Dec 15, 2023 10:00 EST
Stage & Screen
5066
A letter from comedienne Phyllis Diller to Celeste Holm
DILLER, PHYLLIS
Typed letter signed to Celeste Holm. [No place:] September 1955. One page typed letter signed "Phyllis", with manuscript note by Ms. Holm to the lower margin, 11 x 8 1/4 inches. Fine.
A witty letter from the new comedienne Diller to the established star Celeste Holm thanking her for public comments that likely helped change the course of her career. This sharp letter begins "Dear darling sweet adorable old Celeste-baby: You are undoubtedly the darlingest, most unselfish girl alive. Very seldom does an entertainer plug another entertainer 'publicly' as you did me on old Don Sherwood's show. I want to thank you from the bottom of my little black heart. I love you madly for being such a darling out-going person." At the bottom of the note, Celeste Holm has penned "Please file/This was a new performer I saw at 'The Purple Onion' + later said how wonderful she was on Sherwood's TV show." Phyllis Diller began performing at The Purple Onion, a San Francisco comedy club, with the encouragement of her husband in March 1955, and certainly Ms. Holm's comments on famous disc jockey Don Sherwood would have helped launch her unlikely career. By 1958, Phyllis Diller was a regular on Jack Paar's Tonight Show and The Ed Sullivan Show, Celeste Holm having greatly contributed to her success. Exact contemporaries, both Ms. Holm and Ms. Diller were born in 1917 and died in 2012 at 95 years old.
DILLER, PHYLLIS
Typed letter signed to Celeste Holm. [No place:] September 1955. One page typed letter signed "Phyllis", with manuscript note by Ms. Holm to the lower margin, 11 x 8 1/4 inches. Fine.
A witty letter from the new comedienne Diller to the established star Celeste Holm thanking her for public comments that likely helped change the course of her career. This sharp letter begins "Dear darling sweet adorable old Celeste-baby: You are undoubtedly the darlingest, most unselfish girl alive. Very seldom does an entertainer plug another entertainer 'publicly' as you did me on old Don Sherwood's show. I want to thank you from the bottom of my little black heart. I love you madly for being such a darling out-going person." At the bottom of the note, Celeste Holm has penned "Please file/This was a new performer I saw at 'The Purple Onion' + later said how wonderful she was on Sherwood's TV show." Phyllis Diller began performing at The Purple Onion, a San Francisco comedy club, with the encouragement of her husband in March 1955, and certainly Ms. Holm's comments on famous disc jockey Don Sherwood would have helped launch her unlikely career. By 1958, Phyllis Diller was a regular on Jack Paar's Tonight Show and The Ed Sullivan Show, Celeste Holm having greatly contributed to her success. Exact contemporaries, both Ms. Holm and Ms. Diller were born in 1917 and died in 2012 at 95 years old.
Auction: Stage & Screen, Dec 15, 2023
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Third Annual Stage & Screen Auction on December 15, 2023 Surpasses Expectations!
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Art, Memorabilia, Autographs & Photographs of the Theater, Hollywood, Music and Dance
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Held in Collaboration with the Entertainment Community Fund
NEW YORK, NY -- Doyle's third annual Stage & Screen auction on December 15, 2023 attracted determined competition from collectors and fans around the world resulting in a sale total that surpassed expectations! Held in collaboration with the Entertainment Community Fund, the auction offered artwork, memorabilia, props, autographs and photographs from the vast history of the performing arts: Theater, Hollywood, Music and Dance.
Recognizing the importance of the performing arts to the fabric of New York, and the terrible toll the pandemic and recent strikes have taken on the entertainment community, Doyle is proud to donate 10% of our profit from this auction to the Entertainment Community Fund.
Highlighting the sale was an important 1969 letter and drawing from rock legend Freddie Mercury to Ibex bandmate Mick "Miffer" Smith that soared past its $12,000-18,000 estimate to achieve $50,400. Penned a year before forming Queen, Mercury discusses seeing Led Zeppelin, his sexuality, his songwriting, and his early bands’, Ibex and Wreckage, upcoming performances. The letter is a tour-de-force of descriptive thought and shows his growing passion for writing music.
The Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund)
A special section of the auction comprising lots 5001 - 5019 featured celebrity memorabilia presented by the Entertainment Community Fund. While a portion of proceeds from every item in the auction benefited the Fund, 100% of the hammer price of the lots in this section goes entirely to the Entertainment Community Fund.
A highlight of this section was the stunning pink double-breasted velvet tuxedo jacket worn by Daniel Craig to the world premiere of No Time To Die at London's Royal Albert Hall on September 28, 2021. With competition from both sides of the Atlantic, the tuxedo jacket sold for $10,710, more than doubling its $3,000-5,000 estimate.
Founded in 1882, the Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund) is a national 501(c)(3) charitable organization for performing arts and entertainment professionals. The Fund helps address the specific needs of those in the industry, with a unique understanding of the challenges involved in a life in the arts. Read More ►
We Invite You to Auction!
Consignments are currently being accepted for future auctions. We invite you to contact us for a free auction estimate.
For information, please contact Peter Costanzo at 212-427-4141, ext 248, or email Peter.Costanzo@Doyle.com
