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STEVE HANNAGAN - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 02/26/1938 - HFSID 31790

The legendary publicity agent suggests to newspaper columnist Louis Sobol that he change his writing style! Typed Letter signed: "Steve", 1 page, 8x10. New York, N.Y., 1938 February 26.

Price: $90.00

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STEVE HANNAGAN
The legendary publicity agent suggests to newspaper columnist Louis Sobol that he change his writing style!
Typed Letter signed: "Steve", 1 page, 8x10. New York, N.Y., 1938 February 26. On his publicists letterhead to Louis Sobol, New York Journal American, in full: "I suppose I am being frank and presumptuous in writing this letter, but it's my feeling and here it is: A long time ago, if you recollect any of the things people say to you, I told you that I thought you wrote long better than short. By that I mean that you are, in my estimation, not so well adapted to the short, smart crack as you are to the longer human sentence paragraph and subject. To my mind the best things you have done have always been the longer things. Therefore, I am firmly convinced that if you devote three-fourths of your column to the longer type of material and only one-fourth to the dot and dash type you will soon find a continuity of interest among readers that you will not attain in any other way. If you respect my opinion and don't agree with it, I'd be glad to take the time to argue with you specifically and in detail with any weapon you choose - tongue or typewriter. Cheerfully yours". Steve Hannagan (1899-1953) was a United Press correspondent before being hired by Miami Beach as its publicity agent. Hannagan's efforts, during which he coined the term "cheesecake" to describe bathing beauties, were successful enough that Hannagan was able to found his own publicity agency. Next W. Averill Harriman, then the young head of the Union Pacific Railroad, hired Hannagan to promote America's first European style ski resort (and with it railroad usage.) Hannagan gave this new resort its name, Sun Valley; it opened in 1936. He attracted many other clients, including Coca Cola, and developed a reputation in the press for honesty. Hired by Las Vegas in 1949, he promoted tourism by what came to be called "the Hannagan method": cruising the city and taking pictures of attractive couples on vacation, and then sending these photos to local newspapers. Hannagan apparently worked himself to death, felled by a heart attack while on a business trip to Europe. Louis Sobol wrote an entertainment column, "New York Cavalcade," for the Hearst newspapers. Whether he solicited Hannagan's critique of his literary style is uncertain. Multiple mailing folds. Paper clip imprints at top left corner. Lightly toned. Top right corner torn. Otherwise, fine condition.

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