20117

The last few years have seen a dramatic upswing in sign The last few years have seen a dramatic upsw

Currency:USD Category:Memorabilia / Autographs - Original Start Price:24,000.00 USD Estimated At:35,000.00 - 52,500.00 USD
The last few years have seen a dramatic upswing in sign The last few years have seen a dramatic upsw
<B>Descriptions of the Scanned Items (HeritageGalleries.com).</B></I><BR> <I>Joan Crawford Letters</B></I><BR> A loyal and faithful correspondent to friends and fans all over the world, this group of letters shows the graciousness and thoughtfulness shown to one particular British lady named "May" through the years. Miss Crawford writes candidly about her acting career, duties as a Director/spokeswoman for Pepsi-Cola and personal life (including the death of her beloved husband, Alfred Steele). She is always quick to compliment May and offer helpful advice. These letters show a side of this legendary actress not often seen by the public and quite the opposite of the "Mommie Dearest" persona so often thought of. Letters to others also included in this group- more than thirty total.<BR><BR> <I>Arthur Godfrey Letter to Joan Crawford</B></I><BR> Showing the famous and feisty Godfrey wit, this letter is in answer to Joan's inquiries into his avocation as a horse breeder. He explains that he raises Quarter Horses but has a couple of Palomino-colored American Saddles Bred stallions to use in his dressage exhibitions. Regarding his breeding of these two horses he writes: "...aside from a little surreptitious masturbation occasionally, these two Palomino characters have even less sex life than Jimmy Durante and I..." A great letter from this one-of-a-kind American comedian and actor.<BR><BR> <I>Janis Joplin Handwritten Letter to Her Fiancé</B></I><BR> The year 1965 was pretty much the last "normal" period of Joplin's short and tragic life. She was living with her parents in her hometown of Port Arthur, Texas and attending school at Lamar Tech. Her fiancé, Peter de Blanc, was in New York and she obviously wrote him often as this letter is numbered "40" on the envelope. It contains nearly five full pages of Joplin writing about home, school, fashion, and life in general. Quoting from the letter (in part): "I just wrote you last night about 12 hrs. ago, so there's nothing really new... I get the distinct impression that you're all down & out behind all your problems. Well, all right! Damn, I know you've got problems... Just cool yourself, remember who you are & how groovy everything is & stop sulking! Jeez... Ah for the good old days of limp madras! Sigh, I'm such an old-timer... In English now, I made a 95! on my history test but I'll be damned if I'll send it to you! We're studying Byron. He was pretty f***ed up too... Home now- eating a chicken salad sandwich & a piece of grape (?) pie..." An absolutely fascinating piece of Janis' heart. Never published to the best of our knowledge.<BR><BR> <I>Mickey Rooney Contract</B></I><BR> In 1938 Mickey Rooney (also known as Joe Yule Jr.) was still a minor and under the guardianship of his mother, Nell Pankey. Here is a twelve-page legal-sized contract dated September 3, 1938 where Pankey agrees to purchase a house from George E. Barrett apparently using young Mickey's income as a guarantee. It is signed on the last page by a young Rooney who was to be, for the next three years, the number one box office actor in the United States.<BR><BR> <I>George Cukor Letter to Joan Crawford</B></I><BR> A truly legendary film director, Cukor was nominated for the "Best Director" Oscar five times before winning in 1965 for "My Fair Lady." He was known for bringing out memorable performances from some of the finest actresses of all time including Katharine Hepburn, Greta Garbo, Audrey Hepburn, Judy Garland and, of course, Joan Crawford. This two-page typewritten letter has numerous annotations by him in blue ink and is signed "George." The content is incredible, speaking mostly on the subject of censorship and vulgarity in films through the years. He writes to his old friend in 1973 (in part): "...Do you remember all the nonsense we had to go through - timing a kiss with a stop-watch - checking your décolletage within sixteenth of an inch - and what about when a husband and wife were in a nuptial bed, one of them had to have their feet planted on the floor!... Louis B. Mayer wasn't particularly nice to me. He put up with me, I suppose, because I was under contr