RAY STRICKLYN - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 05/22/1984 - HFSID 300986

RAY STRICKLYN
Letter to Theatre World editor John Willis, "recuperating" from a very successful year.
Typed Letter signed: "Ray", 1 page, 5½x8½. No place, 1984 May 22. On personal letterhead to "Dear John" [Willis], in full: "Thank you so much for the invitation to the 40th (!) Annual Theatre World Awards party next Thursday. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend, but, oh, how I would like to! I'm sure it will be another smashing year and all those young actors being honored - only the beginning, I'm sure, for a lot of them. I'm still recuperating from my year. It's more like a dream now - but in moments of rationality I know it was real and they can't take it away from me! If you ever get to L. A., please call me. Would love to visit. Best". Accompanied by typed transmittal envelope to John Willis, New York, N.Y. Ray Stricklyn (1928-2002) made his Broadway debut in A Climate of Eden (1952), and was soon appearing in films. He got top billing for the first time in the title role in Young Jesse James (1960). He was seen frequently in TV guest spots for over 40 years, from Dr. Christian (1956) to The Nanny (1998). He portrayed Tennessee Williams in a successful one-man show, Confessions of a Nightingale, beginning in 1983, hence the reference to a dream year in this letter. Stricklyn never became a big star, but he became very successful as a publicist, numbering among his clients Henry Fonda, Shelley Winters, Janet Leigh, Elizabeth Taylor and Bette Davis. He also managed the introduction of Rubik's Cube in the US. Theatre World, founded in 1945 by Daniel Blum, is America's oldest annual record of Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional theatre, referenced by industry professionals, historians, students and theatre fans worldwide. Until 1998, when a separate nonprofit corporation was established, Theatre World's editorial staff bestowed the prestigious Theatre World Awards for outstanding Broadway and Off-Broadway debuts. Screen World (from 1950) and Dance World (from 1966), administered from the same office, furnished comprehensive information on those entertainment genres. John A. Willis (1916-2010), active in Theatre World from the beginning, became its chief editor in 1965, holding that position until 2008. Willis is regarded as one of the foremost theatre and film historians of the 20th century. While producing (and presenting) the annual Theatre World Awards, Willis also served on the nominating committee for the Tony Awards. Theatre World, which received its own Tony for Excellence in Theatre in 2001, continues under chief editor Ben Hodges. Fine condition.