IRVING BERLIN - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 05/15/1958 - HFSID 279515

IRVING BERLIN
He signs a typed 1958 letter, acknowledging a birthday greeting from an old friend.
Typed Letter signed: "Irving", 1 page, 7¼x10½. No place, 1958 May 15. On personal letterhead to John Rumsey, New York, N.Y. In full: "Again you have not forgotten to remember my birthday. Ellin and I went to the country and I mentioned the fact that I haven't heard from Jack Rumsey and called up my house to find out if anything had arrived from you. And sure enough, it had. Of course, I'm delighted to hear about how well you are and how you keep going. Keep it up. With love from us, as always". Irving Berlin (1888-1989), born Israel Isidore Baline in Tumen, Siberia, Russia, was such a force in American music that in 1924, when Berlin was just 37, songwriter Jerome Kern gave this assessment: "Irving Berlin has no place in American music. He is American music." If the only song he ever wrote was "God Bless America", made famous by Kate Smith, Berlin would be an important part of American music. But Berlin wrote more than 900 songs, including the classics "A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody", "There's No Business Like Show Business", "Always", "Easter Parade" and "Blue Skies", 19 musicals, including Annie Get Your Gun and Call Me Madam, and the scores of 18 movies, including Holiday Inn, which featured his 1942 Academy Award-winning song, "White Christmas". Ellin (Mackay) Berlin defied her wealthy Catholic father to marry the widowed Irving Berlin in 1926. The Berlins were married for 62 years until her death, one year before his. Ellin wrote four novels and many short stories and essays. John Rumsey was a former executive of the American Play Company, which licensed plays for performance by amateur theater groups. Rust stain at left. Fold creases, not near signature. Fine condition.