Actors & Actresses from the 1920s Autographed Photographs, Memorabilia & Collectibles | HistoryForSale (2024)

W. C. FIELDS - DOCUMENT SIGNED 11/11/1932 WITH CO-SIGNERS - HFSID: 276293

The legendary comedian and actor and two others sign a six-month agreement for the production and airing of radio broadcasts starring Fields.Typed DS: "W.C. Fields" as Party of the First Part on page 4 and intiialed: "W.C.F." three times on page 3 and once on page 4, 4p, 8½x13, separate sheets, bound together onto 9x13¾ blue legal sheet (imprinted "Stephen Monteleone/Attorney and Counsellor at Law/Petroleum Securities Building/Flower Street at Tenth/Los Angeles)". Los Angeles, California, 1932 November 11. This agreement, which is for a period of six months (November 11, 1932-May 11, 1933), states that Fields, who "possesses special, unique and unusual ability as an artist", Cleary, "skilled and experienced in arranging for the production of any such performances [by Fields] and the disposal of the same for use over the radio", and Towne, who "possesses unique ability in the presentation of original stories and plays to be used [by Fields] in broadcasting the same over the radio", agree to collaborate on radio performances. Fields is to be paid 60%, Cleary will receive 20% and Towne will be given 20% of net profits and royalties.

W. C. FIELDS - AUTOGRAPHED INSCRIBED PHOTOGRAPH 10/11/1928 - HFSID: 285843

11x14 sepia photo of Fields in the stage version of his skit, "The Caledonian Express," signed and inscribed to author and publisher Arthur Samuels. Field's inscription includes one of his famous lines from the stage and screen skit: "You'll ha to git oot/o' the compartment."Oversized Photograph inscribed and signed: "To My friend/Arthur -you'll ha to git oot/o' the compartment,/from his friend/Bill Fields/Oct 11 - 1928." Sepia, 11x14. Remarkable studio portrait inscribed to Arthur Samuels, who was involved with the publishing of "Ladies Home Journal" and authored Poppy. Half-view left profile by Hal Phype. Fields has quoted one of his lines from the Earl Carroll's Vanities sketch "The Caledonian Express" (1928), in which the legendary comedian played four Scottish characters trying to remove an uninvited guest from a train compartment. Fields repeated the skit in the film Follow the Boys (1945), but that time played the intruder. Samuels' Poppy made Fields a Broadway star in 1923, and he reprised the role in two film versions. Surface creases at upper right corner with fraying at that corner, else fine, handsome and rare.

WILLIAM F. "BUFFALO BILL" CODY - ANNOTATED ALBUM LEAF SIGNED 04/20/1899 WITH CO-SIGNERS - HFSID: 350584

Signatures of Cody, Longstreet and other prominent Chicagoans of the era, collected on both sides of a 6x4 sheet in 1899.Signatures on both sides of a 6x4 sheet: "W.F. Cody / 'Buffalo Bill'", "Nate Salsbury", "John M. Burke /'Arizona John'", and "Allison Nailor, Jr.". Dated in unknown hand at left: "April 20, 1899." On verso: "Yours Truly/James Longstreet/July 15 '99" and "Ferdinand W. Peck". Fine condition. Framed to an overall size of 40x20.William Frederick Cody earned the name "Buffalo Bill" for killing thousands of buffalo as a hired hunter in 1867 and 1868. Cody had begun his wild west career herding cattle at age nine. Five years later, he became the Pony Express' youngest rider. Throughout the Civil War, Cody worked as a government scout, extracting from life and the West all it had to offer. His western notoriety grew with his adventures, including those during the Sioux War, in which he purportedly fought a duel with Chief Yellow Hand. Cody's theatrical career was launched that same year with his re-enactments of such Indian battles. By 1883, he formed his first Wild West spectacle, becoming a master showman who toured internationally until 1903.

WILLIAM F. "BUFFALO BILL" CODY - ANNOTATED ALBUM LEAF SIGNED 04/20/1899 WITH CO-SIGNERS - HFSID: 350584

Signatures of Cody, Longstreet and other prominent Chicagoans of the era, collected on both sides of a 6x4 sheet in 1899.Signatures on both sides of a 6x4 sheet: "W.F. Cody / 'Buffalo Bill'", "Nate Salsbury", "John M. Burke /'Arizona John'", and "Allison Nailor, Jr.". Dated in unknown hand at left: "April 20, 1899." On verso: "Yours Truly/James Longstreet/July 15 '99" and "Ferdinand W. Peck". Fine condition. Framed to an overall size of 40x20.William Frederick Cody earned the name "Buffalo Bill" for killing thousands of buffalo as a hired hunter in 1867 and 1868. Cody had begun his wild west career herding cattle at age nine. Five years later, he became the Pony Express' youngest rider. Throughout the Civil War, Cody worked as a government scout, extracting from life and the West all it had to offer. His western notoriety grew with his adventures, including those during the Sioux War, in which he purportedly fought a duel with Chief Yellow Hand. Cody's theatrical career was launched that same year with his re-enactments of such Indian battles. By 1883, he formed his first Wild West spectacle, becoming a master showman who toured internationally until 1903.

