Joe DiMaggio – Dorothy Arnold Communication Collection (w/two Joe D. Signatures)

In the public’s eye, Joe DiMaggio’s most celebrated marriage was that very brief union with Marilyn Monroe – a nuptial that wilted in less than a year. Most folks fail to recall, however, that the Clipper had earlier betrothed another starlet – Dorothy Arnold (nee Dorothy Arnoldine Olson) – who plied a 20-year film career appearing primarily in forgetable cinema scare productions. Furthermore, the marriage to Arnold spanned 1939 to ’44 and it was during that private chapter of Joe’s life that he fathered Joe III.

This small holding of written material is pertinent to the tribulations of that DiMaggio-Arnold marriage. There are a couple typewritten missives (unsigned) from Dorothy to Joe, in which she grumbles about delinquent support payments. But then, there are more sensitive references to their only child, "Joe," and the Yankee hero’s accused neglect of the boy. Also included here is a handwritten letter penned by Joe III (to his mother) when he was a struggling freshman at Yale. And, for that matter, there’s included in this melange a copy of the cover (which is rather off-condition) of Look magazine (April 26, 1949) picturing the DiMaggios – father and son.

Among these several cheerless keepsakes, however, are two profound treasures. The first of these is a typewritten letter from Joe to Dorothy. Dated late in 1961, this is a message that continues to a second page and the text deals with Dorothy’s supposed failure to properly distribute a portion of Joe’s monthly support to their son. In part, Joe tells Dorothy "…I received a telephone call from Joe [III] who advised me that he is living in San Diego at the present time, and is unemployed…" and that he is "…receiving nothing from you for his support." The two-page letter is stapled in the upper left and we report some spot staining in the left margin of the first page. Despite that this message was advanced to his ex-wife, and it concerned matters of their mutual interest, he signed it, formally, "Joe DiMaggio" – a ballpoint signature which is about "8" in strength. 

Far more alluring, though, is the other signature in this collection. Joe and Dorothy had been legally divorced for several years. But in 1949 modifications were agreed upon in regard to the boy and his support through his years of dependence. Essentially, this is an eight-page legal amendment that necessitated the signed acknowledgments of both parents. On page 7 of this agreement, Joe penned his signature – specifically as "Joseph Paul DiMaggio, Jr." a full-name signing that we’ve never before encountered. (The document is, of course, also signed by Dorothy as "Dorothy Olsen Schubert" as she had since remarried.) Joe’s signature is in blue ballpoint – it is cleanly legible and worthy of "8-9" in quality.  

1939,1949,Letter,Magazine,Signed  Joe DiMaggio,Joseph Paul,Marilyn Monroe,Paul DiMaggio

Auction End: 06-Nov-08  Post Views: 4130

2357  Price; $0.00 – $2,143.00