Wentworth Institute of Technology - Tekton Yearbook (Boston, MA)

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nw lG' 'aI mn THE TEKTON Another important thing in autograph collecting is to enclose postage, for well' known people carry an enormous postage bill. A letter to Ed Wynn, the popular stage comedian recently seen in the musical show hit, The Grab Bag and last season in The Perfect Fool, brought the follow' ing autographed poem- You ask me for my autograph, And I pay for the letter, If you'd enclose a stamp each time, I'm sure that you'd fare better. Ed Wynn. As a gentle touch of humor, a postage stamp was immediately sent to Mr. Wynn, with my thanks for his kind suggestion and for sending his autograph. Sometimes letters, requests, and all other known methods will fail to bring results. I addressed the King of England recently, requesting an autograph, and in answer received a printed form stating that it is the rule of the royal house not to present the autograph of His Majesty to anyone not personally acquainted with the King. Nothing daunted, I enlisted the aid of my friend, Mayor Curley of Boston, who Very kindly addressed a letter in my behalf to the King. At the same time I had asked the aid of Sir Robert Gray, the British Consul, who gave me valuable suggestions, and the Ambassador in England, Frank B. Kellogg, now in the President's Cabinet, But with all this assistance, I was still not successful in obtaining the autograph of George V of England. Not only must the request for an auto' graph bemade, but upon its receipt, there must be a proper acknowledgement sent to the sender. Very often this acknowledge' ment brings forth an unexpected a. s. l. such as that received from Queenie Smith, star of the musical show, Be Yourself, Dear Mr. Becker, just to thank you for the very kind acknowledgement of my photograph and in answer to your most thoughtful interest regarding the play's booking for Boston. Regret to say that it is still indefinite, due to the fact that it will depend upon the length of time we run in N. Y. Sincerely yours, Queenie Smith. Acknowledgements and thanks for auto' graphs and photographs strengthens the good will toward the collector and results in requests being granted more readily. Reproduced herewith are a number of autographs taken from my collection at random, and shows what a wide range of types of people are represented in it. Each one of these autographs has come directly from the author to me. . ' c or -1 1 l 4 1 I 1 . 1 , .. liz L, ALBERTA VAUGHN zz ggi-

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frm: insrrfqossrgvi new THE TEKTON depends on the person that is being ad' dressed. Perhaps the most difficult people to address personally are the motion pic' ture stars, for the eyes of the nation are upon them and they receive countless ufanl' letters. Fan letters mean an increased mail, and this necessitates secretaries to handle it, and where there are secretaries present, it is still more difficult for the poor autograph collector to get his letter by. But it can be done, for here is only one of many letters to show this. I addressed a letter to one of the best known and most popular stars of the screen, Anna Nilsson, and this is the reply which I received. My dear Mr. Becker, Thanksfor your letter, also for your suggestion as to fan mail. Don't think it would work out for this reason, that fans ANNA Q, NILSSON send their letters to the different studios whose pictures they saw you last in, which in my case means I get letters through every studio out here, as I do practically all my work here in Hollywood. Personally, even tho I have a secretary to send out fan pictures, I do take a keen interest in my mail and answer quite a few of the more interesting ones myself. It is really a picture actor's or actress's only way of knowing and keeping in touch with the public and its interests. What a lot I would miss if I had the mail done by some' one I could not be in contact with. No, the photograph I sent you was not the usual fan photo. Your letter was one of the ones attended to by me personally. Thanks for liking it. Speaking of letters, I wish that you could read some of the ones I get. Those from young girls, asking my advice about one thing or another, confidf ing their joys and sorrows to me. I some' times feel a hundred years old when I sit down and answer their letters. I really feel a great responsibility, as I know they are reading my letters and perhaps following my advice. Don't just know why I am writing all this to you, especially as I am tired out tonight and should be in bed, except perhaps to impress you with the fact that fan mail, if you answer it at all and are not thoughtless about it, is not so easily disposed of. No more. Thanks again for your interest, and do excuse errors and carelessness in this hastily written letter, but as I said before, I am dead tired. Sincerely yours, fSignedj Anna Nilsson. This shows what I mean when I say a letter must have an appeal. Very often some other means may be used to accom' plish results. I addressed a letter to Colleen Moore and because of the newly inaug' urated air mail service, used it to dispatch that letter to her.The newspapers carried items to the effect that I had done so and was the first one to have done it. -+14I2114 -

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