COLE PORTER - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 05/02/1951 - HFSID 167593

COLE PORTER
He signs a typed letter declining to compose the score for a Bing Crosby movie which "is not my dish."
TLS: "Cole", 1p, 8½x11. Los Angeles, 1951 May 2. To Louis Shurr, London. In full: "Thank you for your long cablegram. I cannot change my mind about the Crosby picture. I am sure that the script, however excellent, is not my dish. Have a lot of fun, and please come back with a heavy British accent. All my best to Bob Hope and to you, dear Louis." The "Crosby picture" was probably 1952's The Road to Bali, costarring Bob Hope. LOUIS SHURR was Bob Hope's agent. Joseph Lilley was later signed to compose the musical score of The Road to Bali. Porter did score a Crosby picture a few years later, High Society (1956), which costarred Frank Sinatra and Grace Kelly. Porter's 19 Broadway shows include Anything Goes, Can-Can, Kiss Me Kate and Silk Stockings. His hundreds of songs include "Night and Day", "I've Got You Under My Skin", "Let's Do It" and "You're the Top". Composer and lyricist Cole Porter (1891-1964), who was born in Peru, Indiana, won two Tony Awards in 1949 (Best Composer & Lyricist and Best Musical) for Kiss Me, Kate, and he was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Song in 1936, 1941, 1943 and 1956. Among the songs penned by Porter, who was known for his urbane, witty lyrics and sinuous music are "You Do Something to Me", "What Is This Thing Called Love?", "Night and Day", "Anything Goes", "I Get a Kick Out of You", "You're the Top", "Begin the Beguine", "My Heart Belongs to Daddy", "I've Got You Under My Skin" and scores of other popular songs. He appeared (unaccredited) in his screen biography, Night and Day, in 1946, the year his musical, Around the World in Eighty Days, ran on Broadway (May-August). Porter wrote over 20 musicals, including Anything Goes (1934), Silk Stockings (1955) and High Society (1956). Creased at top and left margins, ink transference at lower blank area. Otherwise, fine condition.