This is director Cecil B. deMille's Christmas card from 1957. I've had it for about 20 years--since retrieving it from deMille's desk, believe it or not. It's a longish story I won't bore you with here...but isn't this a terrific card? DeMille was making his "Ten Commandments" at the time, and the trades were predicting the expensive film would be a turkey---hence the sphinx drawn this way. It appears the artist is a man named Bruce Durrell, about whom I know absolutely nothing.
Who would have thought the intense Mr.deMille had such a great sense of humor--about himself? Of course, he did get the last laugh as "The Ten Commandments" was a hit.
Okay, seriously, we want to hear the story!!!
ReplyDeleteHave a good holiday, Jenny!
Re the DeMille humor: C.B. was reputed to have told a young assistant who was starting in his office, "The hall is a little sloped, so you will be able to see the heads I lop off rolling past your door..."
ReplyDelete(This anecdote was told me by Robert Birchard, author of Cecil B. DeMille's Hollywood.)
Faaaascinating card!!!! Thanks for posting it!! And what's the story behind it?
ReplyDeleteThanks also for the kind comment about storyboards on John's blog! I was completely overwhelmed by it!
I have a Christmas present for you! It's something you thumbed through at Warners and seemed to find interesting at the time. I know you're busy so I'll hold it for you!
Merry Christmas to you and yours!