Archive of personal effects from the collection of two-time Best Actress Oscar winner Luise Rainer, consisting of rare photographs, a handwritten letter with synopsis for stage production, and an unpublished 70-page typed draft manuscript for her unfinished 2002 autobiography, which focuses on “Family History” and then segues to her entrance into the world of theatre in Germany and Austria. Each page measures 8.25 x 11.75, and the final page bears a “Luise Rainer-Knittel, 2002” copyright.
The unsigned letter, which is addressed to “John—much loved John,” is written in ink on a white 8.25 x 11.75 sheet, and contains Rainer’s thoughts on a dance sequence for a proposed stage production. It reads, in part: “The whole idea came to me, you and I as an odd pair (and invitees) could make fun of a dancing pair. F. i. Swan Lake. I could ripple idiotically with hands, feet and tail—You as ‘prince’ would thru me by the neck instead of by the hips…But now comes ‘Spectra de la Rose!’ You, most obviously not the ballet dancer, doing a Vaslav Nijinsky is hilarious!” Includes a detailed ‘Suggested Sequence’ from the recipient, “John.”
Includes an assortment of 19 photographs from Rainer’s personal collection, containing original vintage photos, three of which depict her in her Oscar-winning role as O-Lan in the 1937 film The Good Earth, and a variety of more modern candid photos, including nine of Rainer in her London home with her two Academy Awards, and a color glossy 6 x 4 candid photo taken by prolific stage and screen actor Roddy McDowall at a party at his residence on June 2, 1997, which depicts Rainer, Helen Mirren, Shirley MacLaine, Eileen Atkins, and Stephanie Beacham. In overall fine condition. Accompanied by newspaper clippings and other ephemera, as well as by a detailed letter of provenance from the recipient, who served as Rainer's interim nurse: "During my three weeks she gave me a number of gifts from the wardrobe cupboard she had in her main hallway which also housed a number of boxes of papers and pictures from conversations about her life. She had started an autobiography but she stopped after 70 pages due to the number of volumes she would have needed in order to complete the project. I asked to have a read one night and she said if I took the DELL laptop to the local hotel she knew they would print it for me."
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