DARK SHADOWS FORUMS
General Discussions => Current Talk Archive => Current Talk '24 I => Current Talk '02 II => Topic started by: yendor on October 07, 2002, 04:17:54 AM
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Hi! I'm new to the board, but certainly NOT new to Dark Shadows! That's right, I'm one of those "old" fans of the show...circa 1967! From 1969 until 1970, I ran the Dennis Patrick Fan Club and immersed myself in DS fandom (for better and for worse!).
Now for the news...or at least a hint! I'm also a freelance writer, and there's something VERY big on the DS horizon! Watch for future messages from some other DS vets, including Dee Kearney! This is something you do NOT want to miss!
Rod Labbe
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Welcome aboard, yendor!
You've introduced yourself with some very tantalizing clues. I'm certainly curious. Can you give us any hint as to when we might expect the revelation of this stupendous news?
ProfStokes
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Now for the news...or at least a hint! I'm also a freelance writer, and there's something VERY big on the DS horizon! Watch for future messages from some other DS vets, including Dee Kearney! This is something you do NOT want to miss!
If you have something to say, please say it and don't just tease us...
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Welcome yendor! It's great to see you here. [thumb]
Good luck with your new project.
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Ok, ok, I'll spill...in the December and January issues of AUTOGRAPH COLLECTOR magazine, there will be a huge article (two-parts, natch) called RETURN TO COLLINWOOD: COLLECTING DARK SHADOWS! It chronicles my descent into DS fan madness (with some revealing details that should make you smile) and includes extensive quotes from Dee Kearney (Louis Edmonds Fan Club President) and Robert Finocchio (Diana Millay Fan Club President). The article is extensively illustrated and was written with the cooperation of Jim Pierson, of Dan Curtis Productions. This is primo Dark Shadows nostalgia! AUTOGRAPH COLLECTOR magazine is on sale at every fine bookstore, including Borders, Barnes and Noble, etc. The first chapter should be available at the beginning of November!
Hope this whets your appetites!
Rod
;D
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Sounds very interesting, will be looking for it!
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Welcome, Yendor! Your news sounds very interesting!!
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Hi Yendor, Welcome to the group!
Sounds like some exiting news you got there!! ;-)
I'll be keeping an eye out for it.
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Sounds good, and with the increasing numbers of dodgy DS sigs turning up on Ebay and the like, it should be pretty helpful too :)
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Thanks Yendor![thumb]
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I appreciate the warm welcome! The Autograph Collector article is illustrated with autographed photos from my own collection. There were a few I was never able to get--like Alexandra Moltke, Nancy Barrett, and Grayson Hall. But you can expect to see photos from Dennis Patrick, Jonathan Frid, Joan Bennett, Humbert Allen Astredo, Jerry Lacy, Louis Edmonds, Diana Millay, Marie Wallace, David Selby, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Denise Nickerson, and Lara Parker! I also chronicle my fan encounters with David Selby and Marie Wallace!
Watch for more updates...as well as messages from Dee and Robert!
Rod
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Hi Rod, this sounds very interesting. Sounds as if you also missed out on Thayer David, which is a shame. I've heard he was always very gentlemanly towards the fans.
I'm in awe of how much money an autographed photo of Grayson Hall goes for on eBay. I always remember the story that I believe Matt (her son) told of the time she was out walking in town and, as so often happened, somebody stopped her and asked for her autograph. She smiled, signed, and walked on. "Wow, Mom, your autograph really made that lady happy!" A wry twist of the lips, a terse toss of the head, and the comment: "THAT and ten cents will buy you a ride on the subway!"
I don't collect autographs myself, but find the psychology of the subculture around it fascinating. I have experienced the thrill on a couple of occasions ... once when meeting Jonathan Frid and getting him to sign a book and a magazine I've held onto since the late Sixties. He was so sweet, I always remember his graciousness and the wink he gave me. Another time I met a singer songwriter named Elliott Smith whom I idolize, and it was quite a sensation to shake "the hand" (very gently) with which he wrote songs that have moved me to tears.
Best wishes, Steve Shutt
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Hi, Steve! I first began collecting autographs in 1968, when I was 15 years old...partly because my older sister had already paved the way for me. She had a scrapbook brimming with notes and autographed pix from stars of the early 60's, people like Fabian and Frankie Avalon and Michael Landon (as "Little Joe")! I kid you not! Though I concentrated more on collecting Hollywood material, my "baby" sister (then 10) began writing to the stars of DS. Her first response was a handwritten letter and signed photo from Kathryn Leigh Scott, dated 1968. That'll be included in the Autograph Collector article, by the way. Eventually, I started getting involved in DS fandom, first through requesting autographs, then via fan clubs. In 1969, I joined the Marie Wallace club, followed close behind by the Louis Edmonds and Diana Millay clubs. Dee Kearney ran Louis' club, while Robert Finocchio helmed Diana's. We were all approximately the same age (16) and began a thriving correspondence. Along the way, I launched my own fan club, for Dennis Patrick, who'd just returned to DS as "Paul Stoddard." My sister ran Denise Nickerson's for a while, though I don't think Denise was even aware of it! LOL! Anyway, we immersed ourselves in the DS fan movement, going so far as to visit the studio in NYC (I live in Maine, so it's quite a haul!). In 1969, we both met Marie Wallace when she was performing at a playhouse in New Hampshire (this is detailed in the article, as well). Marie went above and beyond the call of duty! Very, very gracious. She'd just finished filming a cameo on DS as "Jenny's ghost" and was about to return as "Megan Todd."
