Archive Lot 25+ SIGNED Playbills Laurence Olivier, Hepburn, Dietrich autographed

Description

Archive of signed Broadway playbills. A collection of twenty-five playbills and one hardcover – each signed by one or more actors. Production dates range from 1962 to 1973. Accumulated by a New York City-based collector by the name of George Friedman whose collection method is revealed in a type-written letter laid in to the lone hardcover of the lot (an edition of
Othello
) addressed to “Lord Olivier.” The cover shows Laurence Olivier (blackface and all) and is signed by the actor on the front free endpaper (this, in spite of Friedman’s clear instructions to sign “on the title page opposite the color photo”(!)). Other signatures include a long list of Tony-winners like Brian Bedford, Julie Harris, and Jason Robards, as well as other notable actors more known for their work on the silver screen, such as Marlene Dietrich, Katherine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, and James Earl Jones.
Playbills mostly in Very Good to Fine condition. Full list of titles below.
Playbills include
:
A Doll’s House & Hedda Gabler (Playfare, 1971) – signed by Claire Bloom
A Man For All Seasons (Anta Theatre, 1962) – signed by Emlyn Williams
A Matter of Gravity (Broadhurst Theatre, 1976) – signed by Katherine Hepburn
And Miss Reardon Drinks A Little (Morosco Theatre, 1971) – signed by Julie Harris and Estelle Parsons
Applause (Palace Theatre, 1972) – signed by Anne Baxter
Coco (Mark Hellinger Theatre, 1969) – signed by Katherine Hepburn
Empower Henry IV (Ethel Barrymore Theatre, 1973) – signed by Rex Harrison
Empower Henry IV (Ethel Barrymore Theatre, 1973) – signed by Rex Harrison (
only duplicate in lot
)
Follies (Winter Garden Theatre, 1971) signed by Alexis Smith
Hadrian VII (Helen Hayes Theatre, 1969) – signed by Alec McCowan
Hello Dolly! (St. James Theatre, 1968) – signed by Pearl Bailey
Hello, Dolly! (St. James Theatre, 1967) – signed by Ginger Rogers
King Lear (American Shakespeare Festival Theatre, 1963) – signed by Morris Carnovsky
Last of the Red Hot Lovers (Eugene O’Neill Theatre, 1970) – signed by James Coco
Marcel Marceau (55th Street Theatre, 1973) – signed by Marcel Marceau
Mark Twain Tonight! (Longacre Theatre, 1969) – signed by Hal Holbrook
Marlene Dietrich (Mark Hellinger Theatre, 1968) – signed by Marlene Dietrich
No, No, Nanette (46th St. Theatre, 1971) – signed by Patsy Kelly, Ruby Keeler, Bobby Van, Jack Gilford, and one unknown signer
Private Lives (Broadhurst Theatre, 1970) – signed by Tammy Grimes
Sleuth (The Music Box, 1971) – signed by Anthony Quayle and Keith Baxter
The Country Girl (Billy Rose Theatre, 1971) – signed by Jason Robards and Maureen Stapleton
The Great White Hope (Alvin Theatre, 1969) – signed by James Earl Jones
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (The Helen Hayes, 1968) – signed by Zoe Caldwell
The School for Wives (Lyceum Theatre, 1971) – signed by Brian Bedford
Vivat! Vivat Regina! (The Broadhurst Theatre, 1971) – signed by Claire Bloom
Lot includes one hardcover
:
Rupert Hart-Davis, London, 1966. First edition thus. Hardcover in good condition with slight lean to both boards. Text is clean with bright illustrations throughout. Dust Jacket in Good condition with wear along the edges and minor loss at back turn. Now protected in removable mylar. Signed by Laurence Olivier on ffep. Letter of provenance included – a type-written letter from the collector sent to Olivier at the Drake Hotel on Park Avenue and asking the actor to “please leave this for me at your front desk.”
Full lot now protected in sleeves and shipped securely.