JAYNE MEADOWS - TYPED LETTER UNSIGNED 08/25/1980 - HFSID 270137

JAYNE MEADOWS
The actress signed this typed letter and sent it to Phyllis Diller asking her to attend "Meadows of Hope"
Typed Letter with imprinted "Jayne", 1p, 7¼x10½. No place, 1980 August 25. Form letter on imprinted Jayne Meadows letterhead to actress and comedienne Phyllis Diller. Begins: "Dear Friend". Meadows has handwritten: "Phyllis - If you're in town, I know you'll enjoy this affair." In Full: "A chronic life-long illness that nearly debilitated me the past six months was diagnosed recently at the City of Hope. Now, with continued treatment, I will be able to live a happy productive life. This hospital is truly the Eighth Wonder of the World. It would mean a great deal to me if you could attend this year's 'Meadows of Hope' on Wednesday, October 15th, 1980 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. It starts with a unique Boutique at 10:00 a.m. followed by a delicious luncheon, fabulous Designers fashion show and musical production emceed by your friend and mine, Steve Allen. The tickets ($30) include the Boutique, luncheon, show, gifts and 33 chances each on such prizes as a Hawaiian vacation for two or $1,000 cash, etc. The City of Hope is a free, nonsectarian National Medical Center devoted to the research and treatment of the major catastrophic diseases; cancer, diabetes and maladies of the heart, chest and blood. Your support of this humanitarian work is concrete evidence that you, too, share a real concern for the health and happiness of your fellow human beings. Please share this lovely day with me. Affectionately". Imprinted postscript: "P.S. The 500 Club for the City of Hope has kindly chosen me as their 'honoree' this year, hence the title: 'Meadows of Hope.' As this year's recipient, I am quite moved to be in the company of several who have received the Silver Spirit of Life - true humanitarians such as Betty Ford and Beverly Sills." Date of the event is circled; ink notes (unknown hand) indicate that Diller would be in Dallas, Texas when this function was held. In the year of this letter, Meadows appeared in a made-for-TV movie, Tenspeed and Brown Shoe, and she was seen on the small screen in guest starring roles on Trapper John, M.D. and The Love Boat. Stage and screen actress Jayne Meadows (1919-2015) began her film career in the mid-1940s as a contract player at MGM. She excelled as cold-blooded "other women", vitriolic divorcees and neurotic murderesses. One popular screen role was as the double- and triple-crossing Mildred Haveland in Lady in the Lake (1946). Meadows has appeared on dozens of variety programs and game shows. Her film credits include Casino (1995) and The Player (1992). Over the course of her career, she was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards in three different decades. She married multitalented comedian, actor, author and songwriter Steve Allen (1921-2000) in 1954. The two made guest appearances as a couple in a few different television productions until his death. Her sister was fellow actress Audrey Meadows (1922-1996). Comedienne PHYLLIS DILLER (1917-2012), known for her outrageous appearance, zany outfits, distinctive laugh and a stand-up act that featured frequent references to her fictional husband, "Fang", and zingers about her sex appeal and numerous plastic surgeries, got her big break in March 1955 (at age 37), when she debuted at San Francisco's Purple Onion club. A subsequent appearance on The Tonight Show hosted by Jack Paar launched her national career, which got a big boost after Bob Hope saw Diller in a Washington, D.C. club. A favorite of the comedian, Diller would appear in three of Hope's films and 23 of his TV specials. Diller, who recorded her first comedy record album in 1959, took her groundbreaking "funny hausfrau" act to nightclubs and television variety shows and specials and she also appeared on the big screen. Her feature film credits include Splendor in the Grass (1961), The Fat Spy (1966), Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! (1966), The Sunshine Boys (1975) and The Silence of the Hams (1994), and she provided the voice of the Queen in A Bug's Life (1998). By 2000, the comedienne, who had trained as a concert pianist before her marriage (1939-1965) to Sherwood Anderson Diller, had appeared as a piano soloist with 100 symphony orchestras across the U.S. Despite retiring from nightclub/stage tours in May 2002 at the age of 84, Diller continued to make films (Motorcross Kids, 2004; Forget About It, 2005) and occasionally appear on TV programs, including two episodes of 7th Heaven (2002, 2003) and a guest shot on The Wayne Brady Show (2004). Lightly creased with folds, not at writing. Staple holes and receipt stamp at upper left blank margin. Otherwise, fine condition.