JOAN WALSH ANGLUND - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 11/30/1981 - HFSID 270431

DESIRABLE ORIGINAL DRAWING BY THE ILLUSTRATOR AND AUTHOR ON A LETTER TO COMEDIENNE PHYLLIS DILLER
 
JOAN WALSH ANGLUND. ALS: "bob & joan" by Joan Walsh Anglund, 3p, 6x9, separate sheets. Easton, Connecticut, 1981 November 30. On salmon-colored sheets to comedienne and actress Phyllis Diller. Begins: "GOOD MORNING Dear Phyllis [heart] with A BIG HUG for You!" Anglund has then drawn two of her charming characters giving each other a hug. In full: "Your lovely Christmas card our FIRST of this season just ARRIVED! (The blue one with the silver bookmark which I intend to use each and every day...as I read a little (before meditation)...you are such a LOVING person!!! ...your 'light' shines out [Anglund has drawn a star at upper right corner]...to every one you meet!!! ..you send forth such LOVE [heart]...it radiates out!...(think of the millions of people you have helped to make 'happier') I just wanted you to 'know' what a happy thing it is for us to go to the mail box & find one of your funny cards!!! (from half-way around the world sometimes!)...letting us know that you were 'thinking' about us! It is so very sweet & thoughtful of you! We send you back, our love, too,..dear Phyllis...[heart] with deep gratitude that we have been 'given' your friendship...(we treasure it!) Love [heart]". Lightly creased with folds, not at signature. With original mailing envelope, signed "Joan Walsh Anglund" in three-line handwritten address, 7x3½. "C" Domestic Mail U.S. Postage stamp affixed, postmarked Stamford, CT, November 30, 1981. Addressed by Anglund: "For Phyllis Diller, 163 South Rockingham Ave, Los Angeles Calif 90049". At lower left margin, Anglund has written: "Personal". One of Anglund's color illustratons imprinted on back flap. Lightly creased. Slightly soiled, minor postal marks at return address. Neatly cut open at upper edge. Overall, fine condition. In 1980, the year before she wrote this letter, Anglund published Almost a Rainbow, a book of poems. Artist and author JOAN WALSH ANGLUND (born in 1926) is best known for her charming illustrations of young children that capture the innocence of childhood. Since writing and illustrating her first book, A Friend is Someone Who Likes You, in 1958, Anglund has published more than 75 children's books, which have sold more than 40 million copies worldwide, and her illustrations appear on a wide variety of licensed merchandise, including plates, greeting cards and stationery items, as well as posters. In 1979, Anglund began writing and illustrating a special section in "Good Housekeeping" four times annually, and her artwork has also appeared in such publications as "Ladies' Home Journal", "Woman's Day" and "Family Circle". 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). 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). Two items.