ED DAVIS - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 05/02/1984 - HFSID 270399

ED DAVIS
The California senator asks comedienne Phyllis Diller to serve as Honorary Chairman of his Annual Fundraiser. Accompanied by unsigned photocopy response letter from Diller. 2 items.
Typed letter sigend: "Ed" as California state senator, 1 page, 8½x11. Sacramento, California, 1984 May 2. On Nineteenth Senatorial District letterhead to comedienne and actress Phyllis Diller, Los Angeles, California. Begins: "Dear Phyllis". In full: "Although I have not seen you since we last met at Foster's Christmas party in 1982, I have made it a point to catch your TV appearances, always to my delight, and I hope life is treating you well. When my campaign staff asked me recently who I would most like to have as Honorary Chairman of my Annual Fundraiser, I immediately said, 'Phyllis Diller.' The date is June 29, at the Sheraton Universal, with cocktails at 7:00 and dinner at 8:00. I would be greatly pleased, as would the approximate 500 attendees, if your schedule will allow you to join us. If you are available on that date, but have to fly in from elsewhere, naturally we will take care of your expenses, and we will have a limo pick you up in any case. As we would like to include your name as Honorary Chairman on our invitations and in press releases, I will appreciate it if you will let me know by May 18. Looking forward to hearing from you and seeing you again soon. Kindest regards". Lightly creased with folds, not at signature. Light paperclip impression and stain at upper margin. Fine condition. Accompanied by photocopied typed response, unsigned, 1 page, 8½x11. No place, 1984 May 9. On Phyllis Diller letterhead to Senator Ed Davis, California State Senate, Sacramento, California. Begins: "Dear Ed". In full: "Thank you for your nice letter. I am honored that you have asked me to be your honorary chairman of the Annual Fundraiser on June 29th. I will be touring France and Italy at that time. I wish you all the best. Truly". Lightly creased. Light paperclip impression at upper margin, usual black marks from photocopying. Fine condition. Davis was not re-elected in 1984. EDWARD MICHAEL DAVIS, a Navy veteran of WWII, was Chief of Police in Los Angeles (1969-1978) before serving as a Republican in the California State Senate (1980-1983). This letterhead lists him as being Vice Chairman of the Judiciary Committee and a member of the Constitutional Amendments, Education and Insurance, Claims, and Corporations Committees. The Ed Davis Park in Towley Canyon is named in honor of Davis, who championed the preservaton of Towley Canyon. 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). Two items.