HOWARD HUGHES - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED CO-SIGNED BY: JEAN PETERS - HFSID 36741

HOWARD HUGHES and JEAN PETERS
Hughes writes to his wife, Jean, apologizing for the delay in their nightly meeting (they lived in separate quarters) due to "a terrible accident", with Peter's telling him to take his time. He later pens a few notes on wanting to watch Slattery's People with her, but could not due to agonizing pains
Autograph letter signed: "Howard", "J", 1 page (front and verso), 8½x14. No place, no date, but circa 1964. Hughes' letter begins: "Dearest". In full: "Will you be up another ½ hour? I have had a terrible accident. Will explain. Please forgive me". Peters' letter, written beneath her husband's, begins: "Dear Love". In full: "- I was wondering what happened to you - I'll be up - take your time. Love". Hughes has penned a few notes on the verso: "I cannot tell you how sorry I am to be so late. I had troubles at the last minute", "Did you see Slattery's People?", "It is the only TV show I have seen since I waked up", "I intended to send you work at the start so we could see it together, then I began having these agonizing pains again".  The relationship between business tycoon HOWARD HUGHES (1905-1976) and actress JEAN PETERS (1926-2000), which was marked with strange meeting rituals and periods of little or no direct contact, was anything but normal, yet their sincere devotion to each other endured throughout their 14-year marriage. The dashing aviator and movie mogul had met Peters in 1946, when she had come to Hollywood as a prize for winning the Miss Ohio state title. Hughes was intrigued by Twentieth Century-Fox's rising star, who made her film debut in 1947. Following 11 years of sporadic dating, the two were married in a small mining town outside of Las Vegas on January 12, 1957. Hughes, known for working odd hours into the night, preferred to relay his business and personal directives via memos and hand-written notes rather than the spoken word, and he would communicate with his wife in this same manner. They jotted notes about planned meetings, films, business and opinions in general. In 1964, Mr. and Mrs. Hughes lived at the fashionable address of 1001 Bel Aire. However, their marital arrangements included separate living quarters, and Jean often was required to make an appointment with Hughes' aides in order to see her husband. By this time in their marriage, the couple was known to usually spend a half hour together after 11 p.m. before retiring to their separate bedrooms. In November 1966, Howard Hughes confined himself to a hotel penthouse in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 1970, after having spent most of her married life with Hughes in separate accommodations, Jean Peters Hughes was granted a divorce. Fold in center. Light surface creases. Fine condition.