Tom, as always, your reminisces have a stream-of-consciousness
quality that's hard to follow - but with patience, your message gets
through. You've indeed seen and been through a lot. For me, it's a bit
wistful to have so many memories to look back upon in the
autumn-to-winter of our lives. I wonder where our cumulative knowledge
and "private" memories - gathered over many decades - go after we're
gone? Steve Jobs ruminated about this, asking out loud, will his
memories and knowledge live on like a spirit? Or will they disappear
instantly like a light switch? Zap! They're gone.
In a lighter vein - below is a copy-and-paste MoPo post from ten
years ago - a rare one in that I was publicly satirizing the personas
of a few MoPoers, myself included.
WARNING: I think only MoPo members still on this list since the late
1990s - will get the references below. Pre-emptive apologies to those
who might be offended by this artifact from the aughts.
FROM: MoPo List <[email protected]> on behalf of David
Kusumoto <[email protected]>
SENT: Saturday, May 24, 2008 3:52 PM
TO: [email protected]
SUBJECT: Movie Poster Channel Schedule for Sunday, May 25, 2008
MOVIE POSTER CHANNEL LINEUP FOR SUNDAY, MAY 25, 2008:
"THE THIRD MAN REDUX" -- Host Philipp Kainbach takes viewers on a
tour of locations seen in his favorite movie, Carol Reed's, "The Third
Man" -- filmed in his beloved city of Vienna. Highlight: Phillipp will
play the theme to "The Third Man" on a zither he purchased from a flea
market near his home. Presented in DTS sound where available. [TV-G]
"DR. HEIM, MEDICINE WOMAN" -- Sue Heim, a hyper-intellectual speaker
with advanced degrees, chucks her scientific career and becomes the
nation's most acclaimed poster framing artisan. A constant source of
remedies that "really work," she becomes a nemesis for competing
framers after she accepts questions and offers her sage advice for
FREE. Jointly sponsored by Viacom-Paramount, Time-Warner-Warner Bros.,
Sony-Columbia and MCA-Universal. [TV-G]
"RAIDERS OF THE LOST CAUSE" -- Starring "Michael B," maniacal lover
of shredded, beat-up and discolored posters "steeped with character."
Tonight's episode follows his band of rebels standing on street
corners, passing out leaflets calling for a "scorched earth" policy
against poster restorers employed by the Museum of Modern Art in New
York. [TV-14]
"WE TRY HARDER" -- Featuring Richard Halegua, heroic operator of an
alternative movie poster bidding site, offering quality service,
bulletproof-honesty and competitive pricing, yet spends each episode
in constant befuddlement with eBay detractors who whine yet remain
reluctant to migrate to his user-friendly auctions. [TV-G]
"BRUCE ALMIGHTY" -- Starring Bruce Hershenson, rumored to walk on
water after his remarkable recovery from heart surgery. Tonight,
cameras explore his titanic following despite his occasional
mutterings about a "vast lunatic fringe conspiracy" as he opens a
rebellious, "Millennium Falcon" poster sales site to combat incursions
by eBay's Evil Empire. [TV-G]
"ICONIC IMAGE" -- Host David Lieberman walks audiences through a
collection of posters -- which he anoints as titles that can go "a
long time without one of them coming up for sale." Tonight, he defends
his signature marketing line , i.e., "you'll have trouble finding
(posters like mine in) nicer condition." [TV-G]
"WE'RE NOT CHARLATANS" -- Hosted by two men wearing masks from a
studio in in Rochester, New York. Tonight's episode: A "famed
professor" provides an exhaustive defense of minty white inserts. Also
defending the professor will be author James Frey, who admitted his
"non-fiction" bestseller, "A Million Little Pieces," was all made up.
