Autographs

[happyfilmluvguy]

Imagine. You are in the parking lot just after you had lunch with your friends. You're making your way to your car when someone familar steps out of theirs, after taking the parking space beside you. It's none other than Humphrey Bogart. You're a bit surprised. What's he doing here? He looks up and sees you staring at him. You don't want to bother him, but the very first thought that comes into your mind is..."autograph".

You casually approach him and he smiles. You're about to ask, but he's ahead of you. He knows. "Sure, I'll give you an autograph. Got a pen?". You reach into your pocket and hand him your trustly writing utencil. He peaks in his car and pulls out a photo of him. He lays the photo against the winshield and signs. "Here ya go, kid". He hands you the photo. You're in awe. You say thank you, and he walks off.

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I don't personally have an autograph, but a friend of mine does. I kind of smeared the ink when I was able to actually see it....

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So whose autograph(s) do you own?

 

[CharlieH.]

Personally, I don't own any autographs, but I've seen a few interesting items on the ole web (*cough*ebay*cough*):

I saved this pic ages ago and I still remember the story. Supposedly, the seller's father was a stagehand at a Glenn Miller gig, and he wanted an autograph. Only paper he had handy was (quite apropriately) a pack of Chesterfields:

Here's Cab Calloway's from a world's fair gig:

And Raymond Scott's (don't remember where I got this one really):

 

[Doh!]

I only have autographs of celebrities I've met in person; I wouldn't actively seek one just for the sake of having a signature (although if somebody gave me something signed by Groucho, I wouldn't refuse it). I usually have books signed:

Adam West
Will Eisner
Noel Neill
Helen Slater (hers was a photo)

I also have Jack Davis and James Ellroy, but those were merely signed book copies so they weren't personalized.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I have quite a few items signed by Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll (Amos and Andy), amassed during my research for my book, including what may be the last autograph signed by Gosden before his death in 1982. Some of the more interesting items in the collection are a first edition copy of the team's own 1929 autobiography, and the typed original of their 4000th radio script from 1942, personalized to Hollywood columnist Jimmy Starr.

I've also got a few Rudy Vallee items, including a large stack of his personal copies of scripts from "The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour," with his own annotations, and a signed copy of his 1930 autobiography, "Vagabond Dreams Come True."

And, I've got a lovely signed pic from Noel Neill, who I met and talked with for quite a while at the Friends Of Old Time Radio conference a few years ago. Her portrayal of Lois Lane was one of my childhood inspirations for going into journalism, so I was quite pleased to get a chance to tell her so.

The only other autograph I've ever gotten in person was at a Red Sox game in 1972, when third-base coach Eddie Popowski (he of the famous "Popowski Flip") signed my scorecard. He kept my pen too.

 

[Feraud]

I have a program book autographed to my grandmother (by name) from Frank Sinatra.

 

[Twitch]

I've never been an autograph hunter of anyone of fame. I talked with most of the leading aces of WW 2 while others got them to scribble something.

As for the couple of TV/film personalities I've bumped into, I simply mentioned, "I have appreciated your work, thankyou," and let it go at that figuring that helped make their day more than yet another waif begging for their written name. [huh]

 

[Big Man]

Ronald Regan and Jimmy Stewart. I got them to sign an autograph when Mr. Stewart was traveling with Mr. Regan during Mr. Regan's first try for the presidential nomination. They came through our town on a campaign tour in 1976.

Bob Scott, Governor of NC in the mid-1960's. I was in Raleigh on a school trip and saw him come out of the State House and into his car. I went up to the car and knocked on the window and asked him for his autograph (could you imagine doing something like that today). Many years later, I saw former Governor Scott again and told him the story. He said, "of course I remember you." To which I replied, "now Governor, you don't expect me to believe that." He then went on to tell me that he remembered me because the night before I and several of my friends waited for several hours outside the Sir Walter Raleigh Hotel where he was giving a speech, and that he was impressed that youngsters would care that much about wanting to see the Governor. After hearing that, Governor Scott sure went up a notch or two in my opinion.

Al Gore. When he was campaigning for president (prior to becoming Vice President under Clinton), I was at a campaign speech and ask for his autograph.

J. Edgar Hoover. During the war, my mother worked for the FBI in Washington. When she and my dad were married, Mr. Hoover sent my mother a hand written note of congratulations. My mother said she only saw Mr. Hoover once or twice, and that he was such an intimidating figure that she "almost fainted when she was in his presence".

 

[Bebop]

I have quite a few autographs by way of books that have been autographed. Ansel Adams, Richard Brautigan, Chuck Berry, Miles Davis, Howard Stern. I do understand there is monitary value in autographs but I have never been "star struck" enough to want someones signiature. What do you do with it? I honestly don't understand it. I think it would be annoying to have someone come and ask me to sign something while I was going about my business. I would have to turn to them and have them explain why they want my signiature. Wouldn't a photo be better?

