I'm negotiating with someone to get an Boris Karloff autographed playbill / flyer and I'd like to figure out what year it's from.
The show was at The Playhouse in Wilmington, Delaware on Friday and Saturday Sept. 17 & 18 with a matinee on Saturday.
Now the two things to really help date this piece are as follows:
It says Boris Karloff in "Arsenic and Old Lace", a new comedy.
and across the bottom is the notice ( I used their capitalization )
In The Event An AIR RAID WARNING Is RECEIVED The Audience Will Be Informed In Ample Time To Leave In An ORDERLY MANNER....
Now, the following is taken from Wikipedia:
The play was directed by Bretaigne Windust, and opened on 10 January 1941. On 25 September 1943, the play moved to the Hudson Theater. It closed there on 17 June 1944 having played 1,444 performances.
The Opening night cast on Wikipedia does not match the cast listed on this flyer. The only two common names are Boris Karloff and Jean Adair.
It would seem to me that it would have to be 1941 or 1942.
SO MY FELLOW MONSTER FANATICS, ANY IDEAS???
Also, any idea as to it's value? It's not personalized and it's in pretty good shape. It's been folded in half and has some edge wear.
Thanks!!
Well, considering the air raid warning, the year would be 1942, because war was declared on December 8, 1941 (my birthday).
My personal opinion to value would be $250-$450, depending on condition of the autograph and the stagebill.
Well duh, I got so caught up in the typing I didn't even pay attention to my own clue about the siren. :P
Thanks Bob.
If I end up getting it, I'll post it up here for all to see.
I can't recall---who was in the cast with Karloff and Adair? Josephine Hull not in it? Did Edgar Stehli play Einstein? If you can do it without going to too much trouble, jot down the main roles for me!
No problem Robert, I was hoping you would see this being the big Karloff fan that you are. I'm at work now but I'll do it tonight when I get home.
Cast list is as follows.
Boris Karloff
Jean Adair
Donald MacDonald
Jack Whiting
Ruth McDevitt
Malcolm Lee Reggs? Beggs? I can't quite make the last name out in the poor quality photo.
It also says...
Howard Lindsay and Russel Crosie? (Once again, can't make out the last name) Present above the title.
That was Russell Crouse, one of the producers, above the title. I see it was Ruth McDevitt who took the place of Josephine Hull--both little short, plump ladies. You'll remember Ruth as "Miss Emily" in the newspaper office in Darren McGavin's KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER series. She was a doll! Thanks for posting those names!
No problem and like I said above, if I end up getting this I'll post a scan of it here.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed, which is going to make it rather difficult to eat my dinner but...
Did you ever get that program?
1942 or 1943 seem correct. I have playbills from both eyars with the warning on it.
Where is the signature? In verified examples that I have seen he usually signed in the margins if there was a picture so that the person could see botht eh face and the signature. Autograph dealer Keith Hurd (Hurd's Outpost if you go to shows on the East Coast) could give you a good appraisal as to value.