CAB CALLOWAY (1907-1994) and LEONTYNE PRICE (b. 1927) Photograph inscribed to Harold Arlen.
A vintage gelatin silver print depicting Cab Calloway performing with Leontyne Price, inscribed by both in 1953, 11 1/2 x 9 inches (29 x 23 cm), with the backstamp of Stwolinksi Studio. A few handling creases and minor edgewear.

Provenance: A Portion of the Harold Arlen Archives, Property of Mrs. Rita Arlen

An uncommon inscribed photograph Cab Calloway as Sportin' Life and Leontyne Price as Bess in the 1952-53 revival of George Gershwin's Porgy And Bess. Cab Calloway and Harold Arlen first met when Arlen was the in-house composer of the Cotton Club in the early 1930s. Calloway would perform several of Arlen and lyricist Ted Koehler's best known songs, such as "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea", "I've Got the World On A String", and the unforgettable "Stormy Weather." The 1952 was the second major revival of Porgy And Bess was the first to feature Calloway as Sportin' Life in the role that George Gershwin had originally intended for him. Here Calloway has inscribed the photograph "To my Pal Harold, The best for old times sake/Sportin' Life/Cab." Leontyne Price was lauded for her depiction of Bess and proved that a new generation of singers could perform Gershwin's opera. The tour also featured a young Maya Angelou in the role of Ruby.

C A Portion of the Harold Arlen Archives, Property of Mrs. Rita Arlen

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