W. C. FIELDS - MANUSCRIPT SIGNED - HFSID: 285867

Original Prohibition-era W.C. Fields comedy sketch.Manuscript Comedy Sketch titled and signed: "One of the six best Cellars/By/W.C. Fields", 13¼p, 6x8¼, separate sheets. No place, no date. The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution went into effect on January 16, 1920. As of that date, "the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited." Prohibition is the topic of this comedy sketch, One of the Six Best Cellars, which is written with a bit of satire. The phrase "six best cellars" was an expression first used in 1920 referring to the best hideaways where liquor was stored during Prohibition. The phrase was used in a "Los Angeles Herald" story on December 8, 1920 stating that actress Mabel Normand, known to be a heavy drinker, had one of the "six best cellars" of Prohibition liquor in the Hollywood film colony. Although not dated, this comedy sketch was likely written during the Prohibition era. In the early 1920s Fields wrote many comedy sketches while performing in New York's vaudeville, most notably in the Ziegfeld Follies.

W. C. FIELDS - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED - HFSID: 283831

Three-page autograph letter to his mistress Carlotta Monti, signed by Fields as "Continental Claude", calling Hitler "full of mierda" and confiding, "like the three monkeys I see nothing, know nothing, and won't drink anything 'cept Beer."Autograph Letter signed: "Continental Claude", 3 pages, 8½x11. Bel Air, Labor Day. To "Katrinka & Claudia". ["Katrinka" was Fields' pet name for Carlotta Monti.] In full: "I suppose you are wondering why you have not received your packard as yet. And telling your friends I am not a man of my word. Give me time and I can explain anything. Practically all nations will be in the war by the time this missive arrives. But you, unfortunately for yourself contended the whole world would be at war. It was then I accepted your wager 'I'll bet you the whole world will be at war by 1940. If not you give me a packard.' It was a bet made in all fairness. I forget what I was to receive had you lost. However all is fair in something or other and war. I will pay off if it becomes real serious. I firmly believe it will be of short duration, in which case you will receive a small packard. Hitler is full of 'mierda' [Spanish for "sh*t"] and the unfortunate part of it for him is it is mostly in his neck and he can taste it.…"

WILLIAM F. "BUFFALO BILL" CODY - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 4/7 - HFSID: 257558

Readying his TE Ranch and stating that his Wild West Show is "doing big".ALS: "Col" with "Cody" in text, 1p, 8¼x11¼. New York, no year April 7. With an original "Buffalo Bill's/Wild West" envelope addressed by Cody to: "Mattie & Eli Jer[?]/TE Ranch/Ishawood/Big Horn Co W[yoming]." Postmarked Owensboro, KY, May 10, 1901. In 1895, Cody began moving cattle to Wyoming. He received a large herd from his friend and hunting companion, Mike Russell. The herd wore the TE brand. Thus Cody named his ranch the TE Ranch. The TE was once rated at 4600 acres, but Cody added other ranches to it and the conglomerate was considered his Big Horn Basin Holdings. He was about 50 when he bought the TE and he considered it a haven from the world. To Mattie & Eli. In full: "The wild west show doing big. Now my dear good friends-the next two months you have got lots to do-hire plenty men-to get the crops in-plow lots of new ground-get in every acre you can-Make a good big garden-clean up all the deadwood in the timber pasturers (sic)-And plant grass seed among the trees-don't cut any green bushes or trees. Keep it for shelter-Make flower bed around house-Mrs Cody coming in July. She likes flowers. Keep things going fast.…"

D.W. (DAVID LEWELYN WARK) GRIFFITH - DOCUMENT SIGNED 03/02/1936 WITH CO-SIGNERS - HFSID: 298724

Chastened by a messy divorce from his first wife, the famed director signs a prenuptial agreement with his bride to be, Evelyn Baldwin, who has also signed here.Document signed: "David Wark Griffith", "Evelyn Baldwin", 2 pages, 8½x13. No place, 1936 March 2. In anticipation of his pending marriage to Evelyn Baldwin, Griffith irrevocably transfers to her all rights to an annuity contract with the Aetna Life Insurance Company of Hartford, Connecticut, yielding annual income of $5,632.80 for the rest of her life. In exchange, Baldwin releases Griffith, along with his heirs and assigns, from any additional claims except for assets freely given to Baldwin by Griffith. The agreement is to become effective only on the consummation of the Griffith-Baldwin marriage. David Llewelyn Wark GRIFFITH (1875-1948) directed his first film in 1908, and in 1910 became the first to shoot a film in Hollywood. His Judith of Bethulia (1914) was among the first feature films, and the controversial Birth of a Nation (1915), became the first blockbuster movie hit, inspiring the movie industry that we have known since. Griffith co-founded United Artists studio with Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. Five of his movies are deemed important enough for preservation in the US Film Registry.

