JOHN HODIAK - DOCUMENT DOUBLE SIGNED 08/17/1946 - HFSID 288929

JOHN HODIAK
Consent form authorizing the Motion Picture Relief Fund to reproduce his signature and likeness for a series of stamps raising money for needy film industry veterans, also signed by a representative of Loew's Inc. The form is signed twice by Hodiak, once as an autograph sample and again to grant permission. A remarkable, perfectly verified example!
Document signed twice: "John Hodiak", 1 page, 8½x11. Burbank, California, 1946 August 17. Paul Henreid grants to the Motion Picture Relief Fund, Inc., its successors and assigns, the exclusive right, to use his name, autograph, photographic likeness, or artist's sketch of the likeness, for reproduction on engraved, embossed or printed stamps, and in stamp albums, and in connection with the advertising and exploitation of these stamps and stamp albums for sale throughout the world. Also signed by a representative of Loew's, Inc., subject to conformity with the terms of a parallel agreement between the MPRP and that studio. John Hodiak (1914-1955), who started his career on radio, appeared in such films as Lifeboat (1944), A Bell for Adano (1945), Somewhere in the Night (1946) and Battleground (1949) after signing an MGM contract in 1942. Hodiak, who originated the role of Lieutenant Maryk in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial on Broadway (1954), also appeared on Broadway in The Chase (1952) and was a guest star on several TV shows. He was married to actress Anne Baxter from 1946 to 1953. He suffered a fatal heart attack at his home while filming his last picture, On the Threshold of Space.The Motion Picture Relief Fund was founded in 1921 to assist ill and needy film industry veterans, as expressed in its motto: "We take care of our own." The fund raised money through voluntary payroll deductions and celebrity events. As President of the Fund from 1939 until his death in 1956, film and radio star Jean Hersholt conceived Hollywood Star Stamps as a fundraising method. These stamps, 468 in all, were sold at dime stores after World War II in sheets of 6-12, at 10 cents per sheet, and were an immediate hit with collectors. Now called the Motion Picture and Television Fund, the non-profit organization funds its own hospital and retirement home. It confers the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award annually at the Academy Awards ceremony to "an individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry." Notch at top left edge. Staples holes top left corner. Filing holes at left edge. Otherwise, fine condition.