Menu from an April 20, 1946 dinner held at Romanoff’s in Beverly Hills, 5 x 7, signed by over 25 attendees including: Ronald Reagan, James Cagney, Nigel Bruce, Adolphe Menjou, Loretta Young, Henry Fonda, as well as several members of the Royal Air Force, with a few inscribing to Betty. Simply framed to an overall size of 8.25 x 10.25. In fine condition, with some trivial areas of toning.
Given the RAF signatures, images of flags from both the United States and the United Kingdom, and considering the post-war date, this menu must have originated from a celebratory dinner at the famed Beverly Hills restaurant. By the spring of 1946, Reagan himself had only recently been discharged from the US Army, and elected vice president of the Screen Actor’s Guild. Oddly enough the best actor of the evening may have been the restaurant owner himself, Mike Romanoff, who claimed to be a Russian prince but in reality was the colorful “professional impostor” and former pants presser Harry Gerguson. An eclectic mixture of celebrities and war heroes, spotlighted by the nation’s future president. RRAuction COA.
