Johnson as Icon

Photograph

Peter Ustinov. Prop Samuel Johnson Letter. 1957. Manuscript. MS Hyde 10 (715)

Peter Ustinov (1921-2004) won an Emmy for his 1957 portrayal of the title role in "The Life of Samuel Johnson" on the television show Omnibus. He wrote this faux Johnson letter on the back of a handy piece of scrap paper—an angry letter from Mrs. Hazel D. Svatos of Chicago, Illinois denouncing NBC for "ramming an asinine program like the Bob and Ray Show down the people’s throats."