New autographs, Sept 2012

Julie Adams (Creature From The Black Lagoon)

Cast from Lost In Space (June Lockhart, Angela Cartwright, Bill Mumy)

Dean Stockwell autograph

Met Dean Stockwell yesterday at the Chicago Comic Con - here's the pic I asked him to sign for me: 

Dean with Frank Sinatra in Anchors Aweigh

My New Autographs

Well last weekend was the annual Chiller expo in New Jersey, my first time there. Overall it was fun and I managed to get a few new autographs. Also in this post are a few other autographs from other recent shows I've been to.

Chiller Expo, Parsipanny New Jersey (Oct 29)

Dolores Hart



Mother Dolores Hart made a live appearance last weekend in New Jersey to help raise money for her monastery which is in need of renovation.  She is a warm and gentle woman and was so happy to meet and greet anyone who came up to her. I told her it was an honor to meet her and shook her hand.

There was a professional photographer taking photos of all the celebrities; the photos have been posted here at WireImage. Check them out for more pics. 

Martin Landau

 Mr. Landau looked very tired when it was my turn in line to meet him. He had just come back from a break and he had been taking very long breaks that day (as I was told) I really wanted to get my North by Northwest poster signed by him and he was very happy to do so, even though the experience felt a bit rushed. There really wasn't much time to talk. There were many people and the atmosphere was less than intimate.

I was able to take some photos of the table with all of the photos for sale

Below: Landau and a fan. At the next table to their left is a B actress named "Lisa Marie", and at the next table is Bruce Dern

Below, Chiller Expo 2011: This was the main "Pit" area in the hotel where all the big-name stars were situated. In the lower right you can see the actor from Goodfellas (in the film, he's the one who says to Joe Pesci to go back to his shinebox). Valerie Perrine was also there (at left) but I didn't get a chance to meet her. Hopefully next time!

Richard Kiel



Got Jaws' autograph! Nice fellow.

Carroll Spinney, Muppeteer ("Big Bird", "Oscar")

Got "Big Bird" Carrol Spinney to sign my Muppet Movie poster. 

Hollywood Collector's Show, Rosemont IL (October 2011)

Michael J. Pollard

He was a very nice man, but hard of hearing. A local movie theater was planning a special tribute to Bonnie And Clyde and he was going to attend and do a Q&A. Later I found out the event was cancelled due to lack of interest. 

Millie Perkins and Diane Baker from 1959's The Diary of Anne Frank

Millie Perkins was a very sweet woman. We talked for about 10 minutes about the Anne Frank movie, and some of her other films which I have not seen. She was so kind. She told me that she travels all over the world to screen the film and talk about it as well. She also played Elvis' mother in a TV movie and we talked about Graceland (we had both been there). I could tell that she really enjoyed talking to me. It's very rare for a  celebrity to be so friendly.

Diane Baker was sitting at a table next to Millie Perkins and I got her autograph too. 

James Darren



I had James Darren sign this photo for me from Gidget; it's my favorite film or TV with him in it. 

Henry Winkler, Penny Marshall, Cindy Williams



All three made a rare autograph appearance together last month. The Fonz was super nice and friendly, greeting everyone, standing up and walking around to meet fans in line, even. This is rare for a celebrity to do! But he did it! I was a bit nervous. Penny Marshall rarely makes appearances I'm told, so it was neat to get her autograph. She was signing and talking on her iPhone at the same time! Some people are just super busy, I guess. 

Chicago Comic Con (August 2011)

Christopher Lloyd



The line to meet Christopher Lloyd was huge. I think I was in line at least 2 hours. But it was fun and worth it. When you are with other fans it's fun. 

Louis Gossett, Jr.



Very nice man. It was great meeting him. I had read he had been going through some serious health complications in the last couple of years. Also I just picked up his new autobiography but haven't had a chance to read it yet.

Pam Grier 



She had a book she was promoting but I opted to have my Jackie Brown poster signed. She said to me, Thank you for supporting our industry.

Jane Powell and Seven Brides event, Part 2 (videos)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Note: this is Part 2 in a series covering the TCM: Road to Hollywood event in Chicago on 3/24/11

In this clip, Jane remembers Seven Brides. I love when she says, "I think the movie will be around for quite some time, an so will I!".

