DEBORAH KERR - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 11/22/1979 - HFSID 270394

DEBORAH KERR
A short letter from the King and I actress, thanking friend Phyllis Diller for the gift of flowers
Autograph letter signed: "Deborah.", 1 page, 5x8. Sydney, Australia, no date, but 1979 November 22, 12.05. A.M. On letterhed of The Lebel Town House to comedienne and actress Phyllis Diller. Begins: "Dear P.D!". In full: "Thank you for your enchanting little basket of flowers - Sadly, I cannot lunch to-morrow - so our reviews & obituaries must wait!" Fondly". Actress DEBORAH KERR (born Deborah Jane Trimmer in Scotland in 1921) trained as a ballerina. However, she soon discovered that she was more interested in drama and began playing minor roles in Shakespearean productions. Kerr, who made her film debut in Major Barbara (1941), typically played reserved, well-bred ladies. On the strength of her sensitive portrayal of a nun in Black Narcissus (1947), she was brought to Hollywood to play the lead opposite Clark Gable in The Hucksters. Kerr received Best Actress Academy Award nominations for six films: Edward, My Son (1949), From Here to Eternity (1953), The King and I (1956), Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1959), Separate Tables (1958) and The Sundowners (1960). Comedienne PHYLLIS DILLER (1917-2012), known for her outrageous appearance, zany outfits, distinctive laugh and a stand-up act that featured frequent references to her fictional husband, "Fang", and zingers about her sex appeal and numerous plastic surgeries, got her big break in March 1955 (at age 37), when she debuted at San Francisco's Purple Onion club. A subsequent appearance on The Tonight Show hosted by Jack Paar launched her national career, which got a big boost after Bob Hope saw Diller in a Washington, D.C. club. A favorite of the comedian, Diller would appear in three of Hope's films and 23 of his TV specials. Diller, who recorded her first comedy record album in 1959, took her groundbreaking "funny hausfrau" act to nightclubs and television variety shows and specials and she also appeared on the big screen. Her feature film credits include Splendor in the Grass (1961), The Fat Spy (1966), Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! (1966), The Sunshine Boys (1975) and The Silence of the Hams (1994), and she provided the voice of the Queen in A Bug's Life (1998). By 2000, the comedienne, who had trained as a concert pianist before her marriage (1939-1965) to Sherwood Anderson Diller, had appeared as a piano soloist with 100 symphony orchestras across the U.S. Despite retiring from nightclub/stage tours in May 2002 at the age of 84, Diller continued to make films (Motorcross Kids, 2004; Forget About It, 2005) and occasionally appear on TV programs, including two episodes of 7th Heaven (2002, 2003) and a guest shot on The Wayne Brady Show (2004). Lightly creased with folds, not at signature. Paperclip rust stain on verso of integral leaf (no show-through). Fine condition.