Just picked up this letter from
Christy Walsh about Pride of the Yankees, specifically about
Babe Ruth and Bill Dickey.
Walsh writes, “After considerable negotiations, I am very happy to say that
Bill Dickey has finally agreed to come out and appear in the
Lou Gehrig picture. This is not yet to be announced.”
The letter is written to Walsh’s assistant Joe Bihler whom Walsh asks to, “send me as much material as you can dig on on Bill Dickey suitable for studio publicity.” Walsh suggests contacting Elias Sports Bureau founder Al Munro Elias for the information.
The next two paragraphs are of particular interest.
“You might also consult Mrs. Gehrig by telephone to see if she has any reminiscence or suggestions regarding Dickey, particularly regarding his friendship and relationship with Lou.
“We are trying to have Bill arrive in Hollywood a few days before Babe arrives because, naturally Babe carries more news importance and we don’t want him to take the edge off of Dickey’s arrival story. This, of course, has to be handled tactfully because I don’t want to offend Bill Dickey.”
The letter is written on Samuel Goldwyn Inc letterhead and signed neatly by Walsh at the bottom.
The website
CooperstownExpert.com has the piece on
Walsh's page. The site has a page for every HoFer and about 250 non-HoFers. Many autographs are there.