This is a very rare silver gelatin 10x8 inch cast photograph for the 1936/7 Old Vic Theatre production of the controversial 17th Century restoration comedy The Country Wife by William Wycherley.

Incredibly, it is ink hand signed by the illustrious cast including:

RUTH GORDON - star of the 1968 Roman Polanski film Rosemary's Baby and the cult 1971 Hal Ashby generation gap black comedy Harold & Maude.

MICHAEL REDGRAVE - perhaps the most important actor of his generation and father of Vanessa Redgrave. He was knighted in 1959.

ERNEST THESIGER - famous for his role a year earlier as Dr Pretorius in the all-time classic James Whale horror film The Bride of Frankenstein (1935).

FREDA JACKSON - later to land major roles in such films as A Canterbury Tale (Powell & Pressburger 1944), Great Expectations (David Lean 1946), Tom Jones (Tony Richardson 1963) & even a part in the soon to be remade Blakes 7 on BBC TV in the 1970s !!

URSULA JEANS - later appeared in The Life & Death of Colonel Blimp (Powell & Pressburger 1943) & The Dam Busters (Michael Anderson 1955)

In addition the photo is further signed by:

Eileen Peel, Richard Goolden, Iris Hoey, Patrick Barr, Edith Evans, James Dale & Kate Cutler. also bears the ink signature of the photographer, J.W. Debenham on lower right corner and studio stamped verso. Very good condition.

Provenance: The Alec Clunes Collection.

Alec Clunes (1912-1970), father of Martin Clunes, the modern day comic actor, amassed a mind-boggling collection of theatrical ephemera, photographs and original artwork in his lifetime. He was a leading Shakespearean / classical stage actor of his day and also made a small number of notable film appearances including 'One of Our Aircraft is Missing' in 1942.

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UK postage £3.00 recorded delivery. Overseas £6.50 by insured airmail.

£2.99 start of buy it now for £250.00. If bidding starts the B.I.N price is no longer available.