FRANCIS McDONALD. Moody vintage 7.75 x 10 matte finish silver tone chest-up portrait, signed and inscribed across his left arm in black fountain pen, "To Carlyle Masley/Best of luck/Francid McDonald/Oct. 30/30." Fine condiion, with corner pinholes; minor paper loss to both left corner tips; mild bends in the top right corner; and generally good contrast to the signaure and inscription, which are penned against the dark fabric of his jacket. One of Hollywood's most prolific character actors, Francis McDonald made his screen debut in the early days of silent film and worked steadily until the mid-1960s. In all, he is credited with nearly 350 film and television appearances. He was a favorite of director Cecil B. deMille, and one of his most memorable performances was as the aged Hebrew slave, in The Ten Commandments (1956), who expires in Charlton Heston's arms, lamenting that God had not granted his prayer to view the face of the liberator of the Jews before he died. From the 1950s on, he appeared in virtually every major television Western series, often playing multiple roles in different episodes. Signed photographs are quite uncommon.
$100 |
