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The Golden Age of Hollywood
Lot 186
A John Wayne early signed photo from The Big Trail
14 May 2019, 13:00 PDT
Los AngelesSold for US$1,275 inc. premium
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A John Wayne early signed photo from The Big Trail
Silver gelatin doubleweight photograph, matte finish, with "Autrey" photographer stamp at lower left, inscribed, "To J. H. Huber / Here's Hoping / John Wayne / 'The Big Trail'" in blue ink. Max Munn Autrey was well known for his portraiture of both silent and early sound film stars. The inscription by a very young John Wayne expressing his hopes that his first important role in The Big Trail (1930) will be a big hit is made more poignant by the fact that the film almost destroyed his career. Directed by Raoul Walsh, Wayne was chosen to star even though he was relatively inexperienced. The film failed at the box office and it took ten years and his appearance in 1939's Stagecoach before Wayne made a name for himself.
8 x 10 in.
8 x 10 in.




















