LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 May Marketplace Auction #87051  / 

90277

4 Signatures of Literary and Radio Interest

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:25.00 USD Estimated At:100.00 - 125.00 USD
4 Signatures of Literary and Radio Interest
<B>Lot of Four Signatures of Literary and Radio Interest,</B></I> including: <B>Sinclair Lewis</B></I> (1885-1951) was an American novelist and playwright. In 1930 he became the first American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, "for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humour, new types of characters". His works are known for their insightful and critical views of American society and capitalist values. His style is at times droll, satirical, yet sympathetic. He began his writing career by producing romantic poetry, then followed with romantic stories about knights and fair ladies. Lewis's first published book appeared in 1912 under the pseudonym Tom Graham. By 1921 he had six novels published. Lewis was known for giving strong characterization to modern working women and for his concern with race. Some of his most famous books were <I>Main Street</B></I> and <I>Babbitt.</B></I> He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1926 - which he rejected - for <I>Arrowsmith,</B></I> a novel about an idealistic doctor. <I>Elmer Gantry</B></I> was the story of an opportunistic evangelist, if not an outright charlatan; it was banned in Boston and other U.S. cities; <I>Main Street, Babbitt, Kingsblood Royal,</B></I> and <I>Cass Timberlane</B></I> all were banned in their turn. Alcohol played a dominant role in his life; he died of advanced alcoholism in Rome; <B>Gene Fowler</B></I> (1890-1960) was an American journalist, author and dramatist. After a year at the University of Colorado, he took a job with <I>The Denver Post.</B></I> His assignments included an interview with frontiersman and Wild West Show promoter Buffalo Bill Cody. He established his trademark impertinence by questioning Cody about his many love affairs. Subsequently, Fowler worked for the <I>New York Daily Mirror,</B></I> and then became newspaper syndication manager for King Features. His later work included over a dozen screenplays, mostly written in the 1930s, and a number of books including biographies and memoirs. During his years in Hollywood, Fowler became close to such celebrities as John Barrymore and W.C. Fields. (Fields, whose animus toward children is legendary, claimed that Gene Fowler's sons were the only children he could stand.) Fowler wrote a biography of Barrymore, <I>Good Night, Sweet Prince</B></I> (1944); <B>Gabriel Heatter</B></I> (1890-1972) was an American radio commentator whose World War II-era sign-on ("There's good news tonight") became both his catchphrase and his caricature. He also gave the self-help group Alcoholics Anonymous its first national exposure with a 1939 broadcast, and earned an unusual reputation---even in a less media-driven and cynical time---for morale boosting during some of the nation's most arduous days. Few if any broadcast newsmen, in any era, have ever received such a fan letter as this: "Thank God for Gabriel Heatter, who makes it possible for us to sleep at night."; <B>H. V. Kaltenborn</B></I> (1878-1965) was an American radio commentator. He was heard regularly on the radio for over 30 years, beginning with CBS in 1928. He was known for his highly precise diction, his ability to ad lib and his depth of knowledge of world affairs. Kaltenborn, who became a CBS Radio Network analyst in 1936, was known as a commentator who never read from a script. His "talks" were extemporaneous, created from notes he had previously written. He broadcast twice a week and paid his own travel expenses in Europe; most of his income came from American lectures. His analysis was welcomed into homes especially during World War II and the time leading up to America's entry into it. He had an international reputation and was able to speak intelligently about events because he had interviewed many of those involved. From the contacts he developed in his travels and his ability to speak fluent German and French, Kaltenborn seemed chosen for the role he developed at CBS. During the Munich crisis in September 1938, much of what listeners heard was Kaltenborn speaking without scripts even after sometimes having been up for most of a night covering the breaking news. Some claimed that when Kaltenborn was awakened during the Munich vigil, one merely had to utter "Munich" and Kaltenborn could talk for hours on the subject. Kaltenborn virtually lived at CBS's New York headquarters during the crisis, resting on a cot in Studio 9 during the rare times he was not broadcasting. Kaltenborn had very specific views about radio's role in presenting the news. Later in life he wrote on the subject through many of his books. All on cards, mounted on stiff card stock with a brief biographical sketch. Very fine.<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Flat Material, Small (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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