The following is the conclusion to the journal of events from my October 2005 Hollywood vacation – the second half of my second day. Mostly this deals with the Hollywood Collectors Show that I attended on October 1. You will note a similar soapbox speech about the perceived greed of some of the celebrities at the Hollywood Collectors Show during my Hollywood ’07 trip. Obviously at the bottom of this posting, you will be able to follow a trail of celebrites and see separate entries about the stars whom I met during this show.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1: SEEIN’ STARS (part 2)
This was my third Courts show. When I first attended in 1995, the celebrities in attendance had a slightly different outlook about the value of their autographs. Most celebs would charge you $5.00 for an autographed photo and would generally sign your own item for free. Those were the days. The celebs now have reach an unprecedented level of self-importance and/or greed. The fairest of prices nowadays is $10.00 per photo, most are $20.00, and some even approach $30.00 – even on your item! I did buy a selection of items from such names as Sherman Hemsley (The Jeffersons), Burt Ward (Robin of Batman), C. Thomas Howell (Ponyboy of The Outsiders), Carla Laemmle (Dracula 1931), Cubby O’ Brian (Mickey Mouse Club), Noel Neill (Lois Lane in Superman), Janet Ann Gallow (Abbott and Costello’s It Ain’t Hay – seen below), and Patsy Barry from the Our Gang. Patsy did not have an extraordinarily large role in the Gang, but she was an exceptionally nice person. Sitting next to her at the show was Joy Wurgaft Lane, also an Our Gang member. Joy did not have a large role in the series either, but she felt the need to superimpose herself into a batch of photos of the Gang, so that she appeared to enjoy the prominence of Spanky and Alfalfa. Whatever. She’s pretty nice, too, but nothing like Patsy. I also got to meet Burr Middleton, the grandson of Laurel and Hardy co-star Charles Middleton (seen below). A great guy. There was time to browse the memorabilia at the show but I didn’t do too much buying beyond the signed photos. I picked up a nice color signed photo of Jake Lloyd (Anakin from Star Wars: Episode One) and a DVD of Little Abner with Buster Keaton. The first was $25.00, the second 50 cents.
Signed photo of Jane Ann Gallow with Lou Costello in It Ain’t Hay
Me with Burr Middleton, grandson of Charles Middleton
One of my purchases, a signed photo of Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker
For the remainder of my time at the Courts show on Saturday, I decided to go around and have photos taken of some of the celebrities with me. I had purchased signed photos from most of these folks in the past via Bob (and told them so), so I didn’t feel guilty asking them to pose with me. The people I posed with were: Stanley and Barry Livingston (My Three Sons), John Volstad (Daryl from Newhart), the kids from A Christmas Story (four of them – but not Ralphie), Jay North, Jeannie Russell and Gloria Henry (the cast of Dennis the Menace), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca from Star Wars), Jack O’Halloran (Non of Superman – the big dude from Krypton), Billie Hayes (Witchiepoo from HR Puffnstuff) and Stella Stevens (Miss Purdy from The Nutty Professor). There was no charge to pose with these folks. And Priscilla Barnes from Three’s Company asked that we make any donation to victims of Hurricane Katrina. So I gave her $5.00 – two-fifty for each of her over-inflated breasts! Linda Blair was present but wanted $10.00 to be photographed; simply too much. One regret: I missed a photo with Kevin McCarthy, star of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. We finally left the Courts show and headed for dinner at the Smoke House. On the way we stopped off at Forest Lawn Cemetary in Hollywood Hills to visit the gravesite of Stan Laurel. There were many other L&H related celebrities the we scouted as well: Buster Keaton, Marvin Hatley, Iris Adrian, and Ben Shipman to name a few. We looked for the Penn and Teller plaque but couldn’t find it. More about that later.
At Stan’s grave, with his wife Ida’s marker below
The delicious meal at the Smoke House was made even better by some good company. Jimmy III was there with his parents Jimmy and Kris. John and Janet Duff, Colin and Lori Jones McCaffery, and David Rodriguez were all there as well. I was surprised with a piece of birthday cake and an embarrassing rendtion of the appropriate song.
Me, Jimmy, Big Jimmy’s eye, Kris, John, Janet, and a small portion of David
Janet and Big Jimmy’s half-faces frame our table with David, Lori, Colin, me, and Jimmy. It’s my party and I’ll look dumb if I want to
Afterward, most of us adjourned to our suite at the hotel for an hour or two of laughs and good company. David was particularly taken with my imitation of Our Ganger Dorothy deBorba. Jimmy was having trouble with his sciatica nerve and could barely walk – but had to keep moving to subside the pain. Whenever we come together for vacation, there is always a disaster. Fortunately, this was his worst night and he gradually improved throughout the week.
Bob falls asleep on the phone in our suite, papers strewn about
Getting silly on the suite davenport
Bob and I crashed relatively early. We had a breakfast appointment in the morning.
California 2005 will continue…
Follow the trail of celebs from the 2005 HCS…
Did you mean “Gloria Henry”?
Dad
August 2nd, 2007