COLE PORTER - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 10/13/1962 - HFSID 31593

COLE PORTER
He signs a typed 1962 letter declining to work on a play because he is in too much pain.
Typed Letter Signed: "Cole", 1 page, 7¼x10¾. No place, 1962 October 13. To Anita. In full: "I have read the first act of Edouard Bourdet's play and enjoyed it very much. I am returning it to you as I couldn't consider working on it at the present as I have too much phantom pain. I look forward to seeing you a lot. Love-" 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). Cole Porter had fractured both legs in a riding accident in 1937. Many painful operations later, he had a leg amputated in 1958, hence the reference here to "phantom pain." After the loss of his leg, Porter lived as a virtual recluse and never wrote another song! Fold creases not at signature. Stray ink mark at upper right. Fine condition.