SKITCH HENDERSON - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 11/26/1991 - HFSID 270409

SKITCH HENDERSON
His handwritten letter inviting concert pianist turned comedienne Phyllis Diller to be a guest conductor of the New York Pops.
TLS: "Skitch", 1 page, 8½x8. New Milford, CT, 1991 November 26. On sheet imprinted "Skitch" to comedienne and actress Phyllis Diller, Los Angeles, California. Begins: "Dear Phyllis". In full: "We do a gala each and every year with the New York Pops at Carnegie in association with the Daily News, and quite naturally if there were any chance of you being in the area on that date (Monday, May 28, 1992), I would love to have you do a guest conducting assignment of whatever would make you smile. Outside of that, do you still do orchestral dates as a straight guest? I am Music Director of the Florida Orchestra based in Tampa, the Louisville Orchestra, as well as the Virginia Symphony. Would you be interested in something like this once again? Please call me direct or have one of your interpretors bring me the jolly word. After these years of joys and sorrows, I was really happy to see you and I am hopeful we can work together once again. Warmest regards for the holidays". By 2000, Diller, 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. Conductor, pianist and bandleader SKITCH HENDERSON (1918-2005) began his career playing piano in the roadhouses of Montana and Minnesota in the 1930s and thereafter was closely involved in all branches of popular musical entertainment - live performances, movies, television and radio. He provided the music for Johnny Carson's Tonight Show (1962-1966) and recorded many albums of show tunes and popular music standards. In addition to being the founder and music director of The New York Pops, Henderson maintained an active schedule as guest conductor of numerous orchestras worldwide. 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). 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). Lightly creased with fold, not at signature. Fine condition.