DEBORAH KERR - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 12/04/1973 - HFSID 288016

DEBORAH KERR
The actress writes a letter telling a friend about her decision to finish her tour in Washington and writes about the stresses the backers have put on her and the effects on her marriage.
Typed Letter signed: "Deborah", 2 pages, 7¼x10½. On letterhead of The Windsor Arms Hotel. Toronto, Canada, 1973 December 4. To"Dearest Laura" (Handwritten by Kerr). In full: "I know that you must have been wondering and wondering about my decision whether to go into New York after Washington. As you know (or I hope you knew!), my original arrangement with Arthur Cantor was to finish in Washington. - But of course the financial success of the tour has led the backers to put a hell of a lot of pressure on me to take it in. This has caused me quite considerable torture as you can imagine! I do sincerely hope you will under-stand my predicament, and forgive me when I tell you I have decided to finish the tour in Washington. It is a purely personal decision, not coloured by reviews or personal aggrandizement, etc. etc. - Peter and I have been separated a great deal in the almost two years I have been involved with this play, and his professional life is rendered quite impossible by the gypsy-like existence of touring, and his life is just as important, if not more, to me. I realize it would have been kinder to have let you know my decision earlier, but it has not been an easy one to make. I have loved working with you and it has all gone so quickly that it seems incredible! I hope that in the seven weeks we have left, you will have time to arrange your lives - get people to come and see you in Toronto or Washington etc., and that you will understand and forgive."Deborah Kerr (1921-2007), was born Deborah Jane Trimmer in Scotland. She was 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). Mailing folds. Ink note (unknown hand) on verso, 2 page. Fine condition.