Fitzgerald needed the money and gambled on a part-payment deal: $3,500 upon completion of the screenplay against $12,000 if it was accepted. He thought he could complete the job in three weeks, but he and Zelda were in Hollywood from early January to mid-March 1927. It was a time of considerable partying, for Fitzgerald does not seem to have taken the assignment very seriously. “Lipstick,” the screenplay he submitted, was rejected by Considine in April. Harold Ober, Fitzgerald’s literary agent, made a memo on the deal which includes this information: “He says he got into a row with Constance Talmadge for whom the story was written and he thinks this is the reason they didn’t want to do it.” (As Ever, Scott Fitz—, pp. 95-96.) The rights to “Lipstick” reverted to Fitzgerald; and Ober tried to sell it to another studio, offering it to B. P. Schulberg of Famous Players for Bebe Daniels. There were no takers. Fitzgerald considered revising the screenplay into a story for College Humor before abandoning it.

Lipstick survives in a forty-five page typescript at the Princeton University Library. The typist seems to have been a beginner who shared Fitzgerald’s orthographical innocence; spelling, punctua­tion, and presumed typing errors have been emended in the text printed here. Textual cruces are noted, but no words have been added.
M.J.B.

Fitzgerald saved these telegrams from Considine, which are now with the Fitzgerald Papers at the Princeton University Library.

1926 DEC 30 AM 12 34 F SCOTT FITZGERALD, CARE SCRIBNERS. 597 FIFTH AVE NEWYORK NY.
AM STILL INTERESTED IN GETTING FINE MODERN COLLEGE STORY FOR CONSTANCE TALMADGE AND WOULD LIKE TO HAVE YOU WORK ON STORY WITH ME IN LOSANGELES STOP IN ORDER TO FAMILIAR­IZE YOURSELF WITH SCREEN PERSONALITY OF MISS TALMADGE WOULD LIKE YOU TO SEE FOLLOWING PICTURES QUOTE HER NIGHT OF ROMANCE UNQUOTE QUOTE SISTER FROM PARIS UN­QUOTE QUOTE DUCHESS OF BUFFALO UNQUOTE STOP PLEASE SEE MR ARTHUR KELLY AT UNITED ARTISTS CORPORATION SEVEN TWENTY NINE SEVENTH AVENUE NEWYORK WHO WILL ARRANGE FOR THESE PICTURES TO BE RUN FOR YOU UNLESS YOU HAVE ALREADY SEEN THEM STOP PLEASE NIGHT LETTER ME COLLECT WHAT YOU HAVE IN MIND AS FAIR REMUNERATION BASIS STOP WOULD PREFER TO PAY YOU MODERATE AMOUNT IN FORM OF DRAWING ACCOUNT WHILE YOU WORK ON TREATMENT WITH LARGEST PROPORTION OF TOTAL AMOUNT TO BE PAID UPON MY ACCEPTANCE OF STORY STOP AM FAMILIAR WITH YOU CAREER AND WORK IN FACT BELIEVE I WAS AT YALE WHILE YOU WERE AT PRINCE­TON THEREFORE IT OUGHT TO BE EASY FOR US TO UNDERSTNAD ONE ANOTHER AND WORK WELL TOGETHER BEST WISHES.
JOHN W CONSIDINE JR.

1927 JAN 3 PM 4 23 F SCOTT FITZGERALD CARE JUDGE SAYRE 6 PLEASANT AVE MONTGOMERY ALA
OFFER YOU THIRTY FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS AS GUARANTEED DRAWING ACCOUNT WHILE YOU PREPARE TREATMENT OF ORIGI­NAL STORY STOP IF TREATMENT SATISFACTORY TO US AND WE ACCEPT SAME YOU AGREE TO MAKE WHATEVER CHANGES WE REQUIRE AND WE AGREE TO PAY YOU SIXTY FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS UPON FINAL ACCEPTANCE OF STORY STOP HOPE THESE TERMS WILL PROVE SATISFACTORY TO YOU AS I FEEL VERY SURE YOU WILL ENJOY WORKING WITH OUR ORGANIZATION BEST WISHES
JOHN W CONSIDINE JR.

1927 JAN 4 PM3 55 F SCOTT FITZGERALD CARE JUDGE SAYRE 6 PLEASANT AVE MONTGOMERY ALA
IF YOU WILL ACCEPT THIRTY FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS AS GUARAN­TEED DRAWING ACCOUNT WHILE YOU PREPARE TREATMENT OF ORIGINAL STORY AND IF TREATMENT MEETS WITH OUR SATIS­FACTION AND WE ACCEPT SAME AND YOU AGREE TO MAKE WHAT­EVER CHANGES WE REQUIRE WE WILL PAY YOU EIGHTY FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS UPON FINAL ACCEPTANCE OF STORY MAKING TWELVE THOUSAND TO YOU BEST WISHES
JOHN W CONSIDINE JR.

ARP 23 1927 SCOTT GITZGERALD HOTEL DUPONT WILMI GTON DEL
DEAR SCOTT VERY SORRY TO HAVE NEGLECTED YOU SO LONG STOP WE HAVE DECIDED NOT TO PRODUCE A PICTURE BASED ON YOUR STORY STOP EVERYONE THINKS THE BEGINNING OR PREMISE CONTAINS EXCEPTIONALLY FINE MATERIAL BUT THAT REST OF STORY IS WEAK STOP IF YOU GET SUFFICIENT MONDAY OUT OF STORY WILL EXPECT YOU TO PAY BACK WHAT YOU HAVE DRAWN ON OTHER HAND IF YOU ARE NOT SUCCESSFUL IN DISPOSING OF STORY WE WILL CALL MATTER CLOSED STOP SUGGEST YOU SUBMIT STORY TO B P SCHULBERG ASSOCIATE PRODUCER FAMOUS PLAYERS LASKY CORPORATION LOSANGELES AND ASK HIM TO CONSIDER SAME FOR BEBE DANIELS STOP BELIEVE IT INADVISABLE FOR YOU TO MENTION MY NAME IN THIS CONNECTION BEST REGARDS
JOHN W CONSIDINE JR 405P