Alexander Gray & Laurel Hurley Autograph, The Student Prince 1945, + 2 more

Description

About the Autograph Collection. My Aunt Helen spent years collecting autographs during her tenure at The National Theater in Washington DC. She began her tenure in 1932 until her retirement in the mid 1980's due to an Auto Accident.
Most of the collection spans the 1940's, 50's with some autographs from the 60's and 70's. Some of the Autographs Collection was recently sold to
Tamino Autographs in New York.
As a point of interest I've included a couple family photos.
I will be listing more from this fairly large collection over the next few weeks.
Alexander Gray Autograph, "The Student Prince" 1945, Also autographed by: Laurel Hurley, Frank Farrell, Allegra Varron
Mini Bio: Alexander Gray called himself "a bashful man with a stutter." A native of Pennsylvania,
Mr. Gray attended primary and grammar school in Baltimore, Maryland. His summers were spent milking his uncle's cows in Lancaster County, PA. No one would have dreamed that this cow-milking boy would become a recitalist, operetta star, Broadway actor, film actor and radio star. Gray showed an early liking of things mechanical and electrical. He first considered singing when he attended Pennsylvania State and sang in its Glee Club and enrolled in dramatic classes. Right after earning his credentials in industrial engineering, he worked his way to Europe as a deckman on the merchant steamer. Upon his return he taught carpentry and wood shop in a private boys' school, and for a time was on the editorial staff of "Iron Age," a trade.
He was lead male vocalist in Ziegfeld's Midnight Frolic. He reached the Broadway stage in The Desert Song in 1925, at first as a stand-in and replacement but as a major star by 1928. In the early 1930s, he co-starred with Bernice Claire in a series of Warner Bros. film operettas, including No, No, Nanette and Viennese Nights. He was heard frequently in radio operettas, including Blossom Time, The Chocolate Soldier and Rose Marie. He remained a popular draw in nightclubs and dinner theater for many years.
Laurel Hurley was born on February 14, 1927 in Allentown, Pennsylvania,
USA. Of a musical family, she studied with her mother, a church organist, and at 16 appeared on Broadway (Aug. 21, 1943) as Kathie in Romberg’s operetta The Student Prince; then toured with the company that produced it. In 1952 she made her N.Y.C. Opera debut as Zerlina. She was the winner of the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation Award, which enabled her to give a song recital in N.Y. (Nov. 6, 1952). She made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y. on Feb. 8, 1955, as Oscar; she remained at the Metropolitan until 1967, singing such roles as Musetta, Susanna, Périchole, Adele, Mimi, and Despina.
She was also known for NBC Television Opera Theatre (1949), Omnibus (1952) and Arias and Arabesques (1962). Other Works: Starred as Magnolia in the New York City Opera's 1954 revival of "Show Boat". This was the first production of the musical by a major New York opera company.
Allegra Varron was born on October 23, 1921 in Illinois,
USA as Allegra Rachel Cohen. She was an actress, known for One Step Beyond (1959), Born Reckless (1958) and The Silent Service (1957). She died on September 25, 2009 in Westminster, California, USA. Appeared on stage and Broadway in the 1940s, then a handful of films from then on.