DORIS DAY - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED CHECK 05/16/1951 CO-SIGNED BY: JEROME BERNARD ROSENTHAL - HFSID 346029

DORIS DAY and JEROME B. ROSENTHAL
The popular actress signs this check for $2.45, which is also countersigned by the lawyer she later sued for $23 million for mishandling her affairs
Check signed: "Doris Day" and "Jerome B. Rosenthal" both in blue ink, 6x3½. May 16, 1951. Check no. 180 drawn on her account at the Bank of America in Hollywood, California. Payable for $2.45 to Shell Oil Co. Known for her wholesome, "girl-next-door" good looks and sparkling personality, Doris Day (1922-2019), "America's Sweetheart", was one of the most popular and highest paid actresses by the early 1950s. After her would-be dancing career was cut short by an accident, Day had turned to singing, first touring with bands and then introducing hit after hit in a string of romantic comedies. Nominated for an Academy Award for Pillow Talk (1959), she also brightened up the silver screen opposite such romantic leading men as Rock Hudson and Cary Grant. Her singing career was just as hot as her acting career, and her hit from the movie The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), "Que Sera, Sera", won an Oscar. In 1987, she established the Doris Day Animal League, America's premier lobbying organization dedicated to focusing attention on legislative issues involving the humane treatment of animals. As Day's career took off, making her one of America's most beloved singer/actresses, her finances were in disarray. On April 3, 1951, she married Martin Melcher, unwisely entrusting him with her financial affairs. On September 18, 1974, by now a widow, she won a $22.8 million dollar lawsuit against her former lawyer and manager, JEROME B. ROSENTHAL, for malpractice in handling her affairs. "My husband trusted Rosenthal and I trusted my husband," she said. Day later settled for $6 million. Staple holes at upper left-hand corner. Top edge worn. ¼-inch tear at center of top edge. Red ink smudges along bottom edge and near upper right-hand corner. Light water damage affecting Rosenthal's signature, as well as the "ris" of Day's signature. Stained and scuffed near center. Bank stamps and perforations throughout. Otherwise, fine condition.