ROBERT WISE - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 01/24/1990 - HFSID 206666

ROBERT WISE
He signs a typed letter explaining why he can't name a favorite performance or a favorite film.
TLS: "Robert Wise", 1 page, 8½x11. Beverly Hills, California, 1990 January 24. On letterhead of Robert Wise Productions to Mr. William W. Stanhope, Albuquerque, New Mexico. In full: "I cannot give you an answer to your recent question 'what are your favorite performances ever by an actor and actress and why?' There have been so many fine performances over the years by actors and actresses that I find it impossible to name a single favorite. I have the same problem and give the same answer when I am asked my single favorite picture of all time...too many outstanding films to say a single one is the best. Sorry-I'm afraid I haven't helped you any." In 1991, the year after he signed this letter, Wise would appear in a TV special, Reflections on Citizen Kane, commenting on what many consider to be the greatest film of all time. Nominated for Academy Awards for Best Director for I Want to Live! (1958) and Best Editing for Citizen Kane (1941), director, producer and editor Robert Wise (1914-2005) won Academy Awards for Best Director for West Side Story (1961) and The Sound of Music (1965). Also the recipient of the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1966, Wise has directed a long list of films, including Johnny Belinda (1948), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), Run Silent, Run Deep (1958), The Sand Pebbles (1966) and The Andromeda Strain (1971). Wise died on September 14, 2005, just four days after his 91st birthday. Lightly creased with folds, not at signature. ¼-inch separation at blank right margin at lower horizontal fold. Fine condition.