Glenda Jackson

Glenda Jackson is a British stage and movie actress who has been acting since the 1950s. In addition to movies, she has appeared on many tv shows and made-for-tv movies.

I enjoyed her performances in 1973's "A Touch of Class" and 1977's "Nasty Habits".

In 1981, I wrote to her, at her residence in England, requesting a photo, and she replied within one month. She sent this letter as well as this post-card size photo.

Mel Blanc - 'Man of a Thousand Voices'

Mel Blanc was a comic actor who was very adept at creating voices for all types of characters, which he played on Jack Benny's radio show in the 1940s. He also had his own radio show for several years. But he is best known for the voices he created for various cartoon characters in Warner Brothers cartoons - Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester the Cat, Tweety Bird, Yosemite Sam - the list goes on and on.

In 1980 I wrote to Mr. Blanc and requested a photo, and he sent this one within two weeks. This is a great photo, showing him surrounded by some of the animated characters for which he provided voices. The inscription: "Eh - what's up Bill? 'Bugs Bunny & Gang' - Mel Blanc".

Here's Mr. Blanc in a well-known routine he did with Jack Benny.



And here he tells how he created the voices for the Warner Brothers cartoon characters.

David Tomlinson

David Tomlinson was an English actor who was in movies from the 1940s into the 1970s. He had many memorable appearances, but is best remembered for his role of 'George Banks' in the 1964 Disney movie "Mary Poppins". I also remember him in "The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu", the 1980 comedy starring Peter Sellers.

In 1980, I wrote to him, at his residence in England, and requested a photo. He sent this vintage post-card size photo within one month.

Ruth Donnelly

Ruth Donnelly was an actress on stage and in movies. She began her career as a teenager in about 1915, on Broadway. About the same time, she appeared in some movies. She continued to perform in plays and musicals until she went to Hollywood in the 1930s and played supporting roles in dozens of features until she retired in the 1960s.

In 1971, I read a newspaper interview which mentioned she was living in New York City. I looked up her number in the phone directory and called. She was very friendly and happy to be appreciated for her movies, especially by a person of my young age (at the time, I was 19). I asked for an autographed photo, and she sent this photo which I received within one week. The photo is a 'contemporary' portrait, as she did not have any photos from her earlier years.

Here is a vintage photo of how I remember her, as she appeared in movies of the 1930s and '40s.

Dennis Patrick

Dennis Patrick was a well-known and recognizable character actor whose career began in the early 1950s. While he appeared in several feature movies, he was more prolific in tv shows, and was seen on many dozens of shows right into the 1990s.

When I first saw him in a movie, it was as the wealthy businessman character 'Bill Compton', in 1972's "Joe", which starred Peter Boyle. The movie was very controversial at the time, but by today's societal standards, it wouldn't be so.

Mr. Patrick was a New York City resident in the 1970s, and his phone number was published in the Manhattan directory. I called him shortly after seeing "Joe", to tell him I appreciated his performance. He may have been receiving crank calls about his role, because when he answered the phone and I asked, "Is this Dennis Patrick the actor?", he cautiously and slowly replied "Y-e-e-e-s-s". When I explained why I was calling, he became at ease, and after a few minutes of light conversation, I asked for an autographed photo. He took down my name and address and in a few days, I received this photo in the mail. His brief inscription: "Thanks for asking".

In 2002, Mr. Patrick died tragically, in a house fire in Los Angeles, at the age of 84.

Rhonda Fleming

Rhonda Fleming was a popular movie actress in the 1940s and '50s, and on many tv shows in the 1960s and '70s. Some of her most well-known feature roles are in "Spellbound" (1945), "Out of the Past" (1947), "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" (1949), and "While the City Sleeps" (1956).

Miss Fleming was one of the most beautiful actresses in the '40s and '50s, and was nicknamed the "Queen of Technicolor" because complexion and red hair photographed exceptionally well in Technicolor films.

I sent Miss Fleming this photo in 1981, to her Los Angeles residence, and she returned it within two weeks.

While she has been retired from movies for several years, she is still very much active in humanitarian circles. She maintains her own website which can be seen here.

Anna Lee

Anna Lee was an English-born actress who became popular in American movies when she moved to Hollywood in the 1940s. She appeared in several of director John Ford's movies, including "How Green Was My Valley" (1941) and "Fort Apache" (1948). She appeared in many movies during the 1940s and 1950s, and eventually worked mostly on various tv shows.

Miss Lee is probably best remembered for her character 'Lila Quartermaine' on the tv 'soap opera' "General Hospital", a role she played for many years until 2003. She died the following year.

She is yet another actress I remembered from many movies but neglected to write. In 1990, a signed post card photo (seen below) was part of a small collection I'd purchased. The post card was never mailed, as it is postage-free on the back, and was published by an English company. Since it isn't dated, I'm assuming it to be from the late 1930s-early 1940s.