PERCY CROSBY - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 05/19/1933 - HFSID 298060

PERCY CROSBY
The cartoonist agrees to write his friend Walter Winchell's column while Winchell is on vacation.
Typed Letter signed: "Percy Crosby", 1 page, 8½x11. McLean, Virginia, 1933 May 19. On letterhead of Skippy Inc. and written to Mr. Walter Winchell, c/o Daily Mirror, new York, new York. In full: "My dear Walter: It will be a great pleasure to contribute one day toward a vacation which you well deserve. I will consider it an honor to do the column for any day you care to have me do it, and I will exercise every bit of judgment in my contribution, so that your mind may be at peace. I mean by that you need not worry about me putting anything in which will react toward you when you return, the way you explained happened the last time someone took your place. In a word, I am deeply interested in having you take a much-needed rest. That is paramount with me. I will try to put in a few philosophical remarks. Perhaps you do receive complaints, but recently I have heard only the highest praise for your column. There is one thing I am going to say in that column, and that is that I hope you give us that book of short stories soon. I want you to know I am deeply grateful for the honor extended to me, and I accept this invitation in the spirit of friendship. Yes, brother, I can spare a holiday. Sincerely yours," PERCY CROSBY (1890-1964) was an editorial and sports cartoonist before starting in 1923 to draw Skippy, originally a full-page cartoon in Life magazine. By 1925, Skippy was immensely popular. His active cartoon images and fluid brush strokes influenced later generations of cartoonists. Several volumes of Skippy cartoons were published, as well as other collections of his artwork, including Between Shots, war cartoons inspired by his experiences in World War I. Crosby claimed that Skippy Peanut Butter had infringed on his copyright, but could not prove it. Eventually, while battling alcoholism and mental illness, he began to promote his controversial political views in the Skippy strip, and its popularity declined. The "father of the newspaper gossip column", which he pioneered in the 1920s, WALTER WINCHELL (1897-1972) created such phrases as "scram", "pushover" and "belly laughs". He also was a familiar voice on radio from 1929 through the mid-1950s, punctuating his staccato delivery with the sound of teletype keys. Normal mailing folds. Creased. Torn at edges. Otherwise, fine condition.