JANE NOVAK - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 11/26/1915 - HFSID 171864

JANE NOVAK
Signed autograph letter to a fan (1915), discussing her upcoming films
Autograph Letter signed: "Jane Novak", 2 pages, 10½x6¾, front and verso. Hollywood, California, 1915 November 26. To "Dear Miss Calvert". In full: "Your charming letter received. Am very glad you like my screen interpretations of the various roles I portray. I am now playing in a thirty four reel serial 'Graft', and hope you will like me equally as well as Dorothy Maxwell in it. My next release is as 'Janet' in 'The White Scar.' Trusting that you may see some of my new releases, and that the shots meet with your approval, I am Universally yours". Jane Novak (1896-1990) appeared in film shorts from 1913, and had larger roles in several Hal Roach comedies (with Harold Lloyd in Willie's Haircut, 1914; and Just Nuts, 1915). By the 1920s, however, she had established herself as a Western heroine, co-starring in films with William S. Hart (with whom she was linked romantically) and Tom Mix. She impressed critics with strong dramatic performances in Thelma (1922) and The Lullaby (1925). Like many silent stars, she was reduced to mostly bit parts in talking films (through 1954). A lifelong friend of Alfred Hitchcock, she appeared in his Foreign Correspondent (1940). Novak made a fortune in real estate and film production, and then lost it in the stock market crash of 1929. Her acting range may be indicated by the diverse ways in which she is described by critics. Gary Brumburgh at IMDB calls her "fragile-looking," while Hans Wollstein at All-Movie Guide terms her "the strong outdoorsy type." In addition to acting, she published two cookbooks of chicken recipes. Paper and adhesive residue, both sides, from previous mounting. Toned and lightly soiled. Otherwise, fine condition.