JANE NOVAK - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 12/04/1977 - HFSID 214770

JANE NOVAK
Signed autograph letter (1977), touting her cookbook
Autograph Letter signed: "J. N.", and "Jane Novak" [in text],1 page, 7½ x 10¼. No place, 1977 December 4. To "Dear Miss Mendoza". In full: "I have sent your autograph and a picture under separate cover. [Items not included.] I thought I would tell you that I have written a cook book - all chicken and if you like chicken you might like to look at it at your local bookstore.  'Treasury of Chicken Cookery' by Jane Novak. Published by 'Harper and Row', N.Y. I hope you like it. Sincerely".  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 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." The 1974 cookbook she mentions here is still in print, as is another: Great Chicken Dishes (1989). Ragged upper edge. Ink note on verso (unknown hand). Light show-through. Otherwise, fine condition.