CHICO (LEONARD) MARX - DOCUMENT DOUBLE SIGNED 02/18/1947 - HFSID 289115

CHICO MARX
Consent form authorizing the Motion Picture Relief Fund to reproduce the comedian's signature and likeness for a series of stamps raising money for needy film industry veterans. The form is signed twice, once as an autograph sample and again to grant permission. A remarkable, verified example!
Document signed twice: "Chico Marx", 1 page, 8½x11. Los Angeles, California, February 18, 1947. Chico Marx grants to the Motion Picture Relief Fund, Inc., its successors and assigns, the exclusive right, to use his name, autograph, photographic likeness, or artist's sketch of the likeness, for reproduction on engraved, embossed or printed stamps, and in stamp albums, and in connection with the advertising and exploitation of these stamps and stamp albums for sale throughout the world. Leonard "Chico" Marx (1887-1961) was the oldest of the five Marx Brothers and one of the main three performers (including Groucho and Harpo). These three brothers appeared in 17 films together, 1 unreleased and probably lost (Humor Risk, 1921). In most of the films, Chico and Harpo play a troublemaking, crime-committing duo, with Harpo in the silent dunce role and Chico playing the crafty but dim-witted leader. After the brothers' mother and business manager passed away in 1929, Chico took over as business manager for the comedy group. He is credited with the first deal for performers that involved the receiving of a set percentage of a production's gross receipts. During the war years, Chico headed his own orchestra and created a solo comedy act that he continued into the late 1940s. Chico was a skillful imitator of Italian dialect, and he played the piano well enough to entertain an audience. Chico's financial difficulties were a major factor in the group's decision to remain active into the late 1940s and 1950s. They released A Night in Casablanca (1946) to help their brother pay off his gambling debts. The Motion Picture Relief Fund was founded in 1921 to assist ill and needy film industry veterans, as expressed in its motto: "We take care of our own." The fund raised money through voluntary payroll deductions and celebrity events. As President of the Fund from 1939 until his death in 1956, film and radio star Jean Hersholt conceived Hollywood Star Stamps as a fundraising method. These stamps, 468 in all, were sold at dime stores after World War II in sheets of 6-12, at 10 cents per sheet, and were an immediate hit with collectors. Now called the Motion Picture and Television Fund, the non-profit organization funds its own hospital and retirement home. It confers the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award annually at the Academy Awards ceremony to "an individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry." Three filing holes at left. Normal mailing folds. Slightly creased. Otherwise, fine condition.