Duration: approx 1 minute.

The day before the event, news came of the passing of film legend Elizabeth Taylor, and everyone was talking about her and her films for the last two days.

In this next video clip, Robert asks Jane if she would share her memories of Elizabeth. I didn't know they went to school together; they were life long friends since they were young girls. They even stood up to each other's weddings.

At the end of the clip, the question-and-answer session begins. The first question comes from a man who mentioned how much he enjoyed Two Weeks With Love. Jane and Robert then chat about Debbie Reynolds and Ricardo Montalban. Incidentally, both Debbie and Jane share the same birthday - April 1. I never knew that! (See Dawn's birthday salute to Debbie Reynolds here)

Duration: aprox: 5 minutes

Monty has a nice photo here of Jane Powell and Elizabeth Taylor

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Jane Powell

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Note: This is Part 1 of of a special 3-part series on the TCM: Road to Hollywood event in Chicago

Last week Turner Classic Movies came to town with their Road to Hollywood series, treating fans to a special free screening of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the Music Box Theater in Chicago. I arrived in line 2-1/2 hours before the start time (and ate part of my dinner while waiting). Seating started at 6:30, one hour before the show. Every seat was taken - it was a full house! TCM's Robert Osborne came up to the stage at 7:30 and said a few words about TCM, the Road series and the big TCM Film Fest in Hollywood in a few weeks.

I was really excited to see this movie; I had never seen it before. Robert asked how many people had never seen the movie, then asked how many never saw it on the big screen, and almost everyone's hand went up. There were people of all ages there, and quite a few teenagers as well. The people I talked to in line said this was one of their favorite movies.

In this clip, Robert Osborne is introduced to the crowd
Duration: 1 minute, 17 seconds

In this clip, Jane Powell is introduced to the crowd and walks up to the stage.
Duration: 2 minutes

When Jane Powell came out and everyone stood up;
cheers and applause filled the theater.

P.S. Did you know today is Jane Powell's birthday? Yes! Happy Birthday!

Monty and Dawn both have nice birthday tributes today.

Coming Soon: Part 2

More Videos with Jane Powell talking about
Elizabeth Taylor and Seven Brides

Photos from Chicago Comic-Con 2010

I couldn't believe how many celebrities there were at this year's Chicago Comic-Con (AKA "Wizard World"). I attended on Saturday Aug 21, the second full day. The biggest draws this year were William "Kirk" Shatner and Adam "Batman" West, and I wanted to see if I could catch a glimpse of them (I did--photos below). I didn't get their autographs; photo op fees were expensive, and autographs were also costly. Though I like them, I was not planning on spending my whole paycheck on them. I did see alot of happy fans, though, patiently waiting in line.



Shatner and West moved around from room to room today, posing for various photo ops and doing interviews, so I had a hard time finding them. Eventually, I caught up with them. West and Burt "Robin" Ward were doing a special photo op session (probably for a hundred bucks) together with a replica of the "Batmobile". They were behind a red curtain, but I managed to sneak a few pics of them before I was told to put away my camera.

<---retro adam="" also="" and="" b="" batman="" disgraced="" everyone="" fool="" former="" getup="" governor="" guy="" had="" he="" hoping="" i="" idea="" illinois="" in="" into="" is.="" it="" just="" no="" not="" ps="" s="" some="" superman.="" that="" the="" thinking="" to="" west="">Rod Blagojevich was going to be there today. Thankfully, I didn't see him while I was there, but according to news reports, he was. Apparently the whole appearance was planned at the last minute. He must have felt right at home with the the ghouls, creeps, and zombies who also showed up:



There were a few people from the Star Wars and Star Trek franchises. Representing Star Wars, Jake Lloyd was there - he was the kid who played young Annakin Skywalker in 1999's "Episode 1".



The guy who was choked by Darth Vader in the first movie (from 1977) was there. Don't ask me what the actor's name is; I'm guessing that scene was his 15 minutes of fame. There were probably a few more bit players from the movies but I have no idea who they are. These guys I recognized:




Representing Star Trek, other than the aforementioned Mr. Shatner, I saw Walter Koening ("Chekov"), Brett Spiner ("Data"), and Avery Brooks, who played one of the captains on a spinoff show that I never watched. There were some other people but I'm not that much of a Trekkie to know them.

