MARION ROSS - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 04/28/1981 - HFSID 270276

MARION ROSS
ALS: "Marion", 1 page, 6¼x9. Van Nuys, California, 1981 April 28. On stationery embossed with her name to comedienne and actress Phyllis Diller. Begins: "Dearest Phyllis". In full: "Thank you so much for the picture from your wonderful Party. What a nice thing to do! And congratulations on your Humanitarian Award! You are my Hero! You are the full 'Magic of beleiving' (sic) Love". Lightly creased with fold, not at signature. Light paper clip impression and rust stain at upper blank margin. Fine condition. With original mailing envelope, 6¼x4¾. "B" U.S. postage stamp affixed, postmarked Van Nuys, California, April 28, 1981. Addressed by Ross to: "Phyllis Diller, 163 So. Rockingham Ave., Los Angeles, Ca. 90049". Lightly creased and soiled. Light paperclip impression and rust stain on verso. Fine condition. Diller credited The Magic of Believing, a book by Claude Bristol, with bringing her from obscurity to international stardom. The book, which encouraged people to use their gifts, inspired Diller to use her talent to make people laugh. Diller received a Humanitarian Award from the AMC Cancer Research Center. In the year she wrote this letter, Ross was not only starring on Happy Days, but she also appeared in a made-for-TV movie, Midnight Offerings, and made a guest appearance on TV's The Love Boat. MARION ROSS (born in 1928) is best known as Marion Cunningham in the popular TV sitcom, Happy Days (1974-1984), a role she reprised in the 30th anniversary show (2004). For this role, she won Emmy Awards (Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series) in 1979 and 1984. Ross had starred in a sitcom, Life with Father as early as 1953-1955. She is the voice of Grandma in the popular cartoon series SpongeBob SquarePants (from 1999). 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). By 2000, the comedienne, who had trained as a concert pianist before her marriage (1939-1965) to Sherwood Anderson Diller, had appeared as a piano soloist with 100 symphony orchestras across the U.S. 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). 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). By 2000, the comedienne, who had trained as a concert pianist before her marriage (1939-1965) to Sherwood Anderson Diller, had appeared as a piano soloist with 100 symphony orchestras across the U.S. 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.