OLSEN & JOHNSON - INSCRIBED SKETCH SIGNED 03/16/1959 CO-SIGNED BY: EILEEN O'DARE, ADELE KEYES, OLSEN & JOHNSON (CHIC JOHNSON), OLSEN & JOHNSON (OLE OLSEN) - HFSID 15828

OLSEN & JOHNSON

The comedy duo sign an elaborate, humorous ink drawing dedicated to the singer Hildegarde.

Inscribed Sketch signed: "To Hildegarde:/May we always/remain a couple of/mothballs in your/hope chest of memories/Merrily!/Olsen" and "and/Johnson", 7¼x10½ stationery from the Henry Grady Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. Also signed: "Love & Happiness/to a very gracious/lady/God Bless Eileen O'Dare", "Love & Admire/you so much a real/fan of yours/Irene O'Dare" and "Adele Keyes". Olsen & Johnson was created in 1914 when OLE OLSEN (1892-1963) and CHIC JOHNSON (1891-1962) teamed up in a comedy act that made them very popular on the vaudeville circuit. They appeared in eight films in the 1930s and 1940s but had their one big success in Hellzapoppin' (1941), a screen version of their 1938-1940 hit that became one of the longest-running shows in Broadway history. The film garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Song. LORETTA SELL HILDEGARDE (born in 1906), popularly known by her last name only or simply as "the incomparable Hildegarde" was thought by many to be European, although she was born in Wisconsin. A classically trained pianist who played in vaudeville from 1926, she emerged as a popular singer in the 1930s and 1940s with hits that included "Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup" (written by her manager, Anna Sosenko), "The Last Time I Saw Paris" and "I'll Be Seeing You." She also had a popular radio program, Hildegarde's Raleigh Room. Hildegarde continued to perform to great acclaim in nightclubs until age 89, when she decided it wasn't fun anymore. Lightly creased. Staple holes at top left and lower left. No information is available on Adele Keyes. EILEEN O'DARE was a dancer, who appeared on the Ed Sullivan TV show in the 1950s. "Irene O'Dare" may have been a jest. Irene O'Dare was the starring character in a hit musical comedy about a plucky Irish working girl, which had three Broadway runs (1919, 1923 and 1973) and two films (1926 and 1940). The role was filled by such stars as Colleen Moore and Debbie Reynolds, the latter scoring a Tony nomination for it (1973). The handwriting on this "signature" appears to be Olsen's. Four pin holes at upper left corner and two pin holes at lower left. Overall, fine condition.