection of fine art artifacts, classic television history, or rare retrieval-grade Americana manuscripts.