Description:

Dwight Eisenhower
Washington, DC, May 9, 1958
Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower Thank Broadway Producer for Star-Studded Entertainment at White House
Archive
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, MAMIE EISENHOWER, Archive of materials related to state dinner for Chief Justice Earl Warren, May 9, 1958, Washington, DC.

This small archive of materials includes thank-you letters from both President and Mrs. Eisenhower to Harold S. Prince for his role in bringing stars of Broadway to the White House for after-dinner entertainment. The guests of honor for the annual white-tie state dinner were the justices of the United States Supreme Court. Chief Justice Earl Warren and all the associate justices were present, except Felix Frankfurter, whose wife was ill. Another of the 61 dinner guests was FBI Chief J. Edgar Hoover.

After dinner, fourteen Broadway musical comedy stars performed in the East Ballroom for an audience of more than 200. Among the stars performing were 11-year-old Eddie Hodges, who sang a number from The Music Man; Carol Lawrence and Larry Kert from West Side Story; Thelma Ritter and Cameron Prud'homme from New Girl in Town; and Sally Ann Howes, star of My Fair Lady.

Highlights and Excerpts
- Dwight D. Eisenhower, Typed Letter Signed, to Harold S. Prince, May 9, 1958, Washington, DC. 1 p., 6.75" x 9". On "The White House" stationery, with envelope; expected folds; taped on verso on all edges.
"Mrs. Eisenhower and I most warmly thank you for your efforts in assembling for us and our guests last evening some of Broadway's finest stars. The musical program was highly entertaining, and a real treat for us since we so rarely have the opportunity to attend the theatre."

- Mamie Doud Eisenhower, Typed Letter Signed, to Harold S. Prince, May 9, 1958, Washington, DC. 1 p., 6.25" x 9.25". On "The White House" stationery, with envelope; expected folds; taped on verso on all edges.
"The program which followed our State Dinner last evening for the Chief Justice was excellent. I am most appreciative of your kindness in coordinating the talents of these fine performers. I am certain that all the guests enjoyed the program, judging from their complimentary remarks.
"It was pleasant, also, to meet you and Miss Oliver. With warm appreciation and every good wish."

- Dwight D. Eisenhower and Mamie Eisenhower, Partially Printed Invitation, to Harold S. Prince, Washington, DC. 1 p., 5" x 4". With tape on all edges; includes envelope; also includes a card to present at "The Southwest Gate / The White House / May 8, 1958 / at 9:30 o'clock," 4" x 2.5"; and card specifying "White Tie" attire, 3.25" x 1.875".
"The President and Mrs. Eisenhower request the pleasure of the company of Mr. Prince on Thursday evening May 8, 1958 at 9:30 o'clock."

Mary Geneva "Mamie" Doud Eisenhower (1896-1979) was born in Iowa and raised in a wealthy household in Colorado. She attended finishing school at Wolcott School for Girls in Denver. In 1916, she married Dwight D. Eisenhower, a lieutenant in the U.S. Army, and over the next 37 years, she lived in 33 different homes as an army wife. They had two sons, Doud (1917-1921) and John (1922-2013). After Ike's election as president in 1952, Mamie Eisenhower served as First Lady of the United States. She maintained distance from the press, rarely granting interviews, but personally responded to every letter she received as First Lady. After Eisenhower's second term, the Eisenhowers retired to their home in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and their retirement home in Palm Desert, California. After Ike's death, she went to Belgium, where their son was serving as ambassador. When she returned to the United States, she lived on the farm in Gettysburg and increasingly in an apartment in Washington, D.C. She had a close relationship with the family of Richard M. Nixon, and her grandson married the Nixons' daughter in 1968.

Harold S. Prince (1928-2019) was born in New York City into an affluent German Jewish family. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1947 and served for two years in the U.S. Army in postwar Germany. He began his work in theater as an assistant stage manager in New York City in 1950 and was soon producing and directing such hits as West Side Story (1958), Fiddler on the Roof (1965), Cabaret (1966), Sweeney Todd (1979), Evita (1980), and The Phantom of the Opera (1988). Over his career, he received 21 Tony Awards. He was best known for his collaborations with composers Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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