Charles Addams: A Sort of Self-Portrait

Addams had long claimed that he looked like the Addams Family's toothless grinning ghoul, Uncle Fester, "only with more hair."

—Linda H. Davis

Charles Addams: A Cartoonist's Life (2006, 2021), p. 11

Charles Addams's biographer got it right. He alludes to the resemblance again in a 1957 presentation drawing dedicated to a Mr. Wiggins. The drawing was sold a decade ago at RR Auction.

Charles Addams
RR Auction listing of June 26, 2014

https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/33244280431250-the-addams-family-charles-addams/?cat=0

Charles Addams
RR Auction item description

Note:  Got an original Charles Addams drawing like this one? Send me a picture and I just might post it.

04669

Albert Einstein: To the President of the International Flying Saucer Bureau

In 1952, Albert Einstein of the Institute for
Advanced Study in Princeton politely refused to engage with Albert K. Bender, the president of the International Flying Saucer Bureau in Bridgeport. In 2023, bidders politely refused to engage at auction with the typed letter, signed. It's not a bad piece at all, quite the historical footnote. And the letter should increase greatly in value once the flying saucers reveal themselves.

Albert Einstein
RR Auction ended December 6, 2023

https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/348154606800094-albert-einstein-typed-letter-signed-on-the-topic-of-flying-saucers-one-of-two-known-ufo-letters-from-the-theoretical-physicist/?cat=0

04560

Ray Bolger: Two Photos Signed by "The Scarecrow of Oz"

On December 6, RR Auction sold a publicity photo from "The Wizard of Oz" signed to one Dana E. Clarke by actor Ray Bolger, calling himself "The Scarecrow of Oz." It is signed with a black felt tip pen.

Ray Bolger
RR Auction ended December 6, 2023

https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/348160206800523-wizard-of-oz-ray-bolger-signed-photograph/?cat=0

Curiously, another photograph signed by Bolger to the same recipient was offered by Nate D. Sanders Auctions almost three years ago. This one was signed with a blue pen.

Ray Bolger
Nate D. Sanders Auctions

http://natedsanders.com/ray_bolger_signed_10___x_8___photo_from___the_wiza-lot59398.aspx

04544

Lady and the Tramp Unseen Scene

Who doesn't remember the spaghetti dinner from Walt Disney's "Lady and the Tramp" (1955)? A beautiful pair of cells of the title characters are trimmed and mounted on a reproduction background of Tony's restaurant just before the meal is served and the romantic song "Bella Notte" is heard. What wonderful memories this brings back—or does it? The thing is, these cells of the Tramp and Lady were used in some other scene—or possibly scenes—of the movie. Together they make a nice display, but they have nothing to do with what we saw on screen.

Lady and the Tramp
RR Auction
July 14, 2021

https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/344495006120771-lady-and-tramp-production-cels-from-lady-and-the-tramp/?cat=0

In the film, the Tramp and Lady approach Tony's from the right side of the screen.

Video still 0:03 

"Bella Notte"

Walt Disney's "Lady and the Tramp" (1955)

03875

Charles M. Schulz: Snoopy on a First Day Cover

What can a cartoonist add to a first day cover? Often not much, but once in a while everything on the envelope comes together synergistically. One of the best of these covers I've seen is an air mail postal envelope with a printed cachet honoring Charles Lindbergh's 1927 nonstop flight from New York to Paris. The FDC is embellished in ink by Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz. He has added a drawing of World War I flying ace Snoopy flying what any aviation buff will tell you is a Sopwith Camel.

Charles M. Schulz
RR Auction
July 14, 2021

https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/344470706120747-charles-schulz-original-sketch-of-snoopy/?cat=0

03690

Charles Addams: Best Wishes to the Browns of Arizona

Arizona became a territory of the United States on February 24, 1863, and entered the Union on February 12, 1912, as the 48th state. The state bird is the cactus wren and the state flower is the saguaro cactus flower. There's no need to memorize this as all of the information is conveyed on a sticker, circa 1961, celebrating the state's coming semi-centennial in 1962 and its territorial centennial in 1963. This sticker was provided to cartoonist Charles Addams, who also came into this world in 1912, by Mr. K. H. Brown and family of Mesa when requesting a souvenir from the popular New Yorker cartoonist. Addams made good use of the sticker in a note to the Brown family on which he drew the character who was soon to be known on television as Uncle Fester of the Addams Family.

Charles Addams
RR Auction, October 2018

https://rrauction.com/PastAuctionItem/3400760

03608