HELEN TWELVETREES - AUTOGRAPH - HFSID 342947

HELEN TWELVETREES
The stage and screen actress sign her name for child actor Billy Seays in pencil
Signature: "Helen Twelvetrees" in pencil. 1 page, 6x4½. Unidentified signature on verso merits further research. HELEN TWELVETREES (1908-1958) was signed to a series of movie contracts to replace silent film stars unwilling or unable to perform in the sound era. Her first picture was The Ghost Talks (1929). The following year, her performance in Her Man proved the model for her future roles, a long-suffering woman tied to the wrong guy. She starred opposite some major actors, including Spencer Tracy in Now I'll Talk (1934). She made her last film, Unmarried, in 1939, but continued to act on stage. She was praised for her performance as Blanche Dubois in a summer stock performance of A Streetcar Named Desirein 1951. Her death in 1958 was ruled a suicide, following an overdose of prescription medication. After a funeral attended only by her husband and one friend, she was buried in an unmarked grave in Middletown, Pennsylvania which was only rediscovered in 2009. From the album collection of child actor BILLY SEAY (1922-2012), who appeared in many films throughout the decade including The Greater Glory (1926), My Man (1928), and The Marriage Playground (1929). Seay would leave Hollywood in the early 1930s to become a noted artist and illustrator. Toned and slightly soiled. Small stains throughout. Binding holes in left margin. Light surface creases. Corners rounded. Otherwise, fine condition.