ETHEL MERMAN (1908-1984) A very early large format photograph inscribed to Harold Arlen.
A vintage large format gelatin silver print depicting a young Ethel Merman in three-quarters length, late 1920s, inscribed at upper right "To Harold/May I always meet people like you/Ethel." The photograph signed at lower right "De Mirjian" and with the photo studios' backstamp as well as the stamp of Merman's agent Lou Irwin. 14 x 11 inches (35 x 28 cm). Handling crease at lower right, very fine overall with a dark and large inscription.

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

In the early 1930s, while Arlen was in-house composer for the Cotton Club, he still performed frequently and first met Ethel Merman in 1932 when he accompanied her at the Palace in New York. Arlen wrote the music for the 1935 film Strike Me Pink which starred Merman alongside Eddie Cantor and Arlen's wife Anya. In the film, Merman sings Arlen and lyricist Lew Brown's "Shake It Off With Rhythm." The photography studio of John de Mirjian, which produced highly glamorous images, was short lived as the photographer died in a car crash in 1928. A fine association between Arlen and Ethel Merman in the first years of her long and storied career.

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

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