MARK STEVENS - DOCUMENT DOUBLE SIGNED 06/26/1946 - HFSID 288822

MARK STEVENS
Consent form authorizing the Motion Picture Relief Fund to reproduce Mark Stevens's signature and likeness for a series of stamps raising money for needy film industry veterans. The form is signed twice by Stevens, once as an autograph sample and again to grant permission. A remarkable, perfectly verified example!
Document signed twice: "Mark Stevens", 2 pages, 8½x11. No place, 1946 June 26. Mark Stevens 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. Multitalented actor, singer, producer and author Mark Stevens (1916-1994), born Richard William Stevens, sang and appeared on stage in Canada before signing with Warner Bros. in Hollywood. Cast as a leading man in such films as Within These Walls (1945), The Dark Corner (1946) and The Street With No Name (1948), Stevens also appeared in several musicals, including I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now (1947) and Oh, You Beautiful Doll (1949). With the advent of television, Stevens starred in two TV series, Martin Kane, Private Eye (1953-1954) and Big Town (1954-1956). He also started a successful production company, Mark Stevens Television, Inc., as well as Mark Stevens Music. In the late 1950s, Stevens moved to Europe, where he opened a restaurant in Spain and wrote several novels. Stevens, who was once romantically involved with actress Hedy Lamarr, later returned to TV in guest-starring roles. 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." Three filing holes at left. Staple holes at top left. Slightly creased. Otherwise, fine condition.