DOLORES (MRS. BOB) HOPE - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 05/11/1995 - HFSID 270223

DOLORES HOPE
Dolores Hope sends a typed letter of thanks.
Typed Letter Signed: "Dolores", 1 page, 7¼x10½. No place, 1995 May 11. On sheet imprinted "Mrs. Bob Hope" to comedienne and actress Phyllis Diller, Los Angeles, California. Begins: "Dear Phyllis". In full: "Thank you for all the information. Maybe I'll wind up with the best neck in town or the best jeweled collar. On second thought, I want the jeweled collar....forget the best neck. It was such fun having you at Southridge. I'm sorry we didn't get it worked out for the jazz club. Maybe we can try to do this at another time. Please let me know where and when you will be doing Cinderella. I don't think we should miss that. Lots of love and prayers, Always". Diller, who had toured in Rodger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella, had likely given Mrs. Hope information about plastic surgeons. 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. She 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). Lightly creased with folds, lower horizontal fold at signature. Light type transference at lower margin. Fine condition.