ALEX HALEY - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 03/25/1979 - HFSID 270198

ALEX HALEY
Alex Haley writes to Phyllis Diller forwarding some notes he had that go back to the 1960's.
Autograph Letter Signed: "Love, Alex", 1p, 5½x8½. Los Angeles, California, 1979 March 25. On his imprinted letterhead to comedienne Phyllis Diller. In full: "Nostalgia. I was going through some very old files and came upon this single sheet of typed notes. Has to go back into the early 60's. Thought I'd send along as a little nostalgia for you, too." Enclosure not present. Lightly creased. Minor stain at upper left blank edge. Paper clip impressions at blank left, right and upper margins. Fine condition. Accompanied by envelope, 7½x4. Not stamped or postmarked. Addressed by Haley to: "Ms Phyllis Diller, 163  S. Rockingham Ave., Brentwood CA 90049". Slightly creased, worn at corners, else fine condition. With original mailing envelope, 9½x4¼. 15-cent metered postage, postmarked Los Angeles, Calif., March 26, 1979. Addressed by Haley to: "Ms Phyllis Diller, 163 South Rockingham Ave, Brentwood CA 90049". Slightly creased. Light paper clip rust stain at lower left blank margin, soiled from paper clip near postmark. Receipt stamp at upper left blank margin. Neatly opened at upper edge. Already known as the author of a definitive biography of black leader Malcolm X, author ALEX HALEY (1921-1992) created a sensation, and single-handedly launched a new interest in genealogy, with his book, Roots. The saga, which traced his African roots, was first excerpted in "Reader's Digest" before publication in book form in 1976. The story, which was televised as a successful miniseries in 1977, resulted in a number of awards for Haley, including the National Book Award, a special Pulitzer Prize and the NAACP's Spingarn Medal, as well as several honorary doctor of letters degrees for his research, which spanned 12 years. The sequel, Roots: The Next Generations (Roots II), was televised as a miniseries a month before Haley's letter. Comedienne PHYLLIS DILLER 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). Three items.