Highly rare and quite early 3.25 x 5.25-inch black and white portrait, looking gorgeous in her prime, boldly signed in black fountain pen in 1948, as indicated on the verso. In good condition for its age, with a handwritten note on the verso and a postal cancelation stamp. After garnering public attention for her portrayal of Violet Bick in It's a Wonderful Life (1946), sexy Gloria Grahame went on to play a string of shady, sultry types in noir gems like Crossfire (1947), In a Lonely Place (1950), Sudden Fear (1952), The Big Heat (1953), Human Desire (1954), and Naked Alibi (1954). The actress was also memorable as Ado Annie Carnes in Oklahoma! (1955). She died of stomach cancer at the age of 57 and her autograph, always sought by It's a Wonderful Life collectors, is elusive in any format.

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