DOLORES (MRS. BOB) HOPE - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED - HFSID 270220

DOLORES HOPE
Dolores Hope sends an autograph letter of thanks for the See's candy.
Autograph Letter Signed: "Dolores & Bob" by Mrs. Hope, 1p, 7½x5½. No place, no date. On note card with gold and green border, imprinted "Dolores and Bob" at upper margin, to comedienne and actress Phyllis Diller. Begins: "Phyllis dear". In full: "Thanks for the delicious See's candy. It was enjoyed by all during the Holidays. Just wish you could have been here, too! We hope to see you soon. Keep those funny cartoons a-coming our way - and have the happiest of New Year's. Much love". DOLORES HOPE, born Dolores Reade (1909-2011), had a successful career as a nightclub singer, but she is best known for being Mrs. Bob Hope. The couple was married from February 19, 1934 until his death on July 27, 2003 and had four adopted children. From 1942, Dolores accompanied her husband on his trips to entertain troops around the world, including an appearance in Vietnam in 1966; in 1991, she was the only female allowed to perform for the troops in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm. Dolores appeared on 18 of her husband's TV specials, from Happy Birthday, Bob in 1978 to Bob Hope at 100 (2003), and she was also seen on an episode of The Jack Benny Program (1958) as well as two airings of The Christophers (1953, 1955). Well known for her philanthropic works, Dolores has worked tirelessly for the Eisenhower Medical Center and she has contributed greatly to other charities, most notably those of the Roman Catholic Church. Mrs. Hope, who resumed her singing career in 1993 at the age of 83, was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in May 1997. 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). Slightly creased at corners. Fine condition.