Every second person there was in costume. As for me, I just went as myself. About 50% of the costumes I didn't recognize, but these I did:






There were lots of TV stars there from the 1970s and 1980s. Micky Dolenz from "The Monkees". Roj and Dee from What's Happening were there. (I forgot their real names). John Schnieder ("Bo Duke") was there. Lindsay Wagner ("The Bionic Woman") was there, as was her co-star Richard Anderson. Christopher Knight ("Bobby Brady") was there, and nearby at other tables were Beth Horn from "American Gladiators", Julie Newmar from "Batman", Ian Ziering, Lorenzo Lamas, Angie Everhart, and some wrestling stars such as the Iron Sheik. .






Representing the Terminator series, Michael Biehnn and Linda Hamilton from the first movie (she was in T2 also) and the female terminator from the third movie. Also some people from the "Twilight" movies, but I have no idea who they are.



Linda Blair (The Exorcist) was there; I had already met her at another previous event. She is involved with an animal charity and always gives proceeds to the cause. (Sorry that some of these pics are so blurry). John Savage from The Deer Hunter was there too.



I only met three celebrities today, which was the highlight of the day. First, I just had to meet Richard Roundtree, AKA: Shaft. I had a movie poster that I wanted to get him to sign for me. He was such a nice guy, and was talking with everyone for really long periods, so the wait was long. Two cast members of Back to the Future were there, and I had them sign my other poster that I brought. Claudia Wells who played Jennifer in the first movie was there. She was as nice as could be. This was pretty much her only hit film, I think. She said her mother was sick when they filmed the sequels and that's why she wasn't in them. Then I met Mr. Strickland, James Tolkan and he was a nice guy. But he looked so much older than I remembered him in the films. I told him I also liked him in Dick Tracy and he said he was surprised that people remember him in that. He said he's good friends with his co-star from that movie Al Pacino.



The inscriptions read:

To Thomas, Richard Roundtree, "Shaft"
To Tom, James Tolkan "Mr. Strickland"
To Tom, How about a ride, Mister? Blessings, Claudia Wells "Jennifer Parker"

Meeting the cast of West Side Story (Rita Moreno, Russ Tamblyn and George Chakiris)

Below: Hollywood Palms theater in Naperville, Illinois (4/10/10)



Below: Banner inside the lobby. I saw people bring vinyl record albums, DVDs, and some pictures to have signed.


Below: I tried to snap some pictures of them while I was waiting in line without looking like a complete stalker. My camera does not take very good indoor shots. Either that or I haven't mastered the settings. I might need to get a new one. Please send me your suggestions for a good camera.


Below: Bernardo and Anita



George Chakiris looked exactly the same as he did in the movie, with just a few more gray hairs. He looks very fit and healthy, and was very charming, nice as can be. He and Rita were talking and chatting to each other like old friends. I don't know why he has not appeared in more movies. I should have asked him. Dang it.

Below: Riff / Tom Thumb / Gideon Pontipee



Russ - a real gentleman. You could tell he was so happy to be there, not snobbish like some actors. In fact he even thanked ME for coming, but I was thanking him.

His wife sat right next to him while he met and talked to fans. I had never seen what his wife looks like before; when I first saw her I immediately noticed the resemblance to their daughter, actress Amber Tamblyn. They look so alike!

Below: The Legendary Rita Moreno



I couldn't believe it was her. And that she was here, in person. The one and only. One woman in line ahead of me brought her a dozen roses. Ms. Moreno was so nicely dressed, I was so glad I wore a tie. She was tough and fiesty, just how I expected her to be. She was seated next to the general manager of the theater. There was no time to chat, really because the line was so long and people were moving along but I thanked her and told her how excited I was to meet her. She signed a poster for me and a photo.

I later learned that just a few weeks ago, she was presented with a medal (performing arts award?) from the President in the White House. Also did you know that she has won the Oscar, a Grammy, a Tony, and an Emmy for her sizzling performance on "The Muppet Show".