JEROME "JERRY" LAWRENCE - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 07/26/1984 - HFSID 303129

JEROME LAWRENCE
He invites Theatre World editor John Willis to visit his Malibu Beach home, Walden West, named for Lawrence's idol and pictured on this card.
Typed Letter signed: "Jerry", 1 page, 5½x4 card folded, 5½x8 unfolded. Typed inside a personal card which pictures "Walden West," Lawrence's luxurious Malibu Beach home, on the outside. 1984 July 26, postmarked Marina Del Ray, California. To "Dear John", in full: "How dear and thoughtful of you to remember my birthday, which I always call: 'Bastard Day'. Thank you, thank you for your beautiful card and note. It was a joy for me to attend the awards party. Please ask me every year. I've already entered June 6, 1985 in my desk calendar! And one day you must come visit WALDEN WEST on the shores of the unpacific Pacific. Warmest to you across the miles." Accompanied by the transmittal envelope, postmarked Marina Del Rey, California, 1984 July 28 and addressed to John Willis, New York, New York. Playwright JEROME LAWRENCE (1915-2004), born Jerome Lawrence Schwartz, and Robert E. Lee collaborated on 39 works, including Mame (for which Lawrence was nominated for a Tony Award in 1966), Inherit the Wind, First Monday in October and The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, during their 25-year partnership. Lawrence, who had begun his career as a reporter/editor for Ohio newspapers and was later a writer for CBS radio, was inducted into the national Theatre Hall of Fame in 1990. The Lawrence-Lee Theatre Research Institute at Ohio State honors the successful writing team. Lawrence, who idolized Henry David Thoreau, named his Malibu Beach home after the author of Walden. Theatre World, founded in 1945 by Daniel Blum, is America's oldest annual record of Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional theatre, referenced by industry professionals, historians, students and theatre fans worldwide. Until 1998, when a separate nonprofit corporation was established, Theatre World's editorial staff bestowed the prestigious Theatre World Awards for outstanding Broadway and Off-Broadway debuts. Screen World (from 1950) and Dance World (from 1966), administered from the same office, furnished comprehensive information on those entertainment genres. John A. Willis (1916-2010), active in Theatre World from the beginning, became its chief editor in 1965, holding that position until 2008. Willis is regarded as one of the foremost theatre and film historians of the 20th century. While producing (and presenting) the annual Theatre World Awards, Willis also served on the nominating committee for the Tony Awards. Theatre World, which received its own Tony for Excellence in Theatre in 2001, continues under chief editor Ben Hodges. Fine condition.