L.A. to Get 1st Crack at Comedians Stamps : Philately: The new commemorative stamps, featuring Al Hirschfeld caricatures of famous comics, will be issued during a special ceremony at Mann’s Chinese Theater Aug. 29.

Los Angeles residents this month will have first dibs on five new commemorative Postal Service stamps with caricatures of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, Jack Benny and Fanny Brice.

The comedians stamps, designed by noted cartoonist Al Hirschfeld, will be issued during a special ceremony in Hollywood at Mann’s Chinese Theater and sold at post offices citywide on Aug. 29, before being offered nationally the next day.

In commissioning the 88-year-old Hirschfeld, who says he knew each of the comedians personally, the Postal Service bucked a couple of traditional rules. Despite regulations against hidden text, each of Hirschfeld’s caricatures bears the hidden name of his daughter, Nina. Ever since 1945, Hirschfeld has included her name in everything he draws to celebrate her birth.

Postmaster General Anthony M. Frank called the inscription a “distinctive element” of Hirschfeld’s art that could not be eliminated.

Also, the cover of the new stamp booklet reads “Hirschfeld’s Comedians.” Traditionally, Postal Service collections do not feature the name or signature of the artist. Not even Norman Rockwell, who illustrated the 1960 Boy Scouts stamp and the 1972 Tom Sawyer stamp, had his name on any part of the stamp issue or its cover. Neither did Robert Indiana when he designed the famous heart-shaped Love stamp.

The comedians stamps, priced at $5.80 for a booklet of 20, were commissioned when Larry Harmon, the former Bozo the Clown who owns copyrights for Laurel and Hardy, spearheaded a letter-writing campaign urging the Postal Service to issue a Laurel and Hardy stamp.

The Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee, which meets in Washington every other month to select new stamps, decided to do a larger collection of comedians of that era instead.

The 34 million comedians stamp booklets that were printed are expected to sell out after about two months. The Postal Service does not reprint commemorative collections.

People who attend the Hollywood ceremony at 11 a.m. can receive a free collectible souvenir program that includes the five comedians stamps with a first-day-of-issue postmark.

Hirschfeld and Frank will be on hand to sign autographs.