Description: Frederick "Fritz" Klem, a pianist, singer, and budding vaudevillian, was 19 when he wrote this letter; as he makes clear, he was resigned that he would have to fight overseas in the Great War. He'd no way of knowing that the war would end in less than two months. Fritz did serve, however. By 1919, with his soon-to-be stage partner, Jimmy Casson, he would go first to the United Kingdom and, in 1921, to Germany, as part of the YMCA's entertainment unit, a sort of early version of the U.S.O., and perform for the troops. In three pages he mentions many interesting things: He made $9.00 plying piano at “Whittner’s [sic] Big Dept. store.”His new song, “When Alexander Plays the Saxophone” will be issued soon by Monarch Music Company, of Reading.He got letters from “a bunch of girls who are writing to me to keep me from lonesomeness.”His nurse friend Alice Hughes, from Elmira, New York, has “had typhoid fever for 9 wks.”“Six war aeroplanes flew over […] at exhibition at the Reading Fair. It looked great.”“Mama is worrying,” . . . “I’ll sure have to [go to war] and I must make the best of it.”Reading, Pennsylvania, is "a lonesome burg" and the women "are all hustlers" and "fast jazz honeys." [!!!]The small photo of Fritz Klem included with this lot was taken in May 1919, about seven months after he wrote the letter. On the back, Fritz wrote "Klem - Piano Banger of Casson & Co. in Terre Haute, Ind. May 5 - 1919." (He was then touring the U.S. and Canada with his more experienced vaudeville partner, Jimmy Casson.)Please examine images for detail, as they are part of the description. Customer satisfaction is very important to me; please review my feedback and you'll see that I take it very seriously.Will combine shipping for multiple purchases. Thanks for looking!
Price: 28.29 USD
Location: Durham, North Carolina
End Time: 2024-11-27T05:53:40.000Z
Shipping Cost: N/A USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Music style: Vaudeville
City: Reading Pennsylvania
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Subject: Homefront
Modified Item: No
