Sale 2470 - Autographs, March 22, 2018

“I AM ALWAYS RELAXED WHEN I HAVE A LOT OF LIP SALVE” 146 c   ARMSTRONG, LOUIS.Two Autograph Letters Signed,“Satchmo / Louis Armstrong,” to his lip salve purveyor Erich Kauffmann.The first, describing the quiet Easter Armstrong and his wife enjoyed after returning from a tour “behind the Iron Curtain,” remarking that one ought to be contented with the life shared by Kauffmann and his now deceased wife, and encouraging him to send lip salve. 5 1 / 4 pages, 4to, “Satchmo” stationery, pale blue paper, written on recto and verso of 3 sheets; horizontal folds, small hole at upper left corner of each sheet. The second, sending a video cassette containing a recording of Armstrong’s appearance on the Dick Cavett Show [not present], requesting that he send a bill for the lip salve shipments, and recalling a recent meeting with a former agent for Ansatz-Crème lip salve and encouraging Kauffmann to write to him. 3 1 / 2 pages, 4to, written on rectos of 4 sheets, advertisements for Armstrong’s diet plan (“Lose Weight, the Satchmo Way!”) printed on each verso with large holograph “X” through text; faint toning to first page, folds. With the original envelope. New York, 17 April 1965; 20 January 1970 [1,500/2,500] 1965: “Here I am sitting in my home in Corona . . . writing this letter to you while my wife Lucille have [sic] a good sleep. . . . The reason why we are so tired is because we have just returned home from our tour from behind the Iron Curtain. Which we both enjoyed very very much. . . . We did a broadcast in Frankf[u]rt Germany not long ago. . . . Then I had to leave immediately after we finished work in the studio to catch the plane to return behind the Iron Curtain again. . . .” 1970: “. . . I am always relaxed when I have a lot of lip salve. And for God sake, you must make it forever. I went down to Philade[l]phia Pennsylvania to do a T.V. show on the Mike Douglas show. And while Lucille and I were in Philadelphia we got in touch with Mr. Gruner. I met him . . . when he was the agent for Mr. Franz Schuritz Lip Salve Ansatz Creme. He is still around & seems to be in good shape. . . .” During a European tour in the 1930s, Armstrong relieved his split lip using a salve offered to him by its inventor, German trombonist Franz Schuritz. Armstrong was so pleased by the effect, he endorsed the product (“Ansatz-Crème”) and continued to use it throughout the remainder of his performing life. MUSICIANS LOTS 146 - 193