KEENAN WYNN - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 05/13/1927 - HFSID 169343

THE TEN-YEAR-OLD FUTURE ACTOR WRITES TO HIS GRANDMOTHER FROM LONDON WHILE ON A FAMILY TRIP TO EUROPE
 
KEENAN WYNN. ALS: "xxxxxxx Keenan" in pencil on verso of 5½x3½ postcard. Postcard, b/w with sepia hue, depicts "St. Paul's Cathedral, London" on front. Three half-pence stamp affixed, postmarked London, S.W., May 13, 1927. To "Dear Grandma". In full: "We leave Fri. for Paris. Hope you are well. Having a great time". Handwritten postscript: "P.S Whrite (sic) you. from Paris". Addressed in another hand to: "Mrs. J. Leopold., Garden Apartments B-3, Oriental & New Jersey Aves., Atlantic City, N.J., U.S.A." At the time he wrote this letter to his grandmother, Wynn was just ten years old; he would turn 11 less than three months later (on July 27, 1927). He was on this family trip with his father, comedian ED WYNN, and his mother, Wynn's first wife (1914-1937), the former HILDA KEENAN. In the year of this letter, Ed, already a successful vaudeville comedian, at the urging of his son, made his acting debut (Rubber Heels). Keenan would debut in films himself 15 years later. Part of a multi-generation acting family, Keenan Wynn (1916-1986) had an acting career that spanned 52 years, with 168 roles in movies and numerous appearances on television. His best-known role was that of Colonel "Bat" Guano in the Cold War satire, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), but Wynn also provided supporting performances in Between Two Women (1944), Easy to Wed (1946), Royal Wedding (1951), Kiss Me Kate (1953), The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956) and Finian's Rainbow (1968). He also appeared in the Disney flicks Herbie Rides Again (1974) and The Shaggy D.A. (1976), as well as on Dallas (1978-1980). Writing smudged at 2 words (legible). Slightly creased at blank left edge. Postal markings at upper right of front. Overall, fine condition.