Extremely rare vintage inscribed violet fountain pen signature on a 1.5 x 2-inch portion of a tan envelope, acquired in-person in the 1930s, accompanied by an original 5x7-inch sepia-tone publicity portrait, which is, on its own, quite difficult to acquire. Both pieces are in good condition. Stocky, squint-eyed, raspy-voiced character actor Paul Hurst began his career directing, writing and appearing in silent westerns, gradually becoming one of the most prolific and familiar performers in early talkie films. He memorably portrayed villains, cops and comedy sidekicks in more than 335 films, perhaps most famously the deserter shot dead on the stairway of Tara by Scarlet O'Hara in Hone with the Wind (1939); the sidekick to Monte Hale in a number of "B" oaters; and Donahue in the horror gem Island of Lost Souls (1932). Stricken with cancer, he committed suicide at age 54 and his autograph is virtually impossible to find in any format.

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