A Collection of Hollywood Celebrities at the Premeier of "Wilson", August 1, 1944
1944. Item #028575
The collection includes: (1) America's Reception of "Wilson", the Screen Dramatization. 24 pages, map of showings, reviews (entirely laudatory since in the heart of World War II as Americans have seen the tide of war begin to change; (2) "Fashion at the 'Wilson' Preview" 7 mimeographed pages on recto only in detail of how Mrs. Darryl F. Zanuch was attired, as well as Tallulah Bankhead, Anne Baxter, Merle Oberton, Lana Turner, Joan Bennett, Mary Pickford, Gracie Allen, Norma Shearer, and many others; (3) Player Guests to Premier, 8 pages, mimeographed on recto only. Presumably it was because this was a major patriotic event that the following stars attended: Burns and Allen, Bankhead, Charles Boyer, Charles Coburn, Preston Foster, Rita Hayworth, Sonja Henie, Al Jolson, Danny Kaye, Gene Kelly, Alan Ladd, Myrna Loy, Roddy McDowell (with his mother since he was under 16), Vincent Price, Ginger Rogers, Rosalind Russell, Randolph Scott, Phil Silvers, Rudy Vallee, Orson Welles (with wife Rita Hayworth), Teresa Wright and a host of others. Page 5-6 lists many of the major executives in the film industry such as George Cukor, Mike Curtiz, Samuel Goldwyn, Sid Grauman, Hal Wallis, the Warner Brothers, and Sam Zimbalist. Page 7 lists the military guests, and page 8 lists others such as Salvador Deli, Edwin Pauley, Elsa Maxell and various New York power brokers. None of this is found in OCLC and the latter two items were mimeographed with a very limited distribution. The New York Dailey News records the long review of the film (August 2, 1944, edition). What is also of interest is when the celebrity was married to a service member it is noted in that way with their rank, e.g., Mary Pickford, Husband, Lt. Charles (Buddy) Rogers; Rosalind Russell, Husband, Major Carl Brisson. The film had 11 Oscar nominations and won five though it is likely the voting was in line with those who saw it as the best patriotic film of the time.
Price: $285.00