[TV-MA]
"RECOMMENDED!" -- Host Kirby McDaniel offers a list of films to see,
offering a single explanatory sentence for each. [TV-G]
"WITHERING HEIGHTS" -- Concert Encore: Inspired by Lenny Bruce,
George Carlin, Steve Martin, Robin Williams, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen,
Jerry Seinfeld, Andrew Dice Clay, Sam Kinison and Gilbert Gottfried --
Freeman Fisher and Bob Brooks observe and eviscerate the world of
movie poster collecting -- in a stand-up comedy extravanganza taped at
Carnegie Hall on Feb. 14, 2008. [TV-MA]
"WORDS & MUSIC" -- Sponsored by the George Lucas School of Film at
USC, musician Greg Douglass hosts a 90-minute tour of the history of
music in cinema, playing excerpts on stage at the Hollywood Bowl.
Taped December 1, 2007. (NOTE: Course credit available for 500-level
graduate students; please contact the dean's office.)
"THE BIG-EASY, 2008" -- "Part 2 - The Return." Host Dick Cavitt
interviews Joseph Bonelli in this 3-part series exploring the poster
collector Bonelli's miraculous escape from Hurricane Katrina -- and
his poignant return to the city where jazz was born. [TV-G]
"JEKYLL & HYDE, JURIS DOCTORATE" -- Starring Claude Litton, terse and
tough-minded lawyer who speaks brutal truths in short bursts by day --
but transforms into an elegant and gracious tea-serving host for
poster collectors by night. Tonight's episode: Earl Grey. [TV-14]
"PICARESQUE" -- Starring Tom Martin as himself in this critically
acclaimed series where he regales audiences with exhilarating and
amusing stories and observations about every realm of the human
condition. Shot on location at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles.
[TV-14]
"LOST IN TRANSLATION" -- Starring David Kusumoto, émigré from
Japan, whose book-length writings in English are puzzlingly
transformed to Greek, hence reaching an audience of just one.
Tonight's episode, "Torturing MoPo'ers: the Quickening." [TV-14]
"HOLLYWOOD BABYLON" -- Actress Toochis Moorin takes viewers on a tour
of historic landmarks in the entertainment world -- and discusses her
starring role in director Ridley Scott's next feature film. [TV-G]
"CITIZEN TAYLOR" -- An American Experience documentary -- the epic,
life-long saga about one man's passion to seize and conquer every
known Best Picture poster, completing his quest in 2007 -- only to
shake the collecting world by putting them all up for sale a few
months later. Narrated by David McCullough. [TV-G]
"AMBULANCE CHASER, MEXICO CITY" -- Starring Rod Morgan, controversial
exporter of Mexican memorabilia -- whose mission is to move material
within 24-hours after the death of any celebrity. Tonight's episode:
After scanning the day's obituaries for "leads," he stomps on the
grave of Charlton Heston and proclaims his hatred of guns. Yet
curiously, because of his trade, he secretly carries a .357 Magnum
"just in case." [TV-MA]
"AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN, THE MUSICAL" -- Updated remake of the 1950s
sci-fi classic with songs! Directed by "Evan," featuring musical
performances by famed Peruvian singer, Yma Sumac. [TV-14]
"WTF?" -- Host James Lipton interviews Scott Burns, owner of the
Movie Poster Discussion Group, about the history of literary sectarian
violence, 1995 to present. Featured: a discussion of beloved and
notorious figures who have dominated his pages, with highlights and
low-lights noted accordingly. [TV-MA]
-------------------------
FROM: David Kusumoto <[email protected]>
SENT: Saturday, December 1, 2018 12:09 AM
TO: MoPo List
SUBJECT: Re: OT: Beatles and Marilyn for sale - and a question
(scroll down) about signed items.
* I agree with that, Tommy. I think I've owned just two one-sheets
signed by a star.
* The one that stands out that I used to own - was a "Psycho" on
linen signed by Janet Leigh many years ago - at an anniversary
screening of "Psycho." She ooohed and ahhed when my wife brought it -
and was thrilled to sign it. Granted, Janet Leigh wasn't a big star,
but it's always good when an actor - at the end of his or her career -
can be linked to classic. (She passed in 2004.)
* (BTW, some have written me privately since last night - that some
of my web hosted images aren't showing up in my MoPo posts - but I've
embedded what I'm talking about anyway below. If you can't see it, she
signed it, "To David, Psycho-tically yours, Janet Leigh." Someone
please let me know if this problem persists - as my images are
web-hosted and are NOT attachments.)
