In Need of Experts, Part One

Beverly Hills, February 15, 1924



Dear Ms. Mackenzie

I have not had the pleasure of meeting you in person, yet, I had the pleasure of meeting your late father some years ago, and he spoke very warmly of your academic prowess. I will proceed to introduce myself: I am a film producer, and I have been working in this field for just about a decade. As you are well aware of, the current fad for all things Egyptian has been well spread, and I am planning on producing a frightful and shocking film about a dead priestess brought back to life in pursuit of long-lost love. The film will star William Gerrymor, Rita Zann, and Reginald van Buren, names who you might be acquainted with. The film will be directed by Gerhard Besser.

I have some truly excellent actors, a great director and a fantastic script to use, but I want the audience to truly experience the spirit of ancient Egypt through the silver screen. My films aspire to perfection, and that is why I am reaching out to you. I am most aware of you and some of your friends and colleagues being very knowledgeable about Egyptian history, a field that I am decidedly less qualified to engage in. My previous films, for example Vanity Fair and Three Wise Fools, have been praised by the press for their authenticity, and I am committed to following this path. I would therefore like to ask you and colleagues to advise myself and the director, Mr. Besser, so that we may complete the film in a way that will provide alluring, yet authentic.

The film is to be shot in Hollywood, which is in Los Angeles, California. I will provide you with a suitable salary as well as compensation pertaining to travel and accomodations. Please do let me know if this seems amenable to you at your earliest convenience.

Most sincerely

Samuel Goldwyn

Samuel Goldwyn. He has recently formed the production company Samuel Goldwyn Productions, and the first film released was Potash and Perlmutter, a comedy based on a Broadway play. The film premiered in September 1923. The Curse of the Mummy will premiere in the summer of 1924. It is based on the short story Cagliostro. The film will be shot both in a Hollywood studio and in the Nevada desert.

Reginald van Buren plays Felix Temple, a young Egyptologist, as well as Prince Akhenaten

Rita Zann plays Aaliyah Bey and Priestess Ankh-su-namon

William Gerrymor plays Professor James Applebee

The director, Gerhard Besser, one of the rising stars of Hollywood.

The Plot of The Curse of the Mummy:

 In 1911, an archaeological expedition led by Sir Arthur Temple (Keith Shelley) finds the mummy of an ancient Egyptian priestess named Ankh-su-namon (Zann). An inspection of the mummy by Temple's friend and advisor Dr. Schaffhausen (Reginald de Vries) reveals that the viscera were not removed, and from the signs of struggling Schaffhausen deduces that although Ankh-su-namon had been wrapped like a traditional mummy, she had been buried alive. Also buried with Ankh-su-namon is a casket with a curse on it. Despite Schaffhausen's warning, Sir Arthur's assistant Brian Nunn (Charles Bernard) opens it. He reads aloud an ancient life-giving scroll, the "Scroll of Thoth". Ankh-su-namon rises, the sight of which snaps Nunn’s mind and causes him to laugh hysterically, as the Mummy shuffles off with the scroll.

Ten years later, Ankh-su-namon is masquerading as a modern Egyptian woman named Aaliyah Bey covering herself with makeup. She calls upon Sir Arthur's son Felix (Van Buren) and Professor Applebee (Gerrymor) and shows them where to dig to find the tomb of the prince Akhenaten. After locating the tomb, the archaeologists present its treasures to the Cairo Museum and thank Aaliyah Bey for making their discovery possible. It is further revealed that Ankh-su-namon's horrific death was punishment for sacrilege: attempting to resurrect her forbidden lover, Prince Akhenaten.

Ankh-su-namon has realized that Felix Temple bears a striking resemblance to the prince. Believing him to be Akhenaten's reincarnation, she attempts to kill him, with the intention of mummifying him, resurrecting him, and finally making him her immortal love. Felix is rescued when he remembers his ancestral past life and prays to the god Ra to come to his aid. The statue of Ra raises its arm and emits a flash that sets the Scroll of Thoth on fire. This breaks the spell that had given Ankh-su-namon her immortality, causing her to crumble to dust. At the urging of Dr. Schaffhausen, Professor Applebee calls Felix back to the world of the living while the Scroll of Thoth continues to burn.