RICHARD B. STOLLEY - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 03/22/1993 - HFSID 270576

RICHARD B. STOLLEY
ALS: "Dick Stolley" as Senior Editorial Adviser of Time, Inc. New York City, 1993 March 22. On imprinted card to comedienne and actress Phyllis Diller. Begins: "Dear Phyllis". In full: "What a thoughtful thing for you to do! Yes. I am retired as Editorial Director of Time Inc. but I'm staying on as a cunsultant/adviser. And very busy at that. So all's well that ends well. I've had a very interesting life up to now and have no intention of changing! We missed you in Miami this year. Thanks again. Warm regards". RICHARD BROCKWAY STOLLEY (1928-2021) began his career in journalism with a stint at the "Chicago Sun-Times" before joining the staff of "Life" magazine. During his tenure with "Life", Stolley served as Atlanta bureau chief (1956-1960), Los Angeles bureau chief (1961-1964), Washington bureau chief (1964-1968), Senior Editor based in Europe (1968-1970) and Assistant Managing Editor (1971-1973), and he was Managing Editor of "Life" monthly (1982-1986). Stolley then became Director of Special Projects for Time, Inc. (1987-1989) and Editorial Director of Time, Inc. (1989-1993). In 1974, he was the founding editor of "People" magazine, remaining with that publication from1974-1982. Stolley, who became Senior Editorial Adviser to Time, Inc. in 1993, the year he wrote this letter, was later the executive producer of the TV series, Extra (1995-1996). Comedienne PHYLLIS DILLER (1917-2012), known for her outrageous appearance, zany outfits, distinctive laugh and a stand-up act that featured frequent references to her fictional husband, "Fang", and zingers about her sex appeal and numerous plastic surgeries, got her big break in March 1955 (at age 37), when she debuted at San Francisco's Purple Onion club. A subsequent appearance on The Tonight Show hosted by Jack Paar launched her national career, which got a big boost after Bob Hope saw Diller in a Washington, D.C. club. A favorite of the comedian, Diller would appear in three of Hope's films and 23 of his TV specials. Diller, who recorded her first comedy record album in 1959, took her groundbreaking "funny hausfrau" act to nightclubs and television variety shows and specials and she also appeared on the big screen. Her feature film credits include Splendor in the Grass (1961), The Fat Spy (1966), Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! (1966), The Sunshine Boys (1975) and The Silence of the Hams (1994), and she provided the voice of the Queen in A Bug's Life (1998). By 2000, the comedienne, who had trained as a concert pianist before her marriage (1939-1965) to Sherwood Anderson Diller, had appeared as a piano soloist with 100 symphony orchestras across the U.S. Despite retiring from nightclub/stage tours in May 2002 at the age of 84, Diller continued to make films (Motorcross Kids, 2004; Forget About It, 2005) and occasionally appear on TV programs, including two episodes of 7th Heaven (2002, 2003) and a guest shot on The Wayne Brady Show (2004). Fine condition.