CINEMA

See her entry in the Oxford DNB. On 15.5 x 5.5 cm slip of paper, cut from an autograph album. In good condition, lightly aged, with some show-through from the writing on the reverse. Reads ‘To Minna May / With my love / “Auntie” Gladys / Gladys Cooper / 1935’. See Image.The writing rises slightly across the page, and a small section at the bottom of the initial ‘G’ and the ‘y’ of ‘Gladys’ have been trimmed away. On the reverse is the following, in an unidentified hand: ‘Philatelic Minna May / Came to lunch with me today: / took my box of stamps away, / Says she’ll bring ’em back – some day!

On a 12 x 6.5 cm piece of paper. In fair condition, lightly discoloured and spotted, with traces of paper from mount on reverse. Central vertical crease. A neat, tight inscription, clearly in response to a request for an autograph, reading, ‘Sincerely / Milton Sills’. Image on request.

Sepia studio portrait on 8.5 x 13.5 cm postcard, stamped on reverse 'MANNELL LONDON'. In good condition, lightly aged. She signs 'Winifred Shotter' at foot. A soft-toned head and shoulders portrait of a wistful Shotter, with Marcel wave, staring at the camera in a fashionable frock. Scan on application.

Sepia portrait on 10 x 15 cm photographic print, on card. In good condition, lightly aged. Good bold inscription across foot: ‘Best wishes / Joan Barry’. A soft-toned head-and-shoulders portrait of a Marcel-waved Barry, staring dreamily to the left, with pursed made-up lits, in a sleeveless white gown with pearls and bracelet, left hand to chin and right hand supporting left elbow. Scan on application.

Glossy publicity portrait (‘Real Photograph’) on 8.5 x 14 cm post card with publication details on reverse. In good condition, lightly aged. Inscribed diagonally at bottom right: Best wishes / Julie Suedo.’ A black and white head-and-shoulders shot of an Mediterranean-looking Suedo, with curled hair with flower jewellery in it and toothy smile, looking joyfully to her left, with bright necklace and pearl bordered sleeveless gown.

11.5 x 16 cm image on 18 x 12.5 cm card. Signed at foot ‘Herbert Marshall.’ An urbane Marshall is seated, looking over his left shoulder while cradling his hands on his knees, in a grey pin-striped suit, in front of a plain white background. In good condition, but with a horizontal strip of the card trimmed above Marshall’s head. Scan on application.

10 x 13 cm glossy publicity photographic print, on 10.5 x 15.5 cm piece of card, with ‘PHOTO: JOHN VICKERS / COPYRIGHT’ in blank space beneath image. In good condition, lightly aged, with mounts at corners on blank reverse. Black and white head-and-shoulders portrait of McDermott in pub setting, looking sharply to his left in a double-breasted Royal Navy jacket, whiskey tumbler in hand. Scan on applicatioin

Publicity photograph on 8.5 x 13.5 postcard. In good condition, lightly aged, with a tiny piece worn away from bottom left. Inscription diagonally at bottom left: ‘Best wishes / Elizabeth Allan’. A black and white head-and-shoulders portrait of a young Allan, against a white background, with short wavy hair and side parting gazing to her left with beatific smile.

7.5 x 11.5 cm black and white publicity photograph by ‘ “Philco” London W.C.1.’ Expansive genuine signature ‘Gladys Cooper’ across bottom part of image, in addition to facsimile signature in white at bottom right. In good condition, on postcard with border trimmed. Dark sepia-toned image. A head-and-shoulders portrait, with Cooper staring to her right, with short frizzy hair, in fashionable gown. Scan on application

See her entry in the Oxford DNB. Good bold signature ‘Gracie Fields’, underlined and rising upwards. On 11.5 x 9 cm piece of thin light-grey card. In good condition, lightly aged, but with border of discoloration created by tape, a tiny part of which has encroached on the initial ‘G’ of the signature.

Hale is best-remembered for singing ‘Spread a Little Happiness’ in the musical ‘Mr. Cinders’ (1929), and for strarring in ‘No, No, Nanette’ (1925). 9 x 13 cm postcard, printed in light-brownish grey. In good condition. Nice signature ‘Binnie Hale’ running diagonally across lower right-hand corner. She looks wistfully at the camera, with a Marcel wave and pursed made-up lips. Not among the 32 images of Hale list on the National Portrait Gallery website. Scan on application.

