RICARDO CORTEZ - AUTOGRAPH CIRCA 1936 - HFSID 165325

RICARDO CORTEZ
He signs this card bearing the title "Myrus, The Mental Marvel"
Signature: "Ricardo Cortez" in pencil, 4x5. New York City, circa 1936. Signed on the lined question side of a card promoting the appearance of "Myrus, The Mental Marvel" at the Hollywood Cabaret - Restaurant on Broadway at 48th Street. Imprinted illustration and promotional copy on verso. Ricardo Cortez (1899-1977), born Jacob Krantz in New York, New York was transformed into Latin Lover Ricardo Cortez from Spain when he entered films during the Valentino era. Groomed by Paramount to be the successor to Valentino, Cortez, while popular, was usually saddled in run-of-the-mill romances, such as Argentine Love (1924), In the Name of Love (1925) and The Cat's Pajamas (1926). Over the course of his career (1920s-1940s), Cortez, who was the only actor to have his name above Greta Garbo's in the credits (The Torrent, 1926, her first American film), was seen in a number of "B" films, and he also directed several films in 1939 and 1940. Cortez, who made only one television guest appearance (Bonanza, 1960), retired from acting to return to Wall Street (where he had started as a runner decades before) as a member of a top brokerage firm. This card is from the personal collection of Elsie Myrus, the wife of the "Wizard of Mental Telepathy". She collected the autographs of celebrities attending her husband's shows. Lightly creased and worn at blank corners. Lightly soiled, touching signature. Otherwise, fine condition.