Our Will Rogers (Signed First Edition)

Jack Lait

Published by Greenberg, 1935

About this Item

Includes free USPS 1-3 day Priority Mail shipping in USA 48 & free insurance. Book Condition: Very Good Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good (in a plastic wrap). This first edition is signed by the author and inscribed on the front free endpaper by author Jack Lait, "To Harry Brand in friendship.NYC '35". Harry Brand was the longtime head of publicity at 20th Century Fox. From Wikipedia RE: Harry Brand, the publicist who "made" Shirley Temple: Harry Brand Born Harry Robert Brand October 20, 1895 New York, New York, US Died February 22, 1989 (aged 93) Beverly Hills, California, US Occupation Press agent Years active 1925 1984 Employer 20th Century Fox Spouse(s) Sybil Brand (married 1933) Harry Brand (October 20, 1895 February 22, 1989) was an American press agent. Described as "the mastermind who made Shirley Temple the most famous child star in history, Betty Grable a GI Joe pinup girl and Marilyn Monroe a sex goddess," Brand was the head of publicity at 20th Century Fox from 1935 until 1962.[1][2] Known as the "Herald of Hyperbole" for his exuberant press releases, Brand was an accomplished fixer. Married to Sybil Brand, a prominent philanthropist and political fundraiser, and the brother of a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, he utilized his family connections as well as his relationships with powerful columnists such as Louella Parsons and Walter Winchell to keep scandals and indiscretions that involved his clients out of the headlines.[3][4][5] Brand went to Los Angeles High School, where he edited the school paper and served as the treasurer for the debate team. He briefly attended the University of Southern California.[6] Career: Brand began his career as a sports writer and editor at the Los Angeles Express. Interested in politics, he left the paper to become the secretary to Los Angeles Mayor Arthur "Pinky" Snyder, where he saw to it that the sometimes drunk mayor did not make an "official fool of himself" and had "all the reporters and correspondants keep his greatness in the public eye."[7] Brand was then hired by Warner Bros. Pictures, where he served as the press agent for Fatty Arbuckle and Buster Keaton, among others. In 1925 he was president of the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers,[8] which selected the WAMPAS Baby Stars each year. He worked on several films with producer Joseph M. Schenck, and in 1935, when Schenk founded 20th Century Pictures with Darryl F. Zanuck, he hired Brand as the studio's publicity head.[1][9] He played an essential role in the career of the famously abrasive Zanuck; he advised him on "all problems related to his personal contact" with the public and often played 'good cop' to Zanuck's 'bad cop' to resolve disputes with 20th Century Fox stars.[10][11] As was common at the time, Brand invented backstories and added fictional embellishments in his efforts to promote actors and films. For example, to enhance Tyrone Power's masculinity, Brand said that the 5'8" actor was six feet tall, and linked him romantically with actresses Loretta Young, Janet Gaynor, and Sonja Henie.[12][13] To promote Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto, a Japanese secret agent, a press release stated that Lorre was a "stickler for realism" and, as such, had immersed himself in Japanese culture. According to Brand, Lorre had interviewed Japanese laborers in the field, read Japanese fiction and poetry, and studied Buddhism and Shintoism to prepare for the role. Personal life Brand and Sybil Morris were married in 1933. She was a successful activist for the rights of women in American jails; the Sybil Brand Institute was named after her. Sybil died at the age of 104 in 2004.[23] Brand's stepson, George, was a composer who worked on films including The Godfather Part II and Dune. Seller Inventory # 0107

Bibliographic Details

Title: Our Will Rogers (Signed First Edition)

Publisher: Greenberg

Publication Date: 1935

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Very Good

Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good

Signed: Signed by Author(s)

Edition: 1st Edition