DS, one page, 8.5 x 11, July 24, 1934. An agreement between Garbo and MGM Studios, reading in part: “We are pleased to hand you herewith our check…payable to yourself in the amount of $25,000.00. However, as we have written instructions from you to deposit all installments on your contract in your savings account…will you please be kind enough to sign this letter in the space provided below, confirming your oral request that this check be delivered to you, and also acknowledging receipt of the same?” Very boldly signed at the conclusion in blue ink, “Greta Garbo.” In fine condition, with intersecting folds, one through a single letter of signature, two torn punch holes to top, and some mild edge toning.
In 1934, the sum of $25,000 was an exorbitant amount for a studio to pay, even for a star of Garbo’s magnitude. In the book, Grand Design: Hollywood as a Modern Business Enterprise, 1930-1939, Tino Balio writes that when Garbo’s contract expired after Grand Hotel in 1932, MGM offered to raise her annual salary from $7,000 to $10,000 -- but the savvy legend held out for more. Due chiefly to Garbo’s continued popularity in Europe, Balio notes, the studio “continued paying her top dollar for her services.”
Garbo’s bold signatures remain very rare as her famous aloof persona included a refusal to sign almost anything. As evidenced here, though, she had no problem signing for her check.
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