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Lot #1246
Joan Fontaine

“You are manufacturing bathtub gin, raising marijuana in your windowbox or are holed up with a voluptuous insatiable mistress with your phone perpetually turned off”

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Description

“You are manufacturing bathtub gin, raising marijuana in your windowbox or are holed up with a voluptuous insatiable mistress with your phone perpetually turned off”

Fascinating archive of 17 postcards from Fontaine to Raymond Daum, consisting entirely of ALSs, ranging in date from 1966 to 1993. The earliest, in part: “Film in London looks marvellous—another to follow.” A later letter, in part: “Selling my NY apt. for an almost duplicate house over-looking the sea at Carmel Highlands. A very lucrative and happy solution to those pending ‘golden years.’” Many of the earlier letters express a close fondness and express thanks for valentines cards (including a sheet one which she sketched a large heart). Beginning in the early 1990s, it seems their relationship began to sour. One letter, in part, “Can’t get you on the phone. No ans. tape—you must be leading a secret life.” Another, nearly a year later, in part: “Every day I tel. you and can’t even get a message tape to respond.” Followed shortly by another postcard, in part: “Just checking since your Tel. is SILENT.” Her final letter, penned inside a greeting card, seems to angrily end the relationship. In part: “You are leading some sort of nefarious, undercover life…You are manufacturing bathtub gin, raising marijuana in your windowbox or are holed up with a voluptuous insatiable mistress with your phone perpetually turned off…May 1993 turn you onto the paths of righteousness and restore your character to the pristine quality I once knew.” In overall fine condition. Daum was an insider in Hollywood circles, best known for his close relationship with Greta Garbo—he published a book about his experiences with her in 1992. An incredibly personal archive that reveals this ‘untold’ story of Fontaine’s life. RR Auction COA.

Auction Info

  • Auction Title: Rare Manuscript, Document & Autograph
  • Dates: #413 - Ended August 14, 2013