PROVENANCE: 'GEORGE' and HIS ALBUM:

'George Wahr Sallade / Ann Arbor, Michigan' is written on the beginning page of the autograph book and, in the same hand, it is dated 'Feb. 27,1935' on the reverse. (see scans below) 

There are 23 signatures in the album, 21 of movie stars, one of explorer R.E. Byrd and one unknown (Rosita Modico?).   There are three signers on the Al Jolson page and the unknown (Modico?) signed the reverse side of the R. E. Byrd signed page.   Of the 23 total, 15 of the most prominent are currently listed for sale in this website and the 8 others will be added in the future.

George Wahr Sallade was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan on Nov.16,1922 and he died in Ann Arbor on June 18,1997.

George was a little over 12 years old when he wrote his name in the album, apparently in preparation for a trip with his family to California.  One of the autographs, Clark Gable's, is dated 'Aug 15, 1935'. The others, although un-dated, were probably obtained during the same trip and about that date also.

The circumstance(s) which gave George access to the top stars of the day is unknown; but because some signatures (Keeler sisters with Jolson and Lombard following Gable) on the same or adjacent page the contact was possibly at a restaurant or, because there were so many signatures, it is even more likely at some Hollywood occasion. Or was George in California hoping for a role as a child actor?

In later life, George became a successful attorney (member of American Bar Assoc. and the American Trial Lawyers Assoc.) and also a prominent politician.  He served as a member of the Michigan State House of Representatives (Dem., 1955-1960) and held or ran for various other state and national offices.  He was a member of the American Bar Association, Trial Lawyers Association, Freemasons, Moose, Rotary, Phi Alpha Delta and Sigma Delta Chi.

After George's death in June of 1997, the impressive autograph album from his youth was put up for auction by the Frank H. Boos Galleries in Troy, Michigan as part of the disposition of his estate.

I purchased the album at the Boos auction on Sept. 13, 1997 and did not begin listing the individual pages for sale until establishing this website in the fall of 2004.