MONTAGUE "MONTY" BANKS - CLIPPED SIGNATURE CO-SIGNED BY: MARGOLA FRANCIS WILSON, JOEL ASHLEY, RICHARD L. ROSENTHAL - HFSID 19008

MONTY BANKS, CO-SIGNED BY: JOEL ASHLEY, RICHARD L. ROSENTHAL and MARGOLA FRANCIS WILSON
Guest book page signed by actors Monty Banks and Joel Ashley and business executive and humanitarian Richard L. Rosenthal
Clipped signatures: "Monty Banks" in blue ink and, on verso, "Margola Francis Wilson", "Joel Ashley" and "Richard L. Rosenthal". 9½x3. Italian-born director BANKS (1897-1950) appeared in his first film in 1916, two years after emigrating to the United States. Two of his first films were directed by Mack Sennett, and he appeared in numerous comedy shorts during the 1920s. Probably the most famous of his comedies is 1927's Play Safe, with a famous runaway train sequence that was edited into its own two-reeler called Chasing Choo-Choos. Banks also became a director with 1924's Hot Sands and directed one of Laurel and Hardy's movies, 1941's Great Guns. In all, Banks appeared in almost 90 movies between 1916 and 1945 and directed almost 40 movies between 1934 and 1941. American actor ASHLEY (1919-2000) appeared in over 40 movies and TV shows between 1950 and 1967, mostly in TV westerns. He had a recurring role as Private Boone in Boots and Saddles (1957-1958) and repeat appearances in Gunsmoke (1956-1960). WILSON was Ashley's first wife. They were married from 1942 until her death in 1960. ROSENTHAL (1916-1998) was 29 years old and working at a Wall Street stock investment firm when his friends asked him to join their investment group and buy control in several companies. He acquired three small utilities in the late 1940s, including Citizens Utilities in 1946. Rosenthal transformed Citizens Utilities from a struggling $2.4 million company to a corporate powerhouse with more than $300 million in revenues, comprised of forty separate companies and with almost half a million customers in 12 states, by his retirement in 1989. Rosenthal also supported the arts, founding the Richard and Hilda Rosenthal Foundation in 1948 to award cash prizes to artists. Film directors Brian de Palma and Martin Scorsese were two of the young artists to benefit from his largesse. His son, Rick Rosenthal, became a TV and film director; the elder Rosenthal had a bit part as a judge in his son's 1983 movie Bad Boys. Lightly toned. Show-through touches signatures. Signatures touch. Irregular top and bottom edges. Light discoloration along right edge. Neatly torn from binding at left edge. Otherwise in fine condition.