American playwright, songwriter, and actor (1878–1942), widely regarded as the father of American musical comedy, who takes a place among the most beloved entertainers of his era. Among his scores of hits are such standards as “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” “Give My Regards to Broadway,” and “Over There.” Handwritten manuscript in pencil titled “Hollywood,” signed at the top of the first page “George M. Cohan,” four lightly lined pages, 8 x 13, no date [circa 1930s?] A detailed and highly entertaining “tour” of Tinseltown, evidently intended as a draft for a song, stage sketch, or memoir. In part: “This way for a good time, boys. I’ve been here in Hollywood three weeks now—I can cheerfully recommend it as the Coney Island of the West…. Hollywood is a beautiful spot. It’s like a weekend of one night stands in Pennsylvania…. All the little school girls talk and walk like Greta Garbo. All the little boys in short pants looking forward to the day when they’ll have their own motion picture companies…. Marion Davies’ home looks like Buckingham Palace. Although they claim out here that Buckingham Palace looks like Marion Davies’ home…. Screamingly funny trees and laughing oranges growing all over the place…. The actors start acting at nine o’clock in the morning—the baseball games start at nine o’clock at night…. Song writers on every set—and not a transposing keyboard piano on the lot. The big shots all go to the Blonde [sic] Derby…. What a reading these boys give ‘Variety’ during the lunch hour…. Some of these folks never even heard of me. They haven’t said so but I can tell…. I thought my Jap valet was pretty fast but they stopped him the first day…. The directors are the babies I like best of all…. I haven’t done much of anything yet. Made two tests. One in white face, one in black face. After seeing them both I imagine they’ll use the black face…. Many a laugh out here boys, they really ought to put them in the pictures….” A touch of mild handling wear and a few small corner chips, otherwise fine condition. R&R COA.
