Laurence Olivier Signed Photo The Moon and Sixpence – COA JSA

Presented is an autographed photo of which is dual-signed on the front and back. The photo was clipped delicately from the 1959 book, “Pictorial History of Television.” Laurence Olivier signed the photo (4″ x 5.5″) in black felt tip (“9”) on one side and John Cummings signed the opposite in black ink (“9”). The Olivier photo was from the show “Moon and Sixpence.”

The Moon and Sixpence was an American television movie broadcast on NBC on October 30, 1959. The production, starring Laurence Olivier, was adapted by S. Lee Pogostin from the novel by Somerset Maugham. The production won multiple Emmy and Sylvania Awards, including awards for Olivier’s acting, Pogostin’s adaptation, and Robert Mulligan’s direction.

The autographs were part of a larger compilation within the book. Note, there were two books in this collection from which these autographs were obtained. Wildly obsessive by a Hollywood insider no doubt it featured the duteous task of 400 signatures of television actors and actresses, nearly all signing by their respective images, with a few adding brief inscriptions in the books. Now, the signatures have been wonderfully conserved from the books and preserved singly for appreciation.

Television’s intention was to revolutionize America’s desire for more entertainment. Previously for enjoyment, Americans were flocking to the theater or stationed next to their radio for their daily broadcasts. Before the end of 1931 as the industry gained a full steam ahead approach, CBS President William Paley, announced they were, “on the air seven hours daily, seven days a week.”

In 1959, Daniel Blum caught up with history of the television industry by providing a first look at the medium in the form of a photography book. Titled, “Pictorial History of Television” the publication peeked into the earliest conception in the 1930’s toward it’s humble beginnings in the late 1940’s into the late 1950’s. The hardcover is a heavily photo-illustrated survey of the major programs and personalities of that time period (1930’s-50’s). Notably, that era of television like silent film is rapidly vanishing from first hand accounts and memories as generations get older. So, there is an importance behind this work.

Blum continued his cavalcade of media books later in his career with “A Pictorial History of the Talkies”, “The Silent Screen”, “The American Theatre” and “Television” and of course volumes and volumes of the “Theatre World” and “Screen World” Annuals.

Overall, the autographed photo presents as a reward from the tremendous complication of both television history and the latter arduous task of signature collecting.

Authentication: JSA Basic Cert & Sticker

Laurence Olivier Signed Photo