 

[Jack Scorpion]

-Jim Henson drew me Big Bird in 0.1 seconds, then signed it.

 

[Starius]

-Jim Henson drew me Big Bird in 0.1 seconds, then signed it.

I would love to see what that looks like.

 

[Starius]

I have a ton of autographed non-sport trading cards. Way too numerous to list here. I'll mention a few you may recognize though:

Paul Darrow from a Doctor Who set (more well known for Blakes 7)
William Russell from the same Doctor Who set
Ben Browder from the Farscape series 1 set
Mimi Rogers from a X-Files set
I DID have a autographed Gillian Anderson costume card, but I sold that for about $350.
Russell Johnson from a Twilight Zone set (more well known for Gilligan's Island)
Gina Torres from the hercules the complete journeys set.

The only autographed photograph I have is of Collin Baker, the 6th Doctor from the classic Doctor Who series.
Though, I do have a photography book by Bunny Yeager that included a autographed print with it.

Actually, the only autographed things I have that I got autographed in person are a few books, mostly college text books autographed by the authors or editors. Yeah, thats right... when I was in college, I'd get text books autographed given the chance.

Among others, I got the book God Left Us Alone Here: A Book of War autographed by my photography teacher John Gaps, Visual Intelligence: Perception, Image, and Manipulation in Visual Communication autographed by author Marie Seward Barry, and Design Research: Methods and Perspectives autographed by Brenda Laurel.

Even a couple books autographed by erotic fiction author Cecilia Tan. College sure was a great place to meet authors.

At any rate, probably nothing too exciting here. But thats a sample of my collection.

 

[Joie DeVive]

All mine are from Star Trek conventions. I'll admit it, I'm a Trekkie!!

Walter Koenig
Wil Wheaton
Denise Crosby
James Doohan

 

[Midnight Palace]

I also got Lauren Bacall's autograph in person on her book "By Myself and Then Some"

 

[imoldfashioned]

That's a fabulous piece Midnight Palace!

I got quite a few autographs in the early 1980s--Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Myrna Loy, Elizabeth Taylor, Marlene Dietrich, Jimmy Stewart, James Cagney, Olivia DeHaviland, Joan Fontaine, Lillian Gish, Deanna Durbin, Lauren Bacall, Henry Fonda and Gloria Swanson. I tried for Cary Grant and Kate Hepburn to no avail (but they were notoriously hard to get). I missed Colleen Moore, Barbara Stanwyck and William Powell, to my eternal dismay. I'll post some photos later.

 

[Josephine]

Mine are from Stargate conventions; Michael Shanks, Christopher Judge, Cliff Simon, Colin Cunningham, Teryl Rothery, etc. I only like to get autographs from people I've met, though I did buy one of Richard Dean Andersen to round out the Stargate collection.

My most prized is from Connor Trinneer (Star Trek: Enterprise) though. He was able to personalize it and commented on the question I had asked him in Q&A about posing for promo shots. I passed up a composite pic signed by Shatner, Nimoy, Takei, and some DS9 actors for his personalized one. <3

 

[Amy Jeanne]

I wrote Chris Mars a fan letter when I was 16 and he sent me an autographed photo. I still have it.

I've met the punk band Mr. T Experience 4 times and they signed whatever I had at the moment. They were my favourite band in the 90s.

As for classic stars:
Frances Lederer
Mae Busch



That's it!!!

 

[Diamondback]

I have a modest collection of books with autographs from various aviation notables, including:
->Several Doolittle Raiders (one lives fairly close; I should see if he's on for a BBQ sometime)
->Black Sheep
->Flying Tigers
->Paul Tibbets of Enola Gay fame
->Gene Kranz, NASA mission-controller
->Gene Cernan, last man on the Moon
->"Tex" Johnston, longtime Boeing test-pilot

 

[Fletch]

Mostly orchestra leaders: Woody Herman, Glen Gray, Benny Carter, Ray Noble, Jimmy Dorsey, Ted Weems, and Joe Haymes and 7 of his musicians.

 

[HadleyH]

I once went to a second hand bookshop and saw this book called "Silent Star" an autobiography of Colleen Moore the book was expensive for a second hand one, so i asked the lady why and she told me that the reason was that CMoore had signed it on the first page!!!!! That's the one and only autograph that I own, but for me it's very symbolic --- it represents all that I love from Hollywood back then ...

 

[PrettySquareGal]

Run DMC. I was working in HMV Music in NYC (now closed) and they were there promoting their album.

RIP Jam Master Jay.