A deal-point sheet is not a script, poster, or prop. It is where a production begins to take shape in practical terms: money, credit, participation, negotiation, and the private arithmetic behind a finished film.
This framed handwritten sheet attributed to Jerry Weintraub outlines terms relating to Paul Sorvino’s participation in Cruising, the 1980 United Artists film directed by William Friedkin. Dense with figures, revisions, circled notes, and working shorthand, it preserves the texture of a producer’s process before terms were formalized in contracts. The relationship between these proposed terms and Sorvino’s final contractual arrangement remains unknown.
Julien’s Auctions offered the sheet as part of material from the estate of producer Jerry Weintraub. Its authorship is attributed to Weintraub on that basis; J. Paul has not conducted an independent handwriting authentication.
Cruising became one of the most debated American films of its era. Its production and release generated protest, controversy, censorship disputes, and lasting discussion about representation, urban culture, and the film’s depiction of New York’s leather-bar scene.
The object is not fan memorabilia in the usual sense. It is a working business document from the machinery behind a film that became a cultural flashpoint.
Date: c. 1979–1980; the sheet itself is undated
Origin: United States; United Artists / Jerry Weintraub production
Attributed to: Jerry Weintraub, based on its inclusion in the Weintraub estate material offered by Julien’s Auctions; the handwriting has not been independently authenticated.
Subject: Paul Sorvino’s participation in Cruising
Material: Handwritten ink on paper, framed
Dimensions: Visible paper 8.5 × 11 in.; frame 15.5 × 12 in.
Provenance: Estate of Jerry Weintraub; offered by Julien’s Auctions in May 2026 as Lot 204 and acquired there by the dealer.
Condition: Presented in a later black frame and not examined out of frame. The sheet appears flat and is not folded. No tears, losses, or other damage are visible through the glazing.
The handwritten deal-point notes are written on the reverse of what appears to be a studio or production-related form. Because the sheet has not been removed from the frame, the full edges, mounting method, and any portions concealed by the frame or mat have not been inspected.
Please review all photographs closely. Additional photographs are available upon request.
A deal-point sheet is not a script, poster, or prop. It is where a production begins to take shape in practical terms: money, credit, participation, negotiation, and the private arithmetic behind a finished film.
This framed handwritten sheet attributed to Jerry Weintraub outlines terms relating to Paul Sorvino’s participation in Cruising, the 1980 United Artists film directed by William Friedkin. Dense with figures, revisions, circled notes, and working shorthand, it preserves the texture of a producer’s process before terms were formalized in contracts. The relationship between these proposed terms and Sorvino’s final contractual arrangement remains unknown.
Julien’s Auctions offered the sheet as part of material from the estate of producer Jerry Weintraub. Its authorship is attributed to Weintraub on that basis; J. Paul has not conducted an independent handwriting authentication.
Cruising became one of the most debated American films of its era. Its production and release generated protest, controversy, censorship disputes, and lasting discussion about representation, urban culture, and the film’s depiction of New York’s leather-bar scene.
The object is not fan memorabilia in the usual sense. It is a working business document from the machinery behind a film that became a cultural flashpoint.
Date: c. 1979–1980; the sheet itself is undated
Origin: United States; United Artists / Jerry Weintraub production
Attributed to: Jerry Weintraub, based on its inclusion in the Weintraub estate material offered by Julien’s Auctions; the handwriting has not been independently authenticated.
Subject: Paul Sorvino’s participation in Cruising
Material: Handwritten ink on paper, framed
Dimensions: Visible paper 8.5 × 11 in.; frame 15.5 × 12 in.
Provenance: Estate of Jerry Weintraub; offered by Julien’s Auctions in May 2026 as Lot 204 and acquired there by the dealer.
Condition: Presented in a later black frame and not examined out of frame. The sheet appears flat and is not folded. No tears, losses, or other damage are visible through the glazing.
The handwritten deal-point notes are written on the reverse of what appears to be a studio or production-related form. Because the sheet has not been removed from the frame, the full edges, mounting method, and any portions concealed by the frame or mat have not been inspected.
Please review all photographs closely. Additional photographs are available upon request.
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