John Barrymore's Fishface Pipe, Given to Him by Carole Lombard. In the 1934 classic screwball comedy Twentieth Century, ...

Description

John Barrymore's Fishface Pipe, Given to Him by Carole Lombard. In the 1934 classic screwball comedy Twentieth Century, John Barrymore and Carole Lombard detonated their most explosive Hollywood performances -- he as gloriously mad theatre impresario Oscar Jaffe, she as his fiery discovery Lily Garland (aka Mildred Plotka). "The Great Profile" was an inspiration to Lombard; they formed a deep and devoted friendship, and a talisman of this bond were the bizarre and sometimes macabre gifts they affectionately presented each other. An example is this truly startling pipe, the bowl of which is a creature from the deep, a grotesque undersea monster Shakespeare or Poe might have envisioned, complete with green eyes, carved fins and a mournful mouth. Barrymore naturally loved this pipe and smoked it often (the tobacco smell and bite survive). The brown bowl/fishhead has an approximate circumference of 5", the black stem is about 4" long, and the craftsmanship is impressive. "Genuine Imported Briar" is engraved delicately in very small lettering on the left side. The pipe leered for years in the collection of the late Elaine Barrie Barrymore, John's fourth and final wife, before finding a safe haven with its current consignor. John Barrymore always joked that he preferred showing his left profile because his right side had "all the charm and nuance of a morbid deep sea fish." This "morbid deep sea fish" pipe truly has charm and nuance (perhaps Lombard heard Barrymore make this remark, and selected her gift accordingly?) and their magical connection makes this item a very desirable keepsake indeed. This wonderful evocation of the fun spirit of two legendary stars is a marvelous curiosity in its own right, and is in Excellent condition.

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