PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN - AUTOGRAPHED INSCRIBED PHOTOGRAPH CO-SIGNED BY: FIRST LADY NANCY DAVIS REAGAN - HFSID 250688

RONALD REAGAN and NANCY REAGAN
Photograph of the Presidential couple with Pearl Bailey, signed by both and calligraphically inscribed to her
Photograph inscribed and signed: "Ronald Reagan",and "Nancy Reagan". Color, 10x8 overall, image 9½x6½ (one surface). Inscribed for the President in another hand: "To Pearl Bailey/With best wishes." The Presidential couple is shown chatting with Pearl Bailey. RONALD REAGAN (1911-2004) became a Republican Party icon who led the party's retaking of the Oval Office in 1980. Before he won the job of Commander in Chief, Reagan served as the Governor of California (1967-1975) and was a television and film actor. He made his screen debut as a young man in crime drama Love Is on the Air (1937). Reagan's dozens of other credits include many appearances on General Electric Theater (1953-1962) and films like Knute Rockne All American (1940) and Bedtime for Bonzo (1951). In a professional leadership role, Reagan was elected to be President of the Screen Actors Guild from 1947 to 1952, and then again from 1959 to 1960. As leader of SAG, Reagan testified to the House Un-American Activities Committee concerning suspected Communists and Communist sympathizers in Hollywood. It was also in this position that he met Nancy Davis, who he would marry in 1952. They stayed together until his death in 2004. During his tenure in the Oval Office, Reagan administration policies reformed the United States tax system and escalated the Cold War. He also survived an assassination attempt and began the War on Drugs. NANCY DAVIS REAGAN (1921-2016) was an actress and First Lady who married U.S. President and actor Ronald Reagan in 1952. When both were actors, she noticed that her name was on the Hollywood blacklist, associating her with the Communist Party. An affiliation with the Communist Party would mean the end of her career, so she consulted with film director Mervyn LeRoy. LeRoy connected her with Screen Actors Guild President Ronald Reagan in 1949, who assured her that there were multiple actresses named Nancy Davis and that he would make sure her name was removed from the blacklist. As an actress, Nancy appeared in film and television roles including The Next Voice You Hear… (1950) and Hellcats of the Navy (1957). The latter film is the only film collaboration between Nancy and Ronald. The two also appeared in an episode of the Zane Grey Theatre (1956-1961) together in 1961. She became the First Lady of California (1967-1975) and the First Lady of the United States (1981-1989) as her husband became an elected official. In the White House, Nancy became an influential force. She renovated the White House and, following an assassination attempt in 1981, threw herself into protecting the President. Her influence on the decision-making process for the President was unprecedented. As First Lady, she also launched the “Just Say No” anti-drug program. Nancy Reagan was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002. PEARL BAILEY (1918-1990), the jazz singer and Broadway star, joined the U.S. delegation to the United Nations in 1976 and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Reagan in 1988. Paperclip impression at left of lower margin. Ink stamps on verso (no show-through). Fine condition.