October Legends and Americana Ending November 14th
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/15/2015
Well before he harbored any designs on being the President of the Unites States of America Ronald Reagan was and aspiring actor and army reservist who had arrived in California as a play-by-play baseball broadcaster for the Chicago Cubs who signed a seven-year contract with Warner Brothers after taking a screen test in 1937. Working ceaselessly he appeared in 19 films by 1939 before appearing as George “The Gipper” Gipp in 1940’s Knute Rockne, All American beginning his rise to stardom. Shortly after Reagan appeared in his favorite role as a double amputee in King’s Row he was ordered to active duty with the U.S. Army in San Francisco and while his poor eyesight prevented him from being sent oversees he applied for a transfer from his cavalry unit and was later assigned to the First Motion Picture Unit in Culver City California. He was promoted to First Lieutenant on January 14, 1943 and relocated to the Provisional Task Force Show Unit of “This is the Army” in Burbank, California where he worked creating propaganda and training films with other members of the motion picture industry.
This 8” x 10.5” document of special orders was issued by the War Department in Washington D.C. on October 14, 1944 in reference to 2nd Lieutenant John R. Roberts’ assignment to the 18th Army Air Force Base Unit from “O Strategic Services, Washington D.C.” issued by General George C. Marshall as Army Chief of Staff by order of the SECRETARY of WAR (Henry L Stimson) on October 21, 1944 the document was certified official by Major General James A. Ulito, the Adjutant General of the Army and was signed by Reagan at a later date at the 18th AAF Base Unit in Culver City, California. This sheet is a carbon is a carbon copy on thin paper with staple holes in the upper left corner and two files holes at the top. Reagan was a 33-year old Air Corp Captain at the time and certified this document as a “True Copy” with his signature in ink at the bottom.