Lovely original doubleweight photograph of the great Pavlova looking impossibly elegant in her ballet, "Christmas." From the collection of ballerina Joan Van Wart (1900-1987) who toured with Anna Pavlova and her company, collected Pavlovaiana assiduously, and who loaned her collection to the Victoria & Albert Museum for their 1956 Pavlova Commemorative Exhibition. Notes, cropping marks, and Van Wart's initials on the verso; overall in fine condition. 7 x 9.25 inches (17.7 x 23.5 cm).
Moscow: Ediciones en Lenguas Extranjeras. [1954]. Signed book from the the legendary Bolshoi star, considered one of the greatest ballerinas of the twentieth century. This Spanish edition of the Russian biography of Ulanova, with a long final section of photographs, has been signed on the title page by the ballerina. 32; 22 pp. Softcover, with dust jacket. Overall toning; shelf wear and a few scratches to jacket; overall in very good condition. 6.5 x 8.5 inches (16.5 x 21.7 cm).
Original visitor's book from the manager's office of the London Hippodrome, containing several hundred mostly theatrical autographs dating from ca. 1924-1940. The most remarkable inscription in the volume is from the great silent film star Charlie Chaplin, who signs his autograph signature with a charming self-caricature in summer 1932. The verso of that page is signed by the great comedian Stan Laurel (dated August 1932) and the singer and actor Geoffrey Gwyther, with a short autograph musical quotation. Read More...
Los Angeles: Charlie Chaplin Music Publishing Co.. 1916. Scarce original sheet music for an original song by the great comedian and actor, who was also the composer of a number of musical works, including many of his own film scores, and himself a competent cellist. Clearly he knew that the cello is the most romantic of instruments, playing as it does a "fascinating mating Love refrain"! Chaplin can be seen on the cover playing his cello backwards, with the bow in his left hand. The back cover advertises another song by Chaplin, "There's always one you can't forget." 5 pp. Fading and wear to the cover, some slight chips and creases, but overall in very good condition. 10.75 x 13.75 inches (27.2 x 35.2 cm).
New York: T. B. Harms. 1928. Vocal score to the beloved 1927 musical Show Boat, inscribed on the title page by both Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern to the film producer, writer and MGM editor Samuel Marx, and with a TLS from Edna Ferber (author of the 1926 novel on which the musical was based) to Marx mounted on the opposite page. The authors have penned two tongue-in-cheek inscriptions: "There are at least 17 errors in this 1st issue, so my friend Samuel Marx owns a bibliographical prize if not a musical one, Jerome Kern" and "Sam Marx always plays the score with at least forty seven errors! Oscar Hammerstein." Ferber's letter, dated November 23, 1938, reads: "Lovely lavish red roses, dear Sam. It was sweet of you to send them. I was sorry you couldn’t come in for dinner last week. It was sort of fun. Good talk, too." Hardcover, leather bound with gold stamping. Small tears along gutter to a couple of early pages, otherwise in fine condition. 268 pp. 8.75 x 11.25 inches. Read More...
Signed color magazine photograph of the great actress, shown giving a piggyback ride to a young boy as part of her role as a UNICEF ambassador. She has signed and inscribed the picture at the upper right. 8 x 10 inches. Fine.
Souvenir program from the 1976 play A Matter of Gravity, signed and inscribed on the title page by its star, the great American actress and Academy Award winner. The program includes 15 pages of pictures from the highlights of Hepburn's career on stage and screen, as well as a full page of quotations with a reproduction caricature of her character drawn by the actress, titled "Kate on Kate." 24 pp. Very slight wear to the edges of the cover; the former owner's name and address are written inside the front cover; overall in very fine condition. 8.25 x 10.75 inches (21 x 27.4 cm).
Large signed original doubleweight photograph of the important English stage designer at work on the 1951 production of Romeo and Juliet, signed and inscribed to actor Douglass Watson at the lower right "To Dear Doug / The Perfect Romeo / Oliver." Silver gelatin print. Some light ink stains mostly along the left and lower edge, medium contrast to the signature, else fine. 11 x 14 inches. Read More...
A page of pencil sketches, apparently drawn by Mostel, signed in ink "Zero Mostel" within 2 parts of the drawing, accomplished in 1946 around the time of his appearance in Duke Ellington's "Beggar's Holiday" (obtained by Glenn Cross while working on this production). 8 x 10 inches, various creases, upper edge mounted to a rigid sheet. Unusual.
Original signed contract between the important film composer and United Artists, for the 1935 film Splendor. The document, dated November 13, 1935, details the 13 pieces of music in the film, 7 original compositions by Newman with J. H. Wood, and 2 by Lew Brown and Harold Arlen. Newman has signed in pen at the head. 2 pp. on 2 sheets of blue carbon paper with one horizontal crease and staple and paperclip marks, but overall in fine condition. 8.5 x 13 inches (21.3 x 32.8 cm). Read More...
New York: Stein and Day. 1984. Signed copy of the influential American actor and filmmaker's biography. Nicholson has signed boldly on the title page. 195 pp. Hardcover, quarter cloth, with dust jacket; in very fine condition. 5.5 x 8.5 inches (14 x 21.5 cm).
From the flap text: "This highly unauthorized biography of a magnetic star fills a gap that vividly pictures a changing Hollywood, while chronicling the development of a fascinating man whom one director has called 'the most intelligent of actors.' "
A striking and sexy signed doubleweight matte photograph of the two-time Golden Globe Award-winning American actress, best known for her performance in the classic 1958 film Vertigo. Novak has signed and inscribed boldly in blue pen at the left. In very fine condition. 7.75 x 9.5 inches (19.8 x 24.5 cm).