W. C. FIELDS - DOCUMENT SIGNED 11/12/1924 WITH CO-SIGNERS - HFSID: 283420

Both sign and initial a typed documentary letter (1924) extending Fields' contractual obligation to a Ziegfeld production.Documentary Letter signed: "W. C. Fields", "F. Ziegfeld, Jr." , 1 page, 7¼x10½. New York City, 1924 November 12. On Ziegfeld's New Amsterdam Theatre letterhead to W. C. Fields, New York City. Both have initialed a one-line ink addition in Ziegfeld's hand. Noting that Fields' current Equity Run-of-the-Play Contract for J. P. McEvoy's "Comic Supplement" expires on June 1, 1925, Fields agrees to extend his commitment after that date at the rate of $1,750 per week, provided that Fields is successful through the Actors Equity Association in getting released from a conflicting commitment with Phillip Goodman. Fields' weekly salary is to rise to $2,000 per week if "Comic Supplement" should continue running into 1926. Red-nosed, gravel-voiced, bottle-hitting American comedian W. C. FIELDS (1880-1946), born William Claude Dukenfield, began his career in silents, later excelling in such films as David Copperfield (as Micawber), My Little Chickadee (with Mae West) and The Bank Dick. The vaudeville veteran, who appeared in every version of the "Ziegfeld Follies" from 1915 to 1921, made his last film, Sensations of 1945, in 1944. FLORENZ ZIEGFELD, JR.

W. C. FIELDS - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 11/10/1924 WITH CO-SIGNERS - HFSID: 287816

Both sign a contract for Fields' appearance in the play "J. P. McEvoy's Comic Supplement". Not a standard form contract, this one has been written with Fields in mind.Contract signed: "Flo Ziegfeld", "W. C. Fields", 4 pages, 7¼x10½. Also initialed by both at a minor correction: "F.Z.", "W. C. F." New Amsterdam Theatre, New York, N.Y., 1924 November 10. On Ziegfeld's personal letterhead, Fields signs his acceptance of a commitment to appear in a play bearing the temporary title "J. P. McEvoy's Comic Supplement," to be produced on or before January 15, 1925. Fields is guaranteed top billing in the play credits and all advertising, and will receive $1, 750 per week for the full run of the play. He must attend five weeks of rehearsals without compensation. Clause 5 is of special interest: "You agree to get in touch promptly after the execution of this agreement with the author of this play, Mr. McAvoy and to aid and facilitate him and co-operate with him in every matter to the end that the parts to be assigned to you shall be adapted to your special talents and ability. You agree to render such services without any additional compensation." Red-nosed, gravel-voiced, bottle-hitting American comedian W. C.

WILLIAM F. "BUFFALO BILL" CODY - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 05/29/1911 - HFSID: 314417

The famous Wild West showman pens a hopeful letter to his friend, stating "New England was never big for me. But wait till we start west. I predict a big season." The letter was written during the downfall of Cody's show empire due to outside expenses draining the immense profits from his showAutograph letter signed: "Col.", 1 page, 8½x11 framed to an overall size of 25½x18½. Buffalo Bill's Wild West combined with Pawnee Bill's Great Far East. May 29, 1911. Portsmouth, [New Hampshire]. In full: "Dear Mayor Glad Light, Your letter which found me is fine health. We had two bad towns last week. Fitchburg & Newburyport. No one ever done business in either. The week hurt us at least $2000 in Lowell-sent your bank 5100 today to take up one of my notes. Been getting good deposits from the mines. Been getting in shape [illegible] or any one. I believe I'll walk a sale of the [illegible]. Note if good are doing. [illegible]. While I telegraph you for now we are all OK here-now. And barring accident we will be OK. New England was never big for me. But wait till we start west. I predict a big season. Love to you". William Frederick Cody (1846-1917) earned the name "Buffalo Bill" for killing thousands of buffalo as a hired hunter in 1867 and 1868.

