Menu signed by JAMES JONES & other notables w/PHOTOS 1958
Dinner with the Captain -- April 16, 1958.
On the transatlantic ship "LIBERTE," for dinner on April 16 1958, Captain Rene Le Berre invited several notable persons to dine. Here we have the menu, signed by the attendees, with two photos of the dinner guests. The items are in nice condition as shown, and suitable for framing.
The menu measures about 6 1/2" x 9". The photos measure about 8" x 10". On the back of one of the photos are penciled notes identifying the persons shown. Also included is a third photo showing Rear Admiral Samuel Morison and his wife Priscilla. Based on that picture, and the notations (which refer to Samuel and Priscilla by their first names only), we believe these materials came from the Morisons.
The guests included JAMES JONES, author of From Here to Eternity, and his wife Gloria. James Jones (1921 – 1977) was an American novelist known for his explorations of World War II and its aftermath. He won the 1952 National Book Award for his first published novel, From Here to Eternity, which was adapted for the big screen immediately and made into a television series a generation later. The Modern Library Board later named From Here to Eternity one of the 100 best novels of the 20th century.
In addition to Jones, the other guests whose autographs and photographs are preserved here include:
Rear Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison (1887 –1976), an American historian noted for his works of maritime history and American history that were both authoritative and popular. Over the course of his career, Morison received eleven honorary doctoral degrees, and garnered numerous literary prizes, military honors, and national awards from both foreign countries and the United States, including two Pulitzer Prizes, two Bancroft Prizes, the Balzan Prize, the Legion of Merit, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Morison's works include Admiral of the Ocean Sea (1942), a biography of Columbus for which he won the Pulitzer Prize, Freedom in Contemporary Society (1956), The Story of the 'Old Colony' of New Plymouth, 1620–1692 (1956), Nathaniel Holmes Morison (1957), William Hickling Prescott (1958), Strategy and Compromise (1958), and John Paul Jones: A Sailor's Biography (1959), which earned Morison his second Pulitzer Prize.
Mathilde Calnan (1913 - 2000), heiress and movie/TV actress, whose family donated eight Cézanne paintings to the U.S. government during President John F. Kennedy's administration, to be hung in the White House Green Room.
Tom Ewell (1909 – 1994), film, stage and television actor, and producer. His most successful and most identifiable role was that of Richard Sherman in The Seven Year Itch, a character he played in the Broadway production (1952–1954) and reprised for the 1955 film adaptation. He received a Tony Award for his work in the play and a Golden Globe Award for his performance in the film.
Don McGuire (1919 – 1999), an actor, director, screenwriter, and producer known for his roles such as playing Congo Bill from DC Comics in the 1948 Congo Bill serial.
Karen X. Gaylord (1921 – 2014), MGM actress and a Miss Minnesota. Karen married actor Don McGuire (see above) and signed her married name, Karen X. McGuire.
John Nef (1899–1988), economic historian and co-founder of the University of Chicago's Committee on Social Thought. He was associated with the University of Chicago for over half a century and authored a number of books, includingThe United States and Civilization (1967), The Conquest of the Material World (1964), and Search for Meaning: Autobiography of a Non-Conformist (1973).
This unique group of items commemorates what must have been a fascinating dinner.
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Our father was a bibliophile who collected rare books, letters, and ephemera for more than 60 years. For now and into the foreseeable future, we will be listing rare paper items from his estate.
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