See her entry in the Oxford DNB. 8 x 13 cm collotype print, with 8 x 2 cm space at bottom in which she signs ‘Wendy Hiller.’ In good condition, lightly aged. Black and white, with Hiller’s face in left profile, her body at three-quarters, squinting to her right while wearing what looks like a buttoned-up sou’-wester. Scan on application.

Black and white photographic portrait, on 4.5 x 6.5 cm piece of shiny card. Signature 'Doris Keane' across bottom of image. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with strips of tape around the edges to make a border, but hardly discoloured. Printed at head: 'SUPPT. TO GREAT NOVELS.', and at bottom 'DORIS KEANE / BASSANO'. A head and shoulders portrait, in which Keane faces the viewer, in fur hat and coat with fur collar. Scan on application.

Johnson’s career began with a job singing on an NBC radio show. His 1940s Hollywood films included “Keep Your Powder Dry”. He later returned to Broadway, where in 1956 he received a Tony nomination for his performance as ‘Doc’ in Rodgers and Hammerstein's last musical ‘Pipe Dream’. He died of a heart attack in 1957. 10.5 x 10 cm black and white glossy photographic print on shiny art paper. In good condition. Stylish signature 'Bill Johnson' in white at bottom left.

A brown-tinged print (not sepia), on 16 x 21 cm matt card, with 0.75 cm border. In fair condition, very lightly creased and worn. A full length shot of a smiling and clean-shaven Keel, in cowboy getup with ponyskin chaps and his cowboy hat in his left hand, opening what is clearly a stage-prop wicket gate, with backdrop of farm behind him. In Keel's autograph in light blue ink to the left of his torso: 'To Mary, / Best of Everything / Sincerely / Harold Keel'. See Image.

The eight letters total 10pp., 4to., of which 3pp. are typed and 7pp. in autograph. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. De Rome's reputation was enlarged towards the end of his life, with the British Film Institute mounting a thrusting retrospective season, with an accompanying DVD and a penetrating documentary by David McGillivray, 'Peter de Rome: The Grandfather of Gay Porn' (2007). For more information on Alderman, who acted in de Rome's films 'Scopo' (1966) and 'The Second Coming' (1970), and who had been J. R.

See the two men's entries in the Oxford DNB. Stevenson was president of the Cambridge Union in 1928. The material is in good condition, lightly aged. ONE: Manuscript notice of vote. On one side of a piece of thick 8vo paper, with small nick at one top corner. At the head, one above the other, are the signatures: 'J. B. S. Haldane. / R. E. Stevenson / P. M. [Wright?]'. At the foot of the page, in a fourth hand: 'Ayes. 184. / Noes. 310.' TWO: Duplicated circular of typed notice. 1p, 12mo. Laid down on reverse of leaf carrying Item One. Headed: 'Cambridge Union Society / Easter Term, 1927.

The present image is not in the National Portrait Gallery, but the licencing rights are held by Getty Images, by whom it is dated to 1 May 1928. 24 x 18.5 cm bromide print, on 25 x 18.5 cm matt.In fair condition, discoloured and with light creasing at extremities. Chaplin's genuine signature is at bottom right: 'Yours Truly / Charlie Chaplin'. Wittzel's monogram (featuring 'WITZEL' and 'L A') is printed at bottom left. An excellent and unusual artistic image of a figure of world renown.

Clearly given in response to a request for an autograph. Neatly written and centred on one side of a 12 x 7.5 cm piece of pink paper. In good condition, lightly aged and worn, with vertical crease close to the left-hand edge. Reads: ‘Best wishes - / Deanna Durbin’. See Image.

A 7.5 x 10 cm photograph on 8.5 x 13 cm piece of shiny Kodac paper. Black and white head and shoulders shot of an old Fairbanks, nattily attired in jacket and tie, smiling at the camera towards his right shoulder. Signed ‘Douglas Fairbanks’ beneath the photograph in blue felt-tip pen. In very good condition. See Image.

Both letters are addressed to ‘Dear Bonnie and John’. Both in good condition, lightly aged. ONE: TLS from Dolores Hope. Signed ‘Dolores’ in red ink (the letterhead is also red). 1p, 12mo. Reads: ‘The black peppered ham was a big hit at our house and Bob and I can’t thank you enough. We really enjoyed this tasty ham and your thoughtfulness in remembering us at Chistmastime. / Have a healthy and happy New Year!’ TWO: TLS from Barbara Sinatra. Signed ‘Barbara’. 1p, landscape 12mo. On the lower half of an 8vo leaf, which has been converted into a bifolium by a central horizonal fold.

