JEAN HERSHOLT - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 03/31/1949 - HFSID 101973

JEAN HERSHOLT
Jean Hersholt sends a typed letter of thanks for advertising in the Souvenir Program.
Typed Letter Signed: "Jean Hersholt" as President of the Motion Picture Relief Fund, 1p, 7¼x10½. Beverly Hills, California, 1949 March 31. To Mr. Harry Davenport, Hollywood, California. In full: "It is difficult in a brief note to encompass the deep gratitude the directors of the Motion Picture Relief Fund and I feel for the generous support you have given us through advertising in the Souvenir Program in connection with the Friars' Frolic, April 16th. Your help means the Motion Picture Relief Fund can continue its work. All that is in our hearts I can express only with the words - thank you. With deep appreciation, Sincerely," Danish actor Jean Hersholt's (1886-1956) screen image was altered permanently in 1936 when he was cast as Dr. Dafoe, the Canadian obstetrician who delivered the celebrated Dionne Quintuplets, in 20th Century-Fox's The Country Doctor. Plans to create a Dr. Dafoe movie series were blocked by the real Dafoe, but Hersholt was anxious to sustain the characterization of a beneficent, lovable small-town doctor. Thus Dr. Christian, named for Hersholt's favorite author, Hans Christian Andersen, was born. The actor created the role of Dr. Christian on radio in 1937 and then filmed a series of six Christian movies for RKO (1939-1941). Extending the ethics and generosity of Dr. Christian into his private life, Hersholt set up the Motion Picture Relief Fund, which provided medical care and a livable income for actors, directors and other studio employees who were no longer able to care for themselves. While serving as President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, he received two honorary Academy Awards for his charity work (1940, 1950). After the actor's death in 1956, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award was set up by the Academy to honor conspicuous acts of selflessness and kindness in the movie industry. Fold creases through signature. Fine condition.