How can I find out who owns the rights to a published story?

Question

I am interested in writing a play based on a short story published about 50 years ago and which has twice been made into a movie, but I don't know how to find out who currently has the rights in order to seek permission to stage a production.

Answer 1

Locate the most recently published copy of that short story. There will be a copyright notation in the front of the book. To actually locate the person named, write to the publisher of that edition. They will put you in contact with the copyright holder or his heirs.

Answer 2

Refer to the Writer's Guild of America. They have all the records on movie scripts.