Vintage ballpoint signatures and inscription, “To Ray—Best wishes, Neil Armstrong,” and “Best wishes, Mike Collins,” on the reverse of a light green 5.5 x 4.25 Paramount Studios phone message slip, annotated in another hand, “Sept. 26, 1969, at Paramount.” In very good condition, with a central horizontal fold and some scattered moderate creasing. Accompanied by an unsigned color candid snapshot of Armstrong and Collins posing with a crowd on a lunar set, with Bob Hope standing between the two astronauts. Also accompanied by a letter of provenance stating, in part: “[the] autographs of Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins were purchased by me from the estate of Winifred ‘Winnie’ Rich and her mother…both women had worked as script supervisors at Hollywood studios…Winnie’s late husband Ray Rich (to whom the Armstrong autograph is autographed) was a Grip on such films as ‘From Here To Eternity.’”
The Apollo 11 astronauts received a hero’s welcome upon their return from the moon—following an 18-day quarantine to ensure that they had not picked up any infections or diseases on the lunar surface. With a clean bill of health, the crew was feted across the world as part of a 45-day "Giant Leap" tour. The celebration didn’t end there, of course, as they made a multitude of television appearance, including one with Bob Hope, which took them to the Paramount studios and led to this autograph encounter. Armstrong and the famed comedian stuck up a friendly relationship, as the first moonwalker later agreed to appear with Hope during his 1969 USO show in Vietnam. Without a doubt, a visit from Armstrong was a welcome sight not only for Hope and his crew, but also for the men and women who also knew firsthand what it was like to be on a dangerous mission far away from home. Pre-certified Scott Cornish and RRAuction COA.
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