STEVE ALLEN - INSCRIBED NEWSPAPER PHOTO SIGNED CO-SIGNED BY: JAYNE MEADOWS - HFSID 221888

STEVE ALLEN and JAYNE MEADOWS
The two actors signed this newspaper photograph showing them with their newborn son
Newspaper Photograph inscribed and signed: "Steve Allen", and "To Selwyn,/Best wishes,/Jayne Meadows". B/w, 4¾x6½ overall, image 4¾x4 (one surface), matted to 7¾x10. Captioned below photo, a photo in the "My Favorite Photo" series. Text is a quote from Meadows: "This is my favorite photograph because it illustrates the delightful feeling of family warmth that enveloped my husband, Steve Allen, and I when our son Bill was born. It was taken at our former apartment in New York when Bill was just a few months old. Bill is now 14 and that same warm family feeling prevails. The photo is hanging on our bedroom wall and every time I look at it I experience some of the pleasure I felt when it was taken." Clipping says that the photo was taken in 1958. Breaking into showbiz as a radio disc jockey, the multitalented Steve Allen (1921-2000) learned that inserting humor would draw a lot more attention to himself than merely announcing. In order to supply himself with an endless stream of material, he memorized every joke book and "college humor" magazine that he could get his hands on; the result was his uncanny ability to conjure up precisely the right wisecrack at the right time. Allen received his first network exposure in 1949, and he was also featured in several films, including Down Memory Lane (1949) and I'll Get By (1950). Allen was nominated for six Primetime Emmys, although he never won one. In 1953, He was hired to host a local late-night program on New York's WNBC-TV, which later developed into the NBC network's Tonight Show. Allen was also an accomplished composer (he wrote over 7,400 songs, including his signature song This Could Be The Start of Something Big) and piano player, and he filled up his spare time by writing more than 50 books as well as plays and magazine articles. Stage and screen actress Jayne Meadows (1919-2015) began her film career in the mid-1940s as a contract player at MGM. She excelled as cold-blooded "other women", vitriolic divorcees and neurotic murderesses. One popular screen role was as the double- and triple-crossing Mildred Haveland in Lady in the Lake (1946). Meadows has appeared on dozens of variety programs and game shows. Her film credits include Casino (1995) and The Player (1992). Over the course of her career, she was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards in three different decades. She married multitalented comedian, actor, author and songwriter Steve Allen (1921-2000) in 1954. The two made guest appearances as a couple in a few different television productions until his death. Her sister was fellow actress Audrey Meadows (1922-1996). Mat lightly soiled. Photo lightly toned. Mounting adhesive shows through lightly onto image.