|
Click Here to Enlarge Image or
|
Drag Magnifying Glass
To View Closeup
| |
|
|
JOANNE HALE (MRS. MONTE HALE). ALS: "Monte and Joanne" by
Mrs. Hale, 1p, 6½x8½. Montecito, California, 1984 March 6. On pictorial
letterhead featuring a photograph of her husband in a cowboy costume to
comedienne and actress Phyllis Diller. Begins: "Dear Phyllis". In
full: "Your note gave us pleasure and your book - many chuckles.
An unbeatable combination. Thanks and Love". By the time of this letter,
Diller had published three books: Phyllis Diller's Housekeeping Hints
(1966), Phyllis Diller's Marriage Manual (1967) and The Joys of Aging
- And How to Avoid Them (1981). JOANNE HALE, the wife of singing cowboy
MONTE HALE, was instrumental in the establishment of the Gene Autry museum in
Los Angeles. Tapped by Gene and Jackie Autry because of her business
background, Hale was involved in the museum from its planning (which took
five years) to its opening (1988, four years after this letter). The
museum, which was originally called The Gene Autry Museum of the American West
was later renamed the Autry Museum, and, following its merger with the Southwest
Museum of the American Indian, became the Autry National Center. Mrs. Hale
served as President and CEO until announcing her retirement in August
1998. She remained on the board, however, and we have found references to her as
President of the Board (Mrs. Autry was Chairman) in 2003 and 2004 (Monte Hale
was listed as a Director Emeritus in those years). The Hales were also
sponsors of a number of museum projects, including a Masters of the
American West art exhibition in 2005. Comedienne PHYLLIS DILLER (born
Phyllis Ada Driver in 1917), known for her outrageous appearance, zany
outfits, distinctive laugh and a stand-up act that featured frequent references
to her fictional husband, "Fang", and zingers about her sex appeal and numerous
plastic surgeries, got her big break in March 1955 (at age 37), when she
debuted at San Francisco's Purple Onion club. A subsequent appearance on
The Tonight Show hosted by Jack Paar launched her national career,
which got a big boost after Bob Hope saw Diller in a Washington, D.C. club. A
favorite of the comedian, Diller would appear in three of Hope's films and 23
of his TV specials. Diller, who recorded her first comedy record album in
1959, took her groundbreaking "funny hausfrau" act to nightclubs and television
variety shows and specials and she also appeared on the big screen. Her feature
film credits include Splendor in the Grass (1961), The Fat Spy
(1966), Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! (1966), The Sunshine Boys
(1975) and The Silence of the Hams (1994), and she provided the voice of
the Queen in A Bug's Life (1998). By 2000, the comedienne, who had
trained as a concert pianist before her marriage (1939-1965) to Sherwood
Anderson Diller, had appeared as a piano soloist with 100 symphony
orchestras across the U.S. Despite retiring from nightclub/stage tours in
May 2002 at the age of 84, Diller continued to make films (Motorcross
Kids, 2004; Forget About It, 2005) and occasionally appear on TV
programs, including two episodes of 7th Heaven (2002, 2003) and a guest
shot on The Wayne Brady Show (2004). Ink smudged at the "J" of Joanne.
Slightly creased. Paper clip impressions and light rust stains at upper margin
and lower left margin, near but not touching one word of
writing.
This website image contains our company watermark. The actual document does not contain this watermark.
|
