Description

Description: In this brief note tinged with urgency, dramatist C. Haddon Chambers asks to see Heggie for a chat: “Could you look in on me one Monday soon?” Heggie played the role of Samuel Burns in Chamber’s Passers-By at the Wyndham Theatre ( London) in 1911.

Autograph letter signed on 7” x  5 ¼”  “Ritz-Carlton Hotel New York” stationery. Item #A01995

C. Haddon Chambers (1860-1921), best known for his British-style comedies of manners, was an Australian-born dramatist who moved to London in 1882. Although he worked at a pace that was mistaken for idleness, his imperturbable nature hid his vitality. Arriving with no more than pocket change in London, he made his way first as a journalist, then wrote short fiction, before being discovered and encouraged to write plays. His first big successes were Captain Swift and The Idler. Tyranny of Tears (1899), Passers-By (1911) and The Saving Grace (1917) are among his most notable plays.

O. P. Heggie (1877-1936), an Australian theater and film actor, began in amateur theater productions in Sydney and London. He gained prominence on Broadway (NYC), playing the lead in Androcles and The Lion, Old Man Minick in Minick, Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, Diggory in She Stoops to Conquer and others. He moved to Hollywood in 1928 and appeared in 27 films, including: The Count of Monte Cristo, The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu, etc.

Condition: Scattered spots, mailing fold line. Quite readable with a bold signature.