SIR NOEL COWARD - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 04/16/1924 - HFSID 346856

NOËL COWARD
The playwright and actor pens this letter apologizing and accounting for his delayed reply to the recipient
Autograph Letter signed: "Noël Coward" in grey ink, 2p (front and verso of single sheet), 7x9. Denham Studios, Denham, Bucks (Buckinghamshire), 1924 April 16. To “Dear [difficult to decipher] Percy” In full: "I am so sorry but I have only just had your letter about April 14th./ The Picadilly Theatre doesn't forward letters to me - They are called for at intervals + apparently this has been rather a long interval./ In any case, much as I should have enjoyed it, I could not have come on the 14th, as I am living down here + am doing12 hours a day in my [ on word difficult to decipher] but just the same thank you very much for asking me./ With all good wishes ". Noël Coward (1899-1973) was a multi-talented actor who wrote plays (both drama and comedy), musicals, revues, short stories, and a novel. Growing up, Coward showed a natural penchant for singing and dancing, and at the age of 12 he made his first professional appearance in the children's show The Goldfish. The artist Philip Streatfield took an interest in Coward and introduced him to Mrs. Astley Cooper who indoctrinated him into high society life, thus providing him with source material for the plays he would go on to write later in life. After making his screen debut in Hearts in the World (1917), Coward was called to serve in World War I in 1918, but he was ill-equipped for military life and following a nervous breakdown he spent months in a hospital before receiving an honorable medical discharge. He went on to write and star in the play I Leave it To You (1920), which enjoyed a brief run in the West End. After briefly moving to New York, Coward returned to England. Shortly afterward, his play The Young Idea (1923) had a successful London run. Then, his highly-controversial play, The Vortex (1924) catapulted Coward to stardom. He won a Special Academy Award in 1943 for In Which We Serve (1942), a WWII movie in which he starred, wrote the script, produced, directed, and even composed the musical score. A few other plays by Coward include Private Lives (1930), Blithe Spirit (1941), and After the Ball (1953). Letter has been folded in half twice, resulting in two hard folds, one vertical, one horizontal. Vertical fold touches the “N” of “Noël”. Toned. Lower left-hand corner creased. Lower right-hand corner folded over. Centralized staining toward bottom edge. Otherwise, fine condition.