KEENAN WYNN - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 04/23/1942 - HFSID 46968
Sale Price $485.00
Reg. $575.00
THE ACTOR, STRAPPED FOR CASH, WRITES ABOUT SELLING STOCKS OR BONDS FROM HIS
MOTHER'S ESTATE AND SUBLETTING HIS NEW YORK APARTMENT SHORTLY BEFORE MAKING HIS
FILM DEBUT IN A CLARK GABLE FILM, SOMEWHERE I'LL FIND
YOU
KEENAN WYNN. TLS: "Keenan", 1p, 7¼x10½. No place, 1942
April 23. To Mr. Sidney Fleisher, New York City. In full: "How are
you? Sorry I have not written sooner but I have been very busy getting settled
in our house. I have been off salary until this week when I start a part in
the Gable picture, so consequently Evie and I are pretty strapped and we are
convinced that it is necessary to sell something in the way of stocks or bonds
from my mother's estate. I have debts amounting to $2500.00, so you can use your
own judgment about what to sell. If you need power of attorney in
order to get into the vault, have Mary send me whatever forms I should sign and
I will execute them and return to you immediately. What about the cash which
was supposed to have been available, and when do I get it. Needless to say I
am anxiously waiting for same. I am also enclosing bill from Peacock Memorial.
Have Mary pay it after ascertaining that the memorial has been put up.
Regarding the apartment - what have you done about subletting it. Are the ads
still in the New York Times. If it is more than $2.00 a Sunday I think we better
advertise just once a month. Any decent offer will of course be accepted.
Evie and the baby are fine and she sends her love. Please let me hear from
you soon." At the time of this letter, Wynn was married to his first
wife, EVE LYNN ABBOTT, a former actress who had toured with Katherine Cornell.
She left her career upon her marriage to Wynn (September 1938-January 1947),
and the couple would have two children, NED WYNN, born on April 27, 1941 (the
baby mentioned in this letter), and TRACY KEENAN WYNN (born in
1945). Wynn's mother was his father's first wife (1914-1937), HILDA KEENAN.
In the year of this letter, Wynn made his film debut in an uncredited role in
the Clark Gable vehicle, Somewhere I'll Find You. That year, he also
appeared in For Me and My Gal and Northwest Rangers (made while
Gable was away at war). Part of a multi-generation acting family that
included his father, comedian Ed Wynn, 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). Lightly creased with folds, not at signature.
Receipt stamp at lower right margin, pencil erasures at upper left margin, which
has 2 file holes at blank area. Minor stain to right of signature. Slightly
soiled at blank areas. Overall, fine condition.
Following offer submission users will be contacted at their account email address within 48 hours. Our response will be to accept your offer, decline your offer or send you a final counteroffer. All offers can be viewed from within the "Offer Review" area of your HistoryForSale account. Please review the Make Offer Terms prior to making an offer.
If you have not received an offer acceptance or counter-offer email within 24-hours please check your spam/junk email folder.