* I know many collectors dislike signatures with inscriptions - but I
prefer it, because the more words added before or after a signature,
the easier it is to spot a fake - and the less likely you'll be stuck
with an auto-pen or a secretarial.
* Fortunately, for whoever owns this poster now, he or she has the
benefit of knowing the provenance is iron-clad - (it was mine) - as
well as photo proof of Janet signing the poster here in San Diego. In
hindsight, I now wish I hadn't sold it for $1250 when I was downsizing
my collection. If by some chance you're out there and you want to sell
it back, let me know. :-) (Read more below...)
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img923/9606/bh8kZ1.jpg [1]
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img921/5685/24OFL5.jpg [2]
* Meanwhile, I used to own signed letters and signed photos by Audrey
Hepburn, James Stewart, Bette Davis and even Bogart, the latter a
tough one to find that's legit. But as an ex-news scribe, I still
thoroughly vet everything before every purchase - because indeed there
are so many fakes out there.
* (Anyone remember Hollywood Dreams - their tables in front of
theaters selling autographed items? Did you ever get taken by them? My
wife did. I told her to toss what she bought in the trash, as there's
no way the irascible Harrison Ford would sign a cast photo from Star
Wars, not back then. Hollywood Dreams was later shut down by law
enforcement.)
* Then there was a time when a seller tried to get me to buy a photo
from Gilda that was "signed" by Rita Hayworth. It was handsomely
framed and looked legit to the untrained eye. But the signature looked
"off" and the seller was vague about provenance. But the killer was it
was signed with a bold Sharpie, which was NOT the signing pen of
choice until the 1980s. By the late 70s, I told the seller, Rita
wasn't signing much of anything, as she was riddled with Alzheimer's,
which took her life in 1987. I feel sorry for the person who
eventually bought it.
* Admittedly, we're not talking forgeries of the magnitude of the
horror poster fakes by Haggard - but I have lots of other stories
about being scammed or almost scammed. I once bought a repro Beatles
quad from Sotheby's that caused a ruckus - and during my investigative
writing and collecting years here at MoPo and at MCW - I wrote a lot
of stuff about the so-called "destroyed" (ha-ha) six-sheets from "The
Outlaw" that kept turning up in subsequent auctions, as well as
writing about the Mannheim vs. Schacter fight that led to Ralph D.'s
winning bid for his "Metropolis" 3-sheet, etc.
* Many years have passed, but memories linger. I'D LOVE TO HEAR
STORIES OTHERS MIGHT HAVE OF A SIMILAR BENT, EVEN IF THEY'RE OLD
AND/OR HAVE BEEN TOLD BEFORE OR ARE FROM THE "MISTAKES MADE/LESSONS
LEARNED" CATEGORY. Hey, is that guy from Rochester still selling
minty whites? Where's "rodxmorgan, ambulance chaser?" What about that
linen-backing guy who wouldn't return posters to clients? I once
errantly sold a repro of the Lucky Strikes "Pulp Fiction" to Freeman
Fisher. I was stubborn and had to be convinced - but I refunded him.
Man oh man, those were crazy years. -d.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: MoPo List <[email protected]> on behalf of Tommy
Barr <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, November 30, 2018 8:18 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: OT: Beatles and Marilyn for sale - and a question (scroll
down) about signed items.
I can see that an autograph on a poster could be regarded by purists
as a fault, but I imagine most people who are not avid collectors but
only buying one or two items might be very well impressed by authentic
signatures. I suppose also the size and position of the signature
would be important.
Tommy
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: David Kusumoto <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2018 10:46 PM
To: MoPo List
Subject: OT: Beatles and Marilyn for sale - and a question (scroll
down) about signed items.
Not sure how popular the Beatles remain among MoPoers - (beyond the
posters some of us in this group own) - but there are items from 1956
to 1964 - that intriguingly - have been bundled into a single lot
(#2068) - and buried in the back pages of Profiles in History's
massive movie auction catalog (Tues-Fri, December 11-14).
