HATTIE "MAMMY" McDANIEL - BOOK SIGNED CO-SIGNED BY: ROSALIND RUSSELL, WARD BOND, MARIA PALMER, LORETTA YOUNG, ELINOR DONAHUE, RODDY McDOWALL, DONALD O'CONNOR, LOUISE BEAVERS, RITA JOHNSON, JEFF CHANDLER, RUTH HUSSEY, RICARDO MONTALBAN, J. CARROL NAISH, BETTY LYNN, RAY HYKE, PATRICK PEYTON, GEORGIANA YOUNG MONTALBAN - HFSID 284293

FAMILY THEATER PRODUCTIONS: 17 FAMOUS ACTORS AND ONE CANDIDATE FOR SAINTHOOD

Seventeen actors and actresses sign a book written by Father Patrick Peyton, creator of Family Theater Productions (and now likely to be canonized by the Catholic Church)

Book signed: "Father Peyton HC", "Ward Bond", "Ruth Hussey", Georgiana Montalban", "Ricardo Montalban" on half-title page; and on blank facing pages by "Rosalind Russell", "Donald O'Connor", "Elinor Donahue", "Roddy McDowall", "Roy Hyke/Sgt. Hill No. I", "Rita Johnson", "Loretta Young", "Jeff Chandler", "J. Carroll Naish", "Betty Lynn", "Hattie McDaniel", "Louise Beavers", "Maria Palmer" and one unidentified signature. In all 19 signatures. 226 pages, 5½x8. The Ear of God: Prayer in the Language of Man to God, by Patrick J. Peyton. (Garden City, N.Y: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1954). Hardcover. FATHER PATRICK J. PEYTON (1909-1992), emigrated from Ireland to the US in 1928. A priest of the Order of the Holy Cross, Father Peyton founded the Holy Cross Family Ministries, an important component of which was Family Theater Productions, which created over 600 radio and TV productions. The Archdiocese of Baltimore recently submitted a 16,000 page report requested by the Vatican, investigating whether Father Peyton merits canonization as a saint. Father Peyton wrote several books, and is credited with coining the phrase, "The family that prays together, stays together." The Ear of God was non-fiction, but Father Peyton made many acting friends through Family Theater Productions, as shown by this book. HATTIE McDANIEL (1895-1952) was the first Black actress to win an Academy Award, capturing the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1939 for her role of Mammy in Gone With the Wind. McDaniel had a strong film resume even before Gone With the Wind, especially in light of the limited opportunities for black actors in that era, beginning with small roles in films like Mae West's I'm No Angel (1934) and Shirley Temple's The Little Colonel (1935), working up to major roles in Saratoga (1937) and The Shopworn Angel (1938). She was also the first Black woman to sing on American radio, and after many performances on such radio programs as Amos 'n Andy and the Eddie Cantor Show, she starred in the title role of Beulah on the radio. Because of other commitments, she appeared in only six 1952 episodes of the television version, which ran from 1950-1953.WARD BOND (1903-1960) distinguished himself in small roles in films such as Gone With the Wind, The Grapes of Wrath, Tobacco Road and The Quiet Man, but became a star in the television series Wagon Train. He starred as Major Seth Adams, the wagon master, from 1957 until his death in 1960. RUTH HUSSEY (1911-2005, born in Providence, Rhode Island) was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in 1940 for The Philadelphia Story. Although she appeared in a number of films, she found her greatest success on stage opposite Ralph Bellamy in the 1945 Broadway production of State of the Union. Hussey is the mother of Oscar-winning filmmaker John William Longenecker. RICARDO MONTALBAN (1920-2009, born in Mexico City) is perhaps best known for his role as the suave, mysterious Mr. Roarke on TV's Fantasy Island (1978-1984). Montalban, who played romantic leads in feature films in the 1940s and 1950s, starred in his first "Latin lover" role opposite Cyd Charisse in Fiesta (1947). His other film credits include On An Island With You (1948), Sayonara (1959), The Singing Nun (1966), Sweet Charity (1969), two Planet of the Apes films (1971, 1972), The Train Robbers (1973), Won Ton Ton, The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (reprising his role on the TV series) and two Spy Kids films (2002, 2003). Montalban also appeared in a number of made-for-television movies. In 1976, he won an Emmy for his portrayal of a Sioux chief in How The West Was Won. GEORGIANA YOUNG MONTALBAN (1923-2007) was a fashion model and Hollywood bit player until she met and married Ricardo Montalban in 1944. The half-sister of Loretta Young, she had a credited role in The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939), and was screen tested for the role of Suellen O'Hara, younger sister of Scarlett O'Hara, in Gone with the Wind. ROSALIND RUSSELL (1908-1976) was nominated for Best Actress Academy Awards for My Sister Eileen (1942), Sister Kenny (1946), Mourning Becomes Electra (1947) and Auntie Mame (1958). Russell shined in romantic comedies, frequently cast as an efficient career girl who traded witticisms with her leading men, appearing in such films as His Girl Friday (1940) and Take a Letter Darling (1942). Known for her charity work, she received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1972, a special Oscar. DONALD O'CONNOR (1925-2003) danced as a child in his family's vaudeville act. Remembered as the army private who can't convince anyone that a mule can talk in a series of six Francis the Talking Mule films (1949-1955), he also kept dancing in, among others, Yes