Edward Knobloch’s play ‘My Lady’s Dress’ (‘in which’, as one newspaper wrote at the time, ‘the heroine’s dream takes her to the foreign [and London] scenes surrounding the manufacture of a costly gown’) premiered at the Royalty Theatre in London in 1914 and was revived several times through the 1920s.

An interesting agglomeration of ephemera London cinematic information. The author is working-class or lower-middle-class. Two sturdy ruled small 4to exercise books, with black covers of ribbed watered cloth and spine of red cloth. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. ONE: 150pp. Ownership inscription on inside of front cover: ‘Miss Renee Fish, / 112, Allerford Road / Catford, / S.E.6.’ The first page is headed: ‘31. 12. 29. Films I have seen during 1930.’ Each of the volume’ The entries are numbered from 1 to 272, with an additional numeration for each year from the second year onwards.

1p, 12mo. On grey paper. In fair condition, lightly aged and with slight creasing. Large firm signature. Presumably responding to a request for an autograph. Reads: ‘With my most abject apologies - but I have been away for three months / Robert Morley. See Image.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 4to. In good condition, lightly aged and creased. Folded twice for postage. The letterhead is somewhat striking, with a band of green printed along the top, and the charity’s logo featuring prominently. The names of many officers and committe members are printed down the left-hand margin, headed by President Noel Coward, and including ‘Miss Gladys Cooper’, ‘Dame Edith Evans’, ‘Lady Du Maurier’, ‘Sir Laurence Olivier’, ‘Mr. Michael Redgrave’, ‘Mr. Jack Hawkins’ and ‘Mr. Kenneth More’. Attenborough features both as Hon.

1p, 4to. Addressed to 'Dear Miss Cond' and signed 'G P Bachmann'. In fair condition, lightly aged and creased. Folded twice for postage. He apologises for the late reply to her ‘nice note and the book-plate’. He gives details of two films he has been ‘terribly busy making’, ‘neither of them stories I wrote’: ‘The Phoenix is to start in Berlin this winter as a very big film with three big stars.

See her entry in the Oxford DNB. The inscription, firmly-written in pencil, reads, ‘With best wishes / Deborah Kerr.’, and is written beneath a pencil portrait of a smiling Kerr’s face and shoulders, competently-executed in typical fifties style. On recto of 10 x 12.5 cm leaf of a tracing paper bifolium, the verso of the second leaf carrying, upside-down, an outline sketch of Kerr. The paper is somewhat creased and worn.

See her entry in Encyclopedia Britannica. 1p, 8vo. In fair condition, lightly aged, with some grubbiness around the top-left corner. The text of the letter and the stylish and assured signature are unaffected. Reads: ‘Dear Neil Hurst, / Thank you very much for your letter. I’m delighted to know that you have enjoyed my work, and it was kind of you to write. / I have pleasure in sending you a signed photograph, with my best wishes. / Yours sincerely, / Judi Dench’. Dench terminates the signature with a diagonal dash through a widely-spaced colon.

1p, 4to. In good condition, lightly aged and creased. Ten lines in a close, controlled hand. Addressed to ‘Dear Mr. Whitworth’ and signed ‘Christopher Hampton’. He writes to confirm that he will be free on the date he suggested he ‘might be able to come down to meet you’. He also gives an alternative date. ‘At the moment I’m working on a new translation of “Uncle Vanya”, which was to be finished by the end of November.

Written during the 1984-5 Old Vic production of Arthur Schnitzler’s ‘The Lonely Road’, in which Eggar starred opposite Anthony Hopkin, with a young Colin Firth. 2pp, 12mo. Good bold signature: ‘Sincerely / Samantha Eggar’. Addressed to 'Mr Sephton'. In good condition, lightly aged, folded for postage. She thanks him for his ‘inquiry as to whether I would be able to talk to you about “Whos Who of Hollywood Britons’, and gives the only date that is convenient. ‘The show comes down at 5.15 approx, maybe a call to the theatre to check would be wise’. From the papers of Kenneth Sephton.