BORIS KARLOFF - CURRENCY SIGNED CO-SIGNED BY: BOB HOPE, KEENAN WYNN, J. SAUNDERS, JACK CARSON, W. R. SPENCER BINGHAM, JOHN T. McCORMICK, ALICE W. McCORMICK, C. GILBERT SPERRY, PRESIDENT SERGIO OSMENA SR. (PHILLIPPINES), CHARLES R. FRAZIER, BILL THOMPSON, ALIZE V. ATKINS, FRANK CLEARY, A. R. MacDONALD, J. S. P. ARMSTRONG, C. W. METTLES, BRIGADIER GENERAL JAMES H. "JIMMY" DOOLITTLE, CARLOS P. ROMULO - HFSID 73800

BORIS KARLOFF, BOB HOPE, JACK CARSON, KEENAN WYNN, JIMMY DOOLITTLE, SERGIO OSMEÑA, CARLOS P. ROMULO and OTHERS
This 1914 five-dollar reserve note is a fascinating piece of post-World War II history. It was signed by numerous actors, Philippine officials and American soldiers during USO tours hosted by Bob Hope, and includes the signatures of American Air Force General James H. Doolittle, Philippine officials Sergio Osmeña and Carlos P. Romulo and actors Boris Karloff, Jack Carson and Keenan Wynn.
Currency signed "C. Gilbert Sperry", "S. Osmena" "Boris Karloff", "Charles R. Frasier/Hawaiian Islands", "Carlos Romulo", "Alize V. Atkins", "Bill Thompson", "Joe Saunders", "Jack Carson" and eight others on front and "Frank Cleary", "John T. McCormick", "Alice W. McCormick", "C. Gilbert Sperry", "CW Mettles", "Bob Hope", "AR MacDonald", "JSP Armstrong 12-12-47", "Jimmy Doolittle", "Keenan Wynn" and six others on verso, 7¼x3¼. Framed to an overall size of 29x18; frame is hinged so that both front and verso are visible. Circa December of 1947 to October of 1950. Five-dollar Federal Reserve Note, Series of 1914. This series 1914 bill was issued during Secretary of the Treasury Andrew W. Mellon's term (March 1921-February 1932). Likely signed during USO tours hosted by BOB HOPE, who brought troupes of entertainers to boost the morale of American servicemen during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm. Hope's dedication to the military overseas became an annual ritual for which he enlisted the help of lovely singers and other stars of the time. As an admired radio, television and film comedian who popularized the "Road" pictures with Bing Crosby, Hope began his famous USO tours to entertain troops seven months before Pearl Harbor. Popular horror film actor Boris Karloff (1887-1969), who appeared in one USO tour during World War II, had originally wanted a career in the diplomatic service. He became, instead, one of Hollywood's most frightening actors. In 1931, he starred as the monster in the original Frankenstein, a role that had been turned down by Bela Lugosi. Karloff, who also scared the daylights out of movie-goers in the films The Mummy (1932) and The Ghoul (1933), also hosted and occasionally starred in the TV series Thriller. He gave one of the best of his many film performances in the 1968 Peter Bogdanovich film, Targets, in which he virtually played himself - an aging star of horror movies. Canadian-born entertainer JACK CARSON (1910-1963) got his first movie contract with RKO, where he spent an uncomfortable few years essaying bits in "A" pictures and supporting parts in "B" films. His fortunes improved when he moved to Warner Bros. in 1941, and Carson proved himself to be an able dramatic actor in films such as The Hard Way (1943) and Mildred Pierce (1945). Continuing to alternate comic and dramatic (sometimes villainous) roles throughout the 1950s, Carson starred in his own Jack Benny-style radio series, appeared successfully as a stand-up comedian in Las Vegas and was one of four rotating hosts on the 1950 TV variety series All-Star Revue. Part of a multi-generation acting family that included his father, comedian Ed Wynn, KEENAN WYNN (1916-1986) had an acting career of 52 years, with168 roles in movies and numerous appearances on television. His best-known role was that of Colonel "Bat" Guano in the Cold War satire, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb(1964), but Wynn also provided supporting performances in Between Two Women (1944), Easy to Wed (1946), Royal Wedding (1951), Kiss Me Kate (1953), The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956) and Finian's Rainbow (1968). He also appeared in the Disney flicks Herbie Rides Again (1974) and The Shaggy D.A. (1976), as well as on Dallas (1978-80). In 1922, JAMES H. "JIMMY" DOOLITTLE (1896-1993) made the first transcontinental flight in less than 24 hours. In the 1920s and 1930s, he set various speed and flight records. During World War II, Doolittle, a veteran of WWI, and 79 other fighter pilots ("Doolittle's Raiders") bombed Tokyo on April 18, 1942, the first air attack on the Japanese capital. Also hit were targets in Yokohama and other cities, scoring a huge victory for U.S. morale at a time when Japan's position in the Pacific seemed impregnable. Doolittle was promoted to Brigadier General the next day and was later awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for the raid. SERGIO OSMEÑA (1978-1961) was President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1941-1946, after having been elected Vice President in 1935 and 1941. Osmeña, who served his country in politics for 40 years, had been sworn in as the fourth President of the Philippines and second President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines in Washington, D.C. during World War II, and returned to his country with Douglas MacArthur and his liberation forces. CARLOS P. ROMULO (1899-1985) joined the Philippine government-in-exile in Washington, D.C. after the fall of Corregidor, serving as Resident Commissioner of the Philippines to the U.S. Congress from1944-1946. The former General made "Voice of Freedom" broadcasts during the Japanese occupation of his country. After the war, he served as President of the United Nations General Assembly (1949-1950), Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs (1950-1952, 1968-1978), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1978-1984) and Ambassador to the United States (1952-1953, 1955-1962). Romulo, who was the last survivor of the 51 founding fathers of the United Nations when he died in 1985, had been the first Asian to win the Pulitzer Prize in journalism (1942). He wrote 18 books, including his autobiography, I Walked With Heroes, and I See the Philippines Rise, his wartime memoirs. The other signers, including Frasier, who notes that he signed this bill in the Hawaiian Islands, are likely members of the U.S. military. Worthy of further research. 3 vertical folds. Heavily soiled at right margin, lightly soiled at left margin. Overall, fine condition.