Sir, That's My Baby (1949) and, with Bing Crosby, in Anything Goes(1956). For portraying Cosmo Brown in Singin' in the Rain (1952), O'Connor won the 1953 Golden Globe for Best Actor-Musical or Comedy. He won the 1954 Emmy Award for Best Male Star of a Regular Series for his appearances onThe Colgate Comedy Hour. ELINOR DONAHUE (b. 1937) is best known for her role as older daughter Betty "Princess" Anderson on the TV sitcom, Father Knows Best (1954-1962). Donahue has also been a regular on a number of other TV series and miniseries, including The Andy Griffith Show, Many Happy Returns, The Odd Couple, Mulligan's Stew, Please Stand By, Doctors' Private Lives, The New Adventures of Beans Baxter and Get a Life, and on many daytime soaps, including Days of Our Lives and Santa Barbara, Donahue, who was married to Columbia TV executive Harry Ackerman from 1961 until his death in 1991, also appeared in a number of feature films, including Winter Wonderland (1947), Tea for Two (1950), Girls Town (1959), Going Beserk (1983) and Pretty Woman (1990). The arrival of London-born RODDY McDOWALL (1928-1998) in Hollywood came when he tested for the juvenile lead in Fox's How Green Was My Valley (1941), winning both the role and a long contract. McDowall's first adult acting assignment was as Malcolm in Orson Welles' 1948 film version of Macbeth. The actor spent the better part of the early 1960s playing Octavian in the mammoth production Cleopatra, co-starring with longtime friend Elizabeth Taylor. McDowall's most frequent assignments between 1968 and 1975 found him in elaborate simian makeup in the Planet of the Apes theatrical films and TV series. Shortly before his death, the Academy of Motion Pictures named its photo archive after McDowall, a skilled photographer and photo collector.  Supporting actor ROY HYKE (1917-1982) had small roles in some major films, beginning with The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), and including Red River, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Twelve O'Clock High. In the early 1950s he appeared on such TV series as The Cisco Kid and Wild Bill Hickock. RITA JOHNSON (1913-1965) made her Broadway debut in 1935, her screen premier two years later. She could play standard heroines, as in My Friend Flicka (1943), or more complex roles, such as the haughty murderess in Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1944). She was critically acclaimed as the doomed wife in They Won't Believe Me (1947). Her career was seriously curtailed in a freak accident when a hair dryer fell on her head. LORETTA YOUNG (1913-2000) appeared in films as a child extra from age 4. Growing up in silent movies, she had become an established star by the 1930s. She won an Oscar as Best Actress for The Farmer's Daughter (1947) and was nominated for the same award for Come to the Stable (1949). Young hosted a TV teleplay, The Loretta Young Show (1953-1961); she appeared in about half of the show's episodes, winning three Emmy Awards. JEFF CHANDLER (1918-1960), who began his career as a radio actor, made his film debut in 1947. In 1950, he made the first of three performances on the big screen as Apache Chief Cochise in Broken Arrow, earning an Academy Award nomination. Chandler, who was one of the top leading men of the 1950s, died shortly after making Merrill's Marauders (1962), from blood poisoning after spinal surgery. J. CARROLL NAISH (1897-1973), the quintessential character actor, was seen in over 175 films as a Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, French, South Seas islander, Portuguese, Italian, German and Native American (title role in Sitting Bull). Ironically, Naish, who was descended from a highly respected family of Irish politicians and civil servants, never portrayed an Irishman during his long career. On television, he played the title role in 39 episodes of The New Adventures of Charlie Chan(1957). Naish was nominated for two Best Supporting Actor Academy Awards: Sahara and A Medal for Benny. After a few film appearances (June Bride, 1948), BETTY LYNN became familiar to TV audiences as the sweetheart of Barney Fife (Don Knotts) on The Andy Griffith Show (1961-1966). She reprised the role in Return to Mayberry (1986). Lynn was a frequent TV guest star, with recurring roles in My Three Sons (1967-1971) and Matlock (1986). LOUISE BEAVERS (1902-1962) is best known for her role in the 1934 film, Imitation of Life, and in the title role on the TV series, Beulah (1952-1953). She appeared in almost 100 films in the 1930s. In 1950, Beavers starred as Jackie Robinson's mother in The Jackie Robinson Story (which starred Jackie as himself). MARIA PALMER (1917-1981), born Maria Pichler in Vienna, trained as a stage actress and a dancer before making her New York debut on the stage. Beginning in the early 1940s, Palmer appeared in such films as Mission to Moscow (1943), Lady on a Train (1944) and By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953). Palmer also starred in a TV series, The Young Marrieds (1964-1965), hosted her own local Los Angeles show, Sincerely, Maria Palmer, and made a long list of guest appearances on television shows and series, from Your Show Time in 1949 to Adam-12 in 1971. Dust cover tattered, soiled and worn. Separated at folds. Book corners worn and bent. Cover lightly soiled and stained. Pages toned and lightly foxed. Overall, fair condition.