BARBARA RUSH - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 06/28/1980 - HFSID 270334

BARBARA RUSH
Letter from the actress to comedienne Phyllis Diller, thanking her for the lovely gift of a silver buckle, and sending her number along so they can remain in contact
Autograph letter signed: "Barbara", 1 page, 5¾x7¾. Marina Del Rey, California, 1980 June 28. On sheet imprinted with her name to comedienne and actress Phyllis Diller. Begins: "Dear Phyllis". In full: "The silver buckle is absolutely beautiful and I am overwhelmed - I do no (sic, not) know what occasioned this to happen but, whatever, I am very grateful - I would have called you but, alas, I do not have your number - mine is 858-4925 - so please call - Much love". Accompanied by original mailing envelope, 6x4. 15-cent Oliver Wendell Holmes stamp affixed, postmarked Marina Del Rey, California, June 28, 1980. Addressed by Rush to: "Miss Phyllis Diller, 163 S. Rockingham, Los Angeles, 90049, California". Imprinted Beverly Hills return address on verso. Slightly creased, lightly soiled. Fine condition. In the year she wrote this letter, Rush appeared in a feature film, Can't Stop the Music, and was seen on the small screen in the made-for-TV movie, Flamingo Road. Stage, screen and television actress BARBARA RUSH (1927-2024) won the Golden Globe for New Star of the Year - Female in 1953, the year she appeared in It Came From Outer Space. She had previously gotten the attention of male audience members in When Worlds Collide (1951) and would later appear in such films as The Magnificent Obsession (1954), The Young Lions (1958), The Young Philadelphians (1959), Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964) and Hombre (1967). Her television credits include a number of TV movies, regular roles on such series as Peyton Place (1968-1969), Flamingo Road (1981-1982) and All My Children (1992-1993). Rush also made guest appearances on a long list of TV shows, from Lux Video Theatre (1954) to 7th Heaven (2005), on which she had also appeared as Ruth Camden in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2002. Rush, who also received accolades for her Broadway one-woman show, was married to her first husband, actor Jeffrey Hunter, from 1950-1955. Comedienne PHYLLIS DILLER (1917-2012), 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). Lightly creased with fold, not at signature. Light paperclip impression at upper margin. Fine condition.