Marx for Cranston

In 1968, Alan Cranston was elected to his first term as Senator from California. While surveying his papers (BANC MSS 88/214), we came across this humorous exchange between Groucho Marx and the new Senator.


November 7, 1968

Dear Senator: I was one of your strongest supporters and one who believed in your integrity - perhaps even manhood. I sent you a check for $25.00 so you could defeat that profane schoolteacher.

Inasmuch as you are now safely ensconced in office and Paulson has dropped out of the race, I think you would be doing a handsome deed by returning my $25.00. However, if you insist upon running again at some future date, just send me the money and I will hold it in escrow until I find out definitely what your plans are for the future. Incidentally, while you're in Washington, see if you can't incapacitate Senator Murphy.

Sincerely,
Groucho Marx

P.S. This is a pretty lousy letter and, incidentally, the check I sent you wasn't too much either.



January 30, 1969

Dear Groucho:

I was relieved to learn that you believe in my integrity and my manhood, just as you will be relieved to learn that your $25.00 check, which I promptly cashed, was good.

So much for my integrity, my manhood and your twenty-five bucks.

Gratefully,
Alan Cranston





--M. Bryer

Archival Toilet Paper

Here is a quickie, but it's an amusing one.

Today we were surveying the papers of the Crown Zellerbach Corporation, a very large paper company operating in the Pacific Northwest that was a parent company to 184 other paper companies.

The company even had its own Crown Zellerbach History Committee, recognizing the importance of its own history in a new executive policy order as early as 1954. They obviously took their charge seriously and saved a lot of materials.

We saw the records of dozens of paper, pulp, lumber, transportation, and mill companies, but were a bit surprised by what we found in carton 43, pictured here:


The finding aid described it as: "Roll of 'Spring Notch Toilet Tissue' recovered from a wall of the Sequoia Hotel, Fresno, California. ca.1920s"

Thus, we were looking at what is soon to be a 100 year old roll of toilet paper! And it's only Monday...

(See Crown Zellerbach Corporation records, BANC MSS 88/215 cp)

--D. Miller