MARION DAVIES - AUTOGRAPHED INSCRIBED PHOTOGRAPH - HFSID 309652

MARION DAVIES
11x14 image of the actress and William Randolph Hearst mistress, inscribed to gossip columnist and Hearst ally Louella Parsons and her husband "Doc" Martin. A nice combination!
Photograph inscribed and signed: "To Louella and Doc,/Hope you like my new pictures./Fondest love,/Marion". B/w, 11x14. MARION DAVIES (1897-1961) was an American actress whose relationship with William Randolph Hearst was thinly fictionalized in Orson Welles' classic film Citizen Kane (1941). Featured on Broadway in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1916, Davies made her screen debut in Runaway Romany (1917). While not a great actress, she possessed good comic and musical skills. The Hearst newspapers praised her performances extravagantly, while rival newspapers reacted by panning her. Her starring roles extended from Enchantment (1920) to Ever Since Eve (1937), after which she retired to play hostess at Hearst's San Simeon estate and pursue philanthropic interests. This James Manatt photo is inscribed to Hollywood's reigning gossip columnist, Louella Parsons, and her husband, Dr. Harry "Doc" or "Dockie" Martin. Parsons, who notoriously biased reviews good make or break a film or aspiring actor, wrote for the Hearst newspapers and was his close ally. Naturally, she praised Davies, and was relentless in her criticism of Welles' Citizen Kane. "Doc" Martin was a real doctor, an urologist, popular in Hollywood and known for his heavy drinking. He became Chief Medical Officer at Twentieth Century Fox, reportedly happy to supply stars with any pills necessary to boost their performances. His discreet treatment of venereal diseases earned him the nickname "Hollywood's clap doctor". Corners worn. Unknown mark near left edge. Fine condition.