WALTER KERR - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 04/09/1969 - HFSID 315774

WALTER KERR
A letter from the critic to John Willis, Editor of Theatre World, thanking him for his dedicating of an issue of Theatre World to him and three others
Typed letter signed: "Walter Kerr", in blue ink, 1 page, 8½x7. April 8, 1969. New York City, New York. In full: "Dear Mr. Willis: Many thanks for your friendly letter, and I am honored to think that next year's book will be dedicated to the four of us. I'll try to get you a list of twelve promising people within the next few weeks, and I am asking Clara Rotte, the drama secretary at the Times, to send you the standard photograph they have on file. It's not a photo I like very much, but at the moment it's the best I've got. Unless your format allows for one in which I am speaking rather animatedly. If it does, please let me know, and I will send you one of those. Good luck with the book and all best wishes. Sincerely". Walter Kerr (1913-1996) was a theater critics for the New York Herald Tribune, until the paper's demise. Kerr moved on to the New York Times after the Herald Tribune, and later collaborated with his wife Jean Kerr (author of Please Don't Eat the Daisies) on the Tony-winning Goldilocks (1958). He wrote 10 books, beginning with How Not to Write a Play (1955), and won a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism (1978). John A. Willis (1916-2010), active in Theatre World from the beginning, became its chief editor in 1965, holding that position until 2008. Willis is regarded as one of the foremost theatre and film historians of the 20th century. While producing (and presenting) the annual Theatre World Awards, Willis also served on the nominating committee for the Tony Awards. Theatre World, which received its own Tony for Excellence in Theatre in 2001, continues under chief editor Ben Hodges. Normal mailing fold. Surface creases. Corners slightly worn. Slightly toned. Otherwise, fine condition.