W. C. FIELDS Agreement with the J. Walter Thompson advertising firm setting strict rules for Fields' script for a radio broadcast, co-signed by producer and ad executive Norman Blackburn Document signed: "W. C. Fields", "Norman Blackburn", 1 page, 8¾x14. Hollywood, California, 1946 March 13. Agreement with the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency, acting as agent for Standard Brands, Inc., governing Fields' forthcoming appearance on the Chase and Sanborn radio program, March 24, 1946. The agreement stipulates that Fields must adhere strictly to a script approved in advance by the firm and by Fields himself, and that Fields shall not "improvise, extemporize or use unapproved material." It further stipulates that Fields shall be held blameless from any claims for "slander, libel, copyright infringement, etc." arising from the program. Fields is to receive $3,500 for his performance. W.C. FIELDS (1879-1946) began entertaining as an amusement park juggler at the age of fourteen. He was a vaudeville headliner before he was twenty and toured Europe in 1901, giving a command performance at Buckingham Palace. read more...

W. C. FIELDS Letter to his mistress Carlotta, lambasting New York weather, music lovers, and his latest movie, which he calls "an abortion." Fields signs ironically as "The Great Man." A vivid example of Fields' view of the world! Autograph Letter signed: "The G. Man", 3 pages, 8½x11. No place, no date, but mailing envelope is postmarked postmarked April 13, 1939, with his handwritten return address of "Bel Air, Cal". To "Dear Katrinka" [Carlotta Monti], in full: "Thanks for your letter which was despondent indeed. N. Y. will make one so. I do not want to go all over these items, again, and again, but I must divest myself of a few more - more weather pro[g]nostications. Spring in N.Y. is most capricious. One day it will snow, and the next day it will be real warm. Warm sunshine will greet you in the morning and a cold rain will follow within a few hours or vice versa. Therefore you need a light coat and my suggestion would be no sweater. The brown overcoat I gave you is ideal for an eastern spring coat. It is semi rain proof and will keep out the chill wind. read more...

D. W. GRIFFITH 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. read more...

DAVID COPPERFIELD MOVIE CAST: LIONEL BARRYMORE, W.C. FIELDS, BASIL RATHBONE, MAUREEN O'HARA and others Barrymore's personal copy of the complete original movie script, signed by himself and 33 other members of the cast and crew Original Movie Script signed. This script belonged to Academy Award winning actor Lionel Barrymore. Typed on the cover at the upper left corner: "FOR USE OF LIONEL/BARRYMORE", to which he signed to its right "Lionel Barrymore" (Dan Peggotty). Also signed: "George Cukor" (Director), "W.C. Fields" (Micawber), "Freddie Bartholomew/('David')" (David Copperfield as a boy), "Frank Lawton" (David Copperfield as a man), "Basil Rathbone" (Mr. Murdstone), "Maureen O'Sullivan/(Dora)", "Edna May Oliver" (Aunt Betsey), read more...

W. C. FIELDS 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. read more...

WILLIAM F. CODY 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 read more...

JOHN WAYNE Cavalry gloves he wore in The Horse Soldiers Ephemera Unsigned. Leather, US Cavalry-style riding gloves worn by Wayne in the dramatic Civil War film, The Horse Soldiers (1959). Inside the left-hand glove is a sewn M-G-M label with John Wayne's name typed on it. John Wayne (1907-1979) is considered one of the greatest actors of all time, most famous for his many Western film roles. He made his debut in the 1926 silent film Brown of Harvard in an uncredited role. His first lead role came just four years later in Raoul Walsh's The Big Trail (1930), where Wayne portrays a trapper who is part of a settlement group travelling along the Oregon Trail. This role did not lead to stardom, but he continued to appear in B-movies throughout the 1930s. John Ford's 1939 film Stagecoach is the film that rocketed the actor to fame. Wayne's films tend to be either Westerns or military-themed. His most famous Westerns, including The Searchers (1956), Red River (1948), Rio Bravo (1959), and True Grit (1969), helped define the genre. As he grew more read more...

"BUFFALO BILL" CODY 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. read more...

JOHN LENNON and MAY PANG Framed Gallery of History display (46x30) featuring the t-shirt from Caribou Ranch studio given to Lennon when he recorded there with Elton John, accompanied by an authentication signed by Lennon's lover at the time, May Pang, and by a photo of Lennon and Pang together Comprises: (1) DS: "May Pang". 1 page, 8x5. No place, no date. In full: "From John Lennon's T-shirt collection, Caribou Ranch t-shirt. Given to John during his visit to Caribou Ranch Studio, when he and Elton John recorded 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds'". Fine condition. (2) Extremely Rare Caribou Ranch T-shirt. Long-sleeve Collegiate Pacific, cream-colored, size 34-36. Slightly stained. Fine condition. From October 1973 until March 1975, JOHN LENNON (1940-1980) and MAY PANG lived, loved and worked together. During the Lennon-Yoko Ono separation and at Ono's instigation, their young, personal assistant became his constant companion. Deeply emotional and trying "to find himself", Lennon worked diligently to create the songs for his 1974 album Walls and Bridges, in which he dedicated one song to Ono and "Surprise Surprise" to his lover. read more...