Collector's Treasure of the Day - Happy Birthday to Walt Disney

Happy Birthday to Mr. Walt Disney, who would have turned 111 today. One of our favorite treasures is a First Edition Alice in Wonderland Big Golden Book inscribed by Walt Disney. We acquired it directly from Dave Smith, the founder of the Walt Disney Archives. You can't get any better than that for provenance!

Southern California Manuscript Society visits the Academy of Motion Picture Library

Members of the Southern California Manuscript Society with Howard Prouty

*Have you ever seen Winston Churchill's autograph next to Adolf Hitler's?

*Have you ever seen an autograph album with three (3) clear, dark Greta Garbo signatures?

*A letter, on White House stationery, from Franklin Roosevelt, inviting political enemy, William Randolph Hearst to the White House?

* A signed Picasso sketch and a signed Walt Disney get well card from the Disney Studio!

I just did, and so did a half dozen other members of the Southern California Manuscript Society on Tuesday June 19, 2012. We visited the Academy of Motion Picture Library in the Douglas Fairbanks Building. We were greeted by the Acquisitions Archivist Howard Prouty. He gave us a quick tour of the outstanding 1927 building that was once used as Beverly Hills Water department! In the 1980's it was converted into the Academy's library. What treasures are inside that beautiful building. Howard took us into the reading rooms, and through the poster and photo coping room and into the vaults!

*We saw a "paybook" from MGM and saw that John Gilbert was getting $3000 a week and Greta Garbo only $400 a week. (They fell in love anyhow!)

*We saw the wig used by Bert Lahr's lion in the 1939 The Wizard of Oz. (Tom Folenta had to be held back from trying it on)

*We also saw terrific black and white photos from Charles De Gaulle and Maurice Chevalier, inscribed to Charles Boyer!

*We saw the correspondence from the "Hays" office to film makers asking for every possible change to clean up films.

But for me, the Crown Jewel was the autograph album kept by William Randolph Hearst friend Harry Crocker. It was this autograph album I described above, and I have only mention 5 % of the signatures!

The best part was dinner after the tour. Pat Mock joined Beverly Hill and Bill and Monique Coleman drove in from Riverside. Tom Folenta joined us only after being assured he could visit the library again on his own.

A great time with great autographs and great autograph people.The only sad part was we missed visiting with Kevin and Stephanie Segall, who were not able to be there.

Below is a photo of your guide, Howard Prouty. This photo captures his intelligence, but not his humor, which was on display during our trip.

Howard Prouty

Article by Michael Hecht, Manuscript Society member and UACC President

A Whirlwind Account of The Manuscript Society Annual Meeting 2012 - Quebec City

It was my honor and privilege to join the Board of Trustees of the Manuscript Society this year. We're an international nonprofit organization founded in 1948 and devoted to the collection, preservation, use, and enjoyment of autographs and manuscripts. Our annual meeting is in a different city each year, and for 2012 we had the pleasure of exploring the treasures of Quebec City, Canada.

The Redpath Museum at McGill University

Neither my wife Stephanie nor I had ever been to Canada so we began our trip in nearby Montreal a couple of days before the official itinerary began. We visited the Redpath Museum at McGill University which consists of three floors of natural history and world culture artifacts - both areas are right up our alley. We also visited Montreal's McCord Museum of Canadian History - home to collections of costumes, paintings, art and aboriginal objects. It seemed like they must have known that we were coming because one of their main temporary exhibits was Mary Pickford and the Invention of the Movie Star. The exhibit featured some incredible manuscript items like a 1920 signed distribution contract for United Artists and a 1924 Motion Picture Relief Fund Certificate signed by Mary Pickford and Cecil B. Demille.

Pickford Inscribed Photo on her Wedding Day to Husband Douglas Fairbanks 1920

We took the train to nearby Quebec City and arrived at the historic Château Frontenac which was our home base for the annual meeting. My first full day there was spent with the other board members taking care of our regular business: budgets, membership, marketing, ethics issues, future annual meetings, honors, and scholarships. Since it was time for the well-respected Herbert Rubin to step aside to make room for new board members such as myself, he was unanimously elected as an honorary board member for life. At the end of the day, we enjoyed a cocktail reception with the other meeting participants in the Salon Rose Room. We learned that the room had hosted critical meetings between world leaders Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and William Lyon Mackenzie King during the Quebec Conferences of World War II in 1944.

Our Quebec City adventure begins outside the Château Frontenac

The next day we begin with a talk by our host David Mendel entitled Quebec: World Heritage City. For those of us with a basic "American" education, the talk certainly filled a number of holes in our knowledge of Canadian history and served to orient us for our visit. We took a walking tour of Upper Town and stopped at the Ursuline Convent to explore its museum and archives. It is the oldest educational institution for women in North America and still functions as a school.

Outgoing president Barton Smith and the Manuscript Society outside the Ursuline Convent

Metting with the librarian to view the treasures of the Ursuline Archives

1831 Manuscript with the Seal of King William IV

1671 Testament of Madame de la Peltrie who started the Ursuline order of Quebec 

We had lunch that day at Le Parlementaire Restaurant at the National Assembly, where we took a guided tour and visited their library and archives. The origins date to 1791 and serve the members of the National Assembly in their duties of governance.

The Manuscript Society checks out the Goods and mingles with the Archivists

Oldest Item in the National Assembly Library - 1472 Thomas Aquinas Book

Register of Oaths taken by Members of the Legislative Assembly

Later that evening our group visited the Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Trinity with a special viewing of communion silver given by King George III. We were also treated to a double-bill concert. First, the church organist demonstrated a rare English chamber organ made in London in 1790 that was recently moved to the Cathedral. Next, our esteemed ex-president Barton Smith performed several piano pieces - including compositions by J.S. Bach, Chopin, and Scott Joplin. Finally, he quizzed the audience with a mystery ballad by a manuscript dealer who died in 2000 and was once a famous chanteuse. The song was on the Hit Parade several times, the most famous version being by Nat King Cole. Can you guess the answer?

The next day was filled to the brim with activity - a walk to Notre-Dame de Quebec Basilica, an exploration of the exhibitions and archives of the Seminary of Quebec, and a visit to the National Archives of Quebec.

Inside the Notre-Dame de Quebec Basilica

Visiting with one of several Librarians at the National Archives of Quebec

Early Choir Book at the National Archives

The Autograph of one King Louis of France (or is it the "Hand" of the King?)

The Autograph of another King Louis of France

James Pattison Cockburn (1779 - 1847) Original Illustration of Early Canada in the Archives

For lunch that day we had just barely enough time to cover a business meeting and auction off about 60 lots of donated manuscript material to benefit the Manuscript Society. The annual auction is always one of the highlights of our annual meetings, and certainly the most boisterous. UACC President Michael Hecht and I had a bidding war over a Jack London signed check which he finally let me have (thanks, Michael). I returned the favor by quickly parting with a David Selznick letter that I had been eyeing. I also was lucky enough to provide winning bids on several other goodies - an autographed Jack Benny letter, an Al Capp signed contract, and several signed Hollywood photos including Mr. Television himself, Uncle Miltie.

Milton Berle Signed Photo

Pearl Bailey Signed Photo

Our final day in Quebec City consisted of a walking tour of Lower Town and a trip to the Island of Orleans where we walked across the majestic Montmorency Falls. Our farewell dinner at the Garrison Club was accompanied by a talk about the Napoleon/Josephine/Marie-Louise love triangle by member Peter Friedman.

Our Hotel as Seen from Lower Town 

Me and the Mrs. at Montmorency Falls

Next year: Santa Fe, NM and another adventure. We can't wait!