 In the early 1940s , Salinger had confided in a letter to Whit Burnett that he was eager to sell the film rights to some of his stories in order to achieve financial security . According to Ian Hamilton , Salinger was disappointed when " rumblings from Hollywood " over his 1943 short story " The Varioni Brothers " came to nothing . Therefore , he immediately agreed when , in mid @-@ 1948 , independent film producer Samuel Goldwyn offered to buy the film rights to his short story " Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut " . Though Salinger sold his story with the hope — in the words of his agent Dorothy Olding — that it " would make a good movie " , the film version of " Wiggily " was lambasted by critics upon its release in 1949 . Renamed My Foolish Heart and starring Dana Andrews and Susan Hayward , the melodramatic film departed to such an extent from Salinger 's story that Goldwyn biographer A. Scott Berg referred to it as a " bastardization " . As a result of this experience , Salinger never again permitted film adaptations to be made from his work . When Brigitte Bardot wanted to buy the rights to " A Perfect Day for Bananafish " , Salinger refused the request , but told his friend , Lillian Ross , longtime staff writer for The New Yorker , " She 's a cute , talented , lost enfante , and I 'm tempted to accommodate her , pour le sport . " 