WILLIAM F. "BUFFALO BILL" CODY - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 05/30 - HFSID: 295784

Handwritten letter to former rival - now partner - Pawnee Bill Lillie - outlining plans for a California tour of their wild west show. "And if all goes well we could clean up a wagon load of money."Autograph Letter signed: "Col.", 1 page, 8½x11. Saco, Maine, May 30 (circa 1908). On letterhead of Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Pawnee Bill's Far East to "Dear Major" [William Lillie]. In full: "The reason I would not sign up with Craft. They went back on the Contract they had Bacon draw and sent two of their own fixing. You see by the route of Sells Floto that they are playing all of the Country west of the Rockies and North West. And I think we should do it. I think the summer of the Great Panama Fair at San Francisco we could show all that Country. In the Spring three shows. San Francisco July, Aug. Sep. Then Southern Cal. Oct. And if all goes well we could clean up a wagon load of money." William Frederick Cody (1846-1917) earned the name "Buffalo Bill" for killing thousands of buffalo as a hired hunter in 1867 and 1868. Cody had begun his Wild West career herding cattle at age nine. Five years later, he became the Pony Express' youngest rider.

WILLIAM F. "BUFFALO BILL" CODY - ANNOTATED ALBUM LEAF SIGNED 04/20/1899 WITH CO-SIGNERS - HFSID: 350584

Signatures of Cody, Longstreet and other prominent Chicagoans of the era, collected on both sides of a 6x4 sheet in 1899.Signatures on both sides of a 6x4 sheet: "W.F. Cody / 'Buffalo Bill'", "Nate Salsbury", "John M. Burke /'Arizona John'", and "Allison Nailor, Jr.". Dated in unknown hand at left: "April 20, 1899." On verso: "Yours Truly/James Longstreet/July 15 '99" and "Ferdinand W. Peck". Fine condition. Framed to an overall size of 40x20.William Frederick Cody earned the name "Buffalo Bill" for killing thousands of buffalo as a hired hunter in 1867 and 1868. Cody had begun his wild west career herding cattle at age nine. Five years later, he became the Pony Express' youngest rider. Throughout the Civil War, Cody worked as a government scout, extracting from life and the West all it had to offer. His western notoriety grew with his adventures, including those during the Sioux War, in which he purportedly fought a duel with Chief Yellow Hand. Cody's theatrical career was launched that same year with his re-enactments of such Indian battles. By 1883, he formed his first Wild West spectacle, becoming a master showman who toured internationally until 1903.

GRETA GARBO - DOCUMENT SIGNED 09/08/1944 - HFSID: 350557

Garbo filled out and signed this application for a title search on a property in Beverly Hills (1944).Partly Printed DS: "Greta Garbo". 1 page, 8½ x 11. No place, 1944 September 8. Title Insurance Application for use by the Title Company in searching the records in connection with the purchase of property at 603 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, California. She has filled in her name, birthplace, address, and occupation. In 1954, Garbo was awarded a Special Academy Award "for her unforgettable screen performances" in films such as Anna Christie, Anna Karenina, Camille and Ninotchka. After four Oscar nominations, she retired in 1941 at the age of 36. A millionaire many times over, Garbo had no need to act, nor any desire to conduct an active social life. Even after her death in 1990, the legend of Garbo was undiminished. To her devotees, she was not so much film legend as film goddess. Lightly creased. Fine condition. Anything signed by the reclusive Garbo is rarely encountered. Framed to an overall size of 32 x 18½.

D.W. (DAVID LEWELYN WARK) GRIFFITH - DOCUMENT SIGNED 03/02/1936 WITH CO-SIGNERS - HFSID: 298724

Chastened by a messy divorce from his first wife, the famed director signs a prenuptial agreement with his bride to be, Evelyn Baldwin, who has also signed here.Document signed: "David Wark Griffith", "Evelyn Baldwin", 2 pages, 8½x13. No place, 1936 March 2. In anticipation of his pending marriage to Evelyn Baldwin, Griffith irrevocably transfers to her all rights to an annuity contract with the Aetna Life Insurance Company of Hartford, Connecticut, yielding annual income of $5,632.80 for the rest of her life. In exchange, Baldwin releases Griffith, along with his heirs and assigns, from any additional claims except for assets freely given to Baldwin by Griffith. The agreement is to become effective only on the consummation of the Griffith-Baldwin marriage. David Llewelyn Wark GRIFFITH (1875-1948) directed his first film in 1908, and in 1910 became the first to shoot a film in Hollywood. His Judith of Bethulia (1914) was among the first feature films, and the controversial Birth of a Nation (1915), became the first blockbuster movie hit, inspiring the movie industry that we have known since. Griffith co-founded United Artists studio with Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. Five of his movies are deemed important enough for preservation in the US Film Registry.