{"value"=>"<p>Series II holds contracts between the American Play Company or related individuals (Elisabeth Marbury, John Rumsey) and various properties and rights holders. The American Play Company often filed properties by their title rather than by author or rights holder due to complicated rights situations. For example, an individual property may have a book writer, lyricist, and composer who would all receive royalty payments, as well as an initially involved producer, such as the Shubert family, who would receive compensation as well. In some cases, the rights holder has inherited the rights (such as the child of an author) and the property is also listed by title to avoid confusion. When individual rights holders are listed, it is often because they have an individual multi-play agreement with the American Play Company. Files contain contracts, correspondence related to contract issues, and receipts of payment. In some cases, the contract itself is missing and files note that it was returned to a rights holder. Some contracts were originally ordered by contract number, and these numbers are retained on the folder where available.</p> <p>Items of interest include Frances Hodgson Burnette's contract for <span class=\"title\">Pretty Sister of Jose</span>, which was sold to the Famous Players Motion Picture company, and then sold again to Universal. American Play Company acted as the middle man in both these transactions. These files also hold Guy Bolton and Cole Porter's agreements for <span class=\"title\">Anything Goes</span> licensing and P.G. Wodehouse's contracts to write the <span class=\"title\">Century Theatre Musical Attraction.</span> Alphabetical by title or rights-holder.</p>"}