ELEANOR SMITH - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED - HFSID 87736

ELEANOR SMITH. ALS: "Eleanor" on back cover, 3p, 3¾x6. No place but likely San Francisco, no year. Written on inside and back cover of note card imprinted: "Mr. and Mrs. George D. Smith/Hotel Mark Hopkins". To entertainer Hildegarde and her manager, Anna Sosenko. Begins: "Dearest Hildy and Anna". In full: "What a thrill I had before opening the box from G[illegible]s - which is always a delightful surprise in itself - but to open it and find your sweet note and the exquisite Steuben glass vase - my throat really tightened and I swallowed hard to keep the tears back - Tears of deep and sincere appreciation for the exquisite vase, which I'll always cherish and which I needed so badly - It is so crystal clear - it stands as a symbol of true friendship and a memory of our engagement -- one that can never be surpassed - Our hearts (sic) thanks, dear ones - we adore it! Affectionately". British writer Lady ELEANOR SMITH (1902-1945) authored five novels that were filmed by Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s. LORETTA SELL HILDEGARDE, popularly known by her last name only or simply as "the incomparable Hildegarde" was thought by many to be European, although she was born in Wisconsin in 1906. A classically trained pianist who played in vaudeville from 1926, she emerged as a popular singer in the 1930s and 1940s with hits that included "Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup" (written by her manager, ANNA SOSENKO), "The Last Time I Saw Paris" and "I'll Be Seeing You." She also had a popular radio program, Hildegarde's Raleigh Room. Hildegarde continued to perform to great acclaim in nightclubs until age 89, when she decided it wasn't fun anymore. Ink smudged at one word of writing. Tape remnant at mid-horizontal fold touches 2 lines of writing and shows through on verso, touching 2 words. Slightly soiled on front cover. Overall, fine condition.