TLS signed “All love, Marlene,” three pages, 8.5 x 11, July 26, 1969. Dietrich writes to “Binkie” [Hugh Beaumont of the Globe Theater in London]. In part: “Burt [Bacharach] had promised me to select the musicians so that my agent could contract them before my arrival. He told me repeatedly that everything ‘was taken care of’ by letter and by cable. Well, it turned out that Burt did not at all ‘select’ or even ‘recommend’ any of the musicians who were hired by my company. As Burt does a lot of recording in Los Angeles his knowledge of musicians is naturally very complete in that field, and I thought, when I asked him to ‘select’ and he agreed that he would personally guide the selection … that I was protected. You can imagine my surprise when it turned out that the guitarist could not read music and ‘wanted to express himself’ rather than play what was written. The drummer, the net most important member of the orchestra, also longhaired and bearded like the other, was not quite as bad but a very, very mediocre drummer. The trumpeter is allright. None of the men had ever met or worked for Burt and the selection was left solely to the contractor, a procedure for which I would have have to have bothered Burt Bacharach. I could not fire the guitarist at once and had to labour through the show with the conductor playing the guitar part staccato on the piano. All musician were engaged for the entire tour and when I finally fired the guitarist he went to the arbitration-board and I had a lot of trouble up to now, but I think I am going to win the case….” Dietrich goes on to catalogue more complaints in detail and notes: “I could not forgive this unprofessional behaviour, let alone the faithlessness towards me and [Bacharach’s] promises. The title of his show [Promises, Promises] is very fitting!….” She concludes by expressing a preference for Peter Matz, who was then “in Las Vegas Accompanying Barbra Streisand.” Accompanied by an unsigned carbon of Beaumont’s reply. Staple holes and light handling wear, otherwise fine condition. RRAuction COA.
