GEORGE JESSEL - DOCUMENT SIGNED 11/26/1945 CO-SIGNED BY: RUDY VALLEE, LEW SCHREIBER - HFSID 101510

GEORGE JESSEL, CO-SIGNED BY: RUDY VALLÉE
George Jessel signed this letter-form contract with Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation allowing him to appear on Rudy Vallée's radio program Rudy Vallée Presents in 1945... but only if he mentioned that he was the producer for The Dolly Sisters.
Contract signed "G Jessel" in black ink and "Rudy Vallee" in red ink. Also signed and initialed by representatives of Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. 2 pages, 8½x11, single-sided sheets, on Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation letterhead. Nov. 26, 1945. Addressed to Mr. George Jessel, Beverly Hills, California. Jessel and Vallée signed this contract with Twentieth Century-Fox so that Jessel could appear on the Nov. 29, 1945 episode of the radio program Rudy Vallée Presents. The studio had one stipulation: that Jessel "cause an announcement to be made" that he was the producer of the Twentieth Century-Fox movie The Dolly Sisters (1945).Vallée was to pay Jessel $1,500 for this appearance. JESSEL (1898-1981, born in New York City), who became known as the "Toastmaster General of the United States" for his frequent role as Master of Ceremonies at entertainment and political gatherings, appeared in vaudeville (he was a partner of Eddie Cantor at age 11) and on Broadway before having a radio show, That's My Kid. Jessel, who had done several silent films for Warner Bros., starred on Broadway in The Jazz Singer, but when the studio refused to meet his salary demands for the film, he turned down the movie role, which eventually went to Al Jolson. The Jazz Singer, of course, is the first official "talkie". By 1945, Jessel, who was well known for his Broadway and nightclub work, was producing musicals for 20th Century-Fox. One of the original founding members of the California branch of the Friars Club (1946), Jessel also traveled widely to raise funds for various causes and entertained troops overseas as part of the U.S.O. In 1969, he was awarded the Jean Hershold Humanitarian Award, a special Oscar, for his charity work. Jessel, who was married to actress Norma Talmadge from 1934-1939, wrote two volumes of memoirs, So Help Me (1943) and This Way, Miss (1955), and also wrote eulogies for many of his Hollywood contemporaries.From the mid-1920s to the mid-1950s, VALLÉE (1901-1986, born Hubert Prior Vallée in Island Pond, Vermont) enjoyed a successful career on radio, in movies, in Broadway musicals and with a solo nightclub act. His films include The Palm Beach Story (1942), I Remember Mama (1948), The Helen Morgan Story (1957), The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968), Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976) and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967), in which he reprised his role from the successful 1961 Broadway musical. The first singer to be called a "crooner", Vallée was known for carrying a small megaphone and for his catch phrase "Heigh-Ho, Everyone", which he first used when appearing at New York's Heigh-Ho Club. Originally a casting director on films like Les Miserables (1935) and One in a Million (1936), LEW SCHREIBER (1900-1961) eventually worked his way up to studio manager of the Los Angeles Twentieth Century Fox, becoming the second hand man of the motion picture company. He was often in charge of contacting the superstars of the company to inform them of production details or company standards. His death in 1961 was one in a long line of hardships Twentieth Century Fox followed between 1961 and 1962; Another was the death of producer Jerry Wald and the stroke of producer Darryl Zanuck. Lightly toned and creased. Random ink stains. Staple holes in upper left corner. Folded twice and unfolded. Otherwise in fine condition.