New York: Williamson Music, Inc. . 1949. First edition. 172 p., 31 cm. [PN] 757. First hardcover edition of the vocal score, inscribed by the lyricist and composer, director and producer and three of the principal stars in the original Majestic Theatre production of 1949. The title page boldly signed and inscribed, "To the Johnsons, Mary Martin" and additionally signed and/or inscribed by: Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Joshua Logan, Leland Hayward, Ezio Pinza and Myron McCormick. Original full blue cloth, rebacked, toned and with significant areas of staining to boards; new endpapers; title page backed, with slight show-through from a now obscured child inscription on the verso; preliminaries and a few other pages with erased markings, else fine. Fuld p. 511. Read More...
Large signed photograph of the legendary stage and screen actor, cowboy, humorist, newspaper columnist, and social commentator. Rogers is shown in three-quarter-length in a casual pose with his hands in his pockets, and has signed and inscribed at the left. Photographed by White of New York and stamped at the lower right and on the verso. Some fading and toning, poor contrast to part the inscription, and small wrinkles tears to the edges, with one significant tear upper right repaired from the verso. 9.5 x 13.5 inches. Read More...
Hand-painted Japanese handscroll, ca. 1880s, with images of Noh theatrical masks, musical instruments, costumes, and actors. The beautifully crafted scroll is constructed around a glass spool, of several layers of handmade paper, with an outer layer of patterned gold silk and a purple ribbon and bone fastening. Upon opening the scroll, twenty-five individually mounted pictures are revealed one by one, each approx. 10.5 inches (26.5 cm) wide. The images include 9 of Noh masks, 3 of beautifully colored drums, 3 of theater props, 2 of hats, and 8 of actors in costume and masks, many with captions in Japanese characters. The masks and musical instruments are hand-colored, while the drawings of actors are in ink, with occasional small accents of color. In the original wooden box with lid, with calligraphy on the lid and end, and a green ribbon fastening. An interesting scroll commemorating the rich tradition of the Noh theater, which dates back to the 14th century. Read More...
Large vintage original photograph, signed and inscribed. Minor nicks and creases to edges, paper a little rippled, else fine. 9.5 x 11.5 inches. Read More...
An amusing original caricature drawing of the popular vaudeville duo Weber and Fields by the English writer, artist and actor Weedon Grossmith, signed and inscribed to Weber and Fields by Grossmith at the foot, and additionally signed and inscribed by Weber and Fields to Siegfried H. Kahn at the head. Grossmith has drawn the comedy duo as a pair of opposites, one short and fat, the other tall and thin; he inscribes the drawing with "thanks for a very enjoyable afternoon. Excuse bad drawing." Drawn on a bifolium of lined notepaper; overall toning except for a narrow border around the drawing, with some small tears and wear. Overall in very good condition. 5.25 x 8.5 inches (13.5 x 21.4 cm). Read More...
An amusing original World-War-I-era printed caricature of the popular vaudeville duo Weber and Fields, signed by both of the performers and inscribed to Siegfried H. Kahn. Referring to the German invasion of Belgium in 1914, the drawing shows one of the duo as a portly Belgian peasant, while the other, as Kaiser Wilhelm, hovers over him threateningly. The caption reads: "Mike, how I lofe you! Und nobody regrets this more than I do!" Mounted on cardboard; folding creases, some wear to the edges, but overall in very good condition. 5.25 x 6 inches (13.4 x 15 cm). Read More...
An interesting small archive of 1940's-50's letters to theatre and television critic Gordon Allison from several important figures in the entertainment world, including TV host Ed Sullivan, actors Orson Bean and Jean Dixon, actor and producer Jack Webb, and nightclub owner (and father of Barbara Walters) Lou Walters. Responding to Allison's interviews and feature pieces, the letters mostly express thanks to Allison: Sullivan writes in 1953 that "That damned nice piece made our 5th Anniversary an unforgettable experience," while Jack Webb writes about the premiere of "Dragnet" in 1952 that "The space you devoted to our television premiere was certainly appreciated. We hope, in the event that you saw it, it lived up to your expectations." Among three letters from Lou Walters is an eloquent two-page missive responding to a piece on Walters' club, the Latin Quarter, and defending his style of entertainment and his clients: "I cater to all kinds of people - I put on all kinds of shows. People often say 'We are tired of seeing the same sorts of things. Isn't there anything new, anything odd?' - so I go to Europe, travel the highways - and sometimes the byways - of the theatre and nightclubdom in an effort to find new things..." Read More...
223.
[Literature & Art]
Beardsley, Aubrey. (1872–1898). Three Stylized Leaves - Ornamental Device for "Le Morte d'Arthur"
An original ornamental device designed by the English illustrator and author as part of his first major work, illustrations for the collection of Arthurian tales, Le Morte d'Arthur (London: Dent, 1893-1894). The illustration, depicting three acanthus leaves, was intended for Book II, chapter VI, p. 59 of the publication, with the acanthus leaves signifying the fine arts and artifice. Pen and ink on paper. 1.75 x 1.5 inches (4.5 x 4.3 cm), inlaid to size on a 9.75 x 7.5 inch sheet with hand-drawn borders. Written on the verso in pencil: "315[with strike-through]/320." Read More...