By cancellation, I'd lost interest in DS. I was about to graduate from high school, real life beckoned, yada-yada.
Now for the weird part! In 1999, 30 years after I'd joined my first fan club, I rekindled my friendship with Dee Kearney, Marie Wallace, and Rob Finocchio! And it's all because of this board! I'd posted a remark about being an "old" fan club president, and Dee responded. Poof! The 30 years of silence disappeared, and we reconnected. Incredible! The DS article in Autograph Collector is the result.
And there'll be still another DS article from me in FILMFAX magazine (or maybe OUTRE, their companion publication). It'll include a full-length interview with David Selby, Marie, Diana Millay, and Kathryn Leigh Scott.
Phew! Hope I haven't bored you!
Thanks - Rod
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Sounds good, and with the increasing numbers of dodgy DS sigs turning up on Ebay and the like, it should be pretty helpful too :)
I'm not sure what you mean by 'dodgy' signatures. Also, recently saw a David Henesey autograph to a DS script go for $400 on ebay.
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I'm not sure what you mean by 'dodgy' signatures.
I'm not going to attempt to define a British expression, hee hee, but I had an experience at the last Fest that's along the same lines. There was an autographed photo, not DS related, that I coveted like you would not believe, but I thought the price was way too high. But I kept thinking about it so I decided to return the next day to make an offer. I noticed it was still there while passing by on Sunday morning (at nearly $100, no surprise there), but by the time I returned in the afternoon the dealer had left. Thank the gods and goddesses.
I wrote a friend (a mutual fan of the actor) about it, who only a few days later pointed me toward the star's own website on which he had written that this particular photo had shown up on ebay and that he had never signed anything of the kind-- it had to do with his contract with the movie maker-- and he planned to take action against the seller. Of course I was extremely relieved I hadn't bought the picture at any price. BTW, the actor has since begun selling autographs through his site, for much less, and though the pics are of a different role, I bought one. I think he's marvelous.
Now please understand that I'm not trying to pick on the dealer and the person that's guilty of fraud is the ebay seller; I only want to illustrate the point that autograph collectors must beware. I usually only buy DS photos and autographs from dealers that I know and trust, such as Jay Nass, but I found myself caught up in the emotions of the moment and should've known better. But DS fans are so lucky to have reference books and articles available to them as well as experts such as doombuggy and yendor, Dean and Bobubas, etc., to help us neophyte collectors out. :D
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Hi again, Rod,
thanks for taking the time to write about your fun experiences. I'm very fond of both Robert and Dee, although I've only met them on a couple of occasions. They are both lovely people. And I can't say enough about Marie Wallace, who is a great lady, incredibly sweet and VERY talented. I loved her work as Megan Todd, and had the chance to tell her so at a Festival a few years back. (Her work as Megan doesn't get as much coverage in DS books as her time on the series as Jenny.)
Hope you get the chance to visit with Diana Millay at some point. She's a lot of fun.
Best wishes,
Steve
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I've been collecting autographs of various stars over the years, but for me, my yet-to-be-attained Holy Grail is AN AUTOGRAPHED PHOTO OF GRAYSON HALL!!! If there is ANYONE who can help me with this, I will be forever in debt to him or her. THIS IS THE ONLY D.S. COLLECTIBLE I REALLY NEED! E-mail me if you can! BTW, I've read "Autograph" over the years- a great mag, and the DS article is long overdue! Now, if they only did ones on "Peyton Place" (the 1964-69 series) and "General Hospital"..........
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Charles, when I was active in the fan movement, I had many, many Dark Shadows autographed photos...including a Grayson Hall. Or so I thought! It was a scene from "House of Dark Shadows" and was personally inscribed to me! I'd received this gem via her fan club, run by Mark Messina and Robert Finocchio. Well, over the years, I lost the photo and always regretted it. But get this! In 2000, during a telephone conversation with Robert Finocchio, he dropped a piece of info that shot an arrow into my heart! To paraphrase, we were discussing DS autographs, and he said something about "signing" several of Grayson's autographed photos himself. He and Mark allegedly did this to help out Grayson...and then Rob says "most of them were stills from House of Dark Shadows!" All that time, I thought I had a genuine Grayson Hall...and it was actually signed by my friend!
Thought you'd be interested in that little tidbit!
As for Autograph Collector, I'm planning two more articles: on the Munsters and Batman. I think you'll enjoy the DS piece! I tried to infuse it with lots of nostalgia, to make the reader feel and experience what we all went through as addle-brained fan addicts!
Rod