The marquee piece in the Beatles lot is a picture card signed by the
group at the Plaza Hotel presser held the day after the Ed Sullivan
show, with a document from Frank Caiazzo, who most believe (including
myself) - is the leading authenticator of signed Beatle items in the
world. There's also a notarized provenance statement from the owner of
the signatures - who was twelve-years-old when she won them in a WMCA
radio contest in NYC, as well as a congratulatory letter to her signed
by WMCA’s program director. There's also a 1964 Plaza Hotel
postcard, some Plaza Hotel matchbooks, photos and related ephemera.
Other Beatle gems in this same lot - that are unrelated to Feb 1964
but are still seldom seen - include a 1961 Cavern Club membership
booklet referencing the group before their stardom - (the year they
were "discovered" by Brian Epstein) - and a 1956 Liverpool high school
roll booklet that lists Paul McCartney when he was 14, George Harrison
when he was 13, McCartney's brother Michael when he was 12, and Neil
Aspinall when he was 15 (who would become a roadie and later the CEO
of Apple Records) - all pupils at the same school at the same time. A
bit wild the low estimate for this cache is $25K, esp. since items
from the group's first U.S. visit have fetched up to $50K - (and even
more when a signed album is included).
Only the signed Beatles' card is printed in the paper catalog. I could
only find mages of the other items mentioned in this lot - at the
following Profiles link - (other web-hosted images are in this email
below):
https://bit.ly/2AA0pSd [3]
or
http://www.icollector.com/The-Beatles-extremely-rare-First-Visit-Set-of-signatures-on-a-fan-club-card_i31872336
[4]
[4]
“The Beatles” extremely rare “First Visit Set” of signatures
on a fan club card. [4]
“The Beatles” extremely rare “First Visit Set” of signatures
on a fan club card. - Profiles in History
www.icollector.com
Beatles:
https://imageshack.com/a/img921/7369/czDZOh.jpg [5]
https://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img923/4640/pOOUgb.jpg [6]
https://imageshack.com/a/img924/4180/CdHFrf.jpg [7]
https://imageshack.com/a/img923/9933/JhinwP.jpg [8]
https://imageshack.com/a/img924/6177/QyGkz2.jpg [9]
https://imageshack.com/a/img921/1733/LklgWv.jpg [10]
In the same sale, there is a 1947 document (Lot #27) - signed twice
by Marilyn Monroe as "Norma Jean Dougherty" AND "Marilyn Monroe." It
"starts" at $6K, something I'd love to own if this price was final. I
think it will sell for more:
https://bit.ly/2DVoupA [11]
Marilyn Monroe power of attorney document twice-signed as Marilyn
Monroe and Norma Jeane Dougherty. - Profiles in History
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img922/508/B89IKV.jpg [12]
If you scrolled down this far (most won't) - here's my ponderable.
Years ago a question came up on MoPo about whether signatures on
posters or on similar items enhance or detract value. The consensus
(at the time) - was autographs were undesirable on posters and the
like. Has this opinion changed for collectors and dealers? What are
your impressions about the autographed items market today?
eMoviePoster for example, has since demonstrated that there is indeed
a robust market for signed items on posters and related memorabilia -
so long as authenticity is unquestioned and/or guarantees are in
place, e.g., recent standouts include posters signed by Spielberg,
John Williams, etc. - and pictures or cards signed by Marilyn or
Bogart.
However, a top person in the field recently told me that while the
autograph market remains strong - it is still replete with the
"slimiest" people in the business - and a check at eBay and at other
auction sites confirm this. Blatant fakes designed to defraud the
unsuspecting consumer are out there. Look at the one below that closed
THIS WEEK - a signed Beatles album which is an obvious counterfeit -
yet represented as genuine. It didn't meet reserve - but even with a
"high bid" of $450, this is pathetic. - d.
http://www.icollector.com/The-Beatles-Signed-Butcherblock-Album_i31969663
[13]
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img922/6302/bCc57b.jpg [14]
-------------------------
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