Subsequently they would go on to make appearances in Smith’s other films Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Clerks II. I was pleased to find that Jason Mewes would be appearing at the Hollywood Celebrity Show in Burbank on July 18, 2009. But I quickly became dismayed when every time I went to his table he was absent.

I won’t say that he was outside smoking anything illegal, but I will say that Jason Mewes appeared as lost and disheveled as his stoner character from the films. In fact, I don’t think he even collected for the signed photo after posing for a picture with me. I can’t be sure. But as I walked away, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that he was searching through his pockets as if looking for the lost $20 bill. As he was used to, I remained silent.

Celebrities of the July Burbank Celebrity Show will conclude here…

Although best known for her roll in Charlie’s Angels, my main motivation for meeting Shelley Hack was for her role in the Martin Scorsese-directed, Robert DeNiro vehicle The King of Comedy. Although her role was small, she also appeared in Academy Award winning film Annie Hall (which was in fact her feature film debut). And she played the victim to Terry O’Quinn’s sinister psycho in The Stepfather.

Our meeting was short and sweet, with a total cost of $30 spent on the signed photo above and the photo pose below. Bob has given up on following me around at the show, so I had to rely on the kindness of strangers to get the photo of us with part of my head chopped off. Sounds like a case for the Angels.

Celebrity encounters of the Summer 2009 collectors show will continue…

Sid & Marty Krofft are familiar names to children of the 70s like me. Although I was just a tad bit too young to fully appreciate the surreal genius behind such Saturday morning programming as H.R. Pufnstuf, Lidsville, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, and The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, I was completely in tune to Land of the Lost and it was certainly one of my favorite childhood shows. And incidentally, it is worth noting that the Kroffts produced The Brady Bunch Variety Hour as well.

After meeting Marty Krofft at the show, I worked my way through the remaining few celebrities, concluding with Billie Hayes, who had portrayed Witchiepoo in H.R. Pufnstuf. While at her table, I was able to witness a very fortuitous reunion as Krofft and Jerry Maren (who was a regular in another Krofft series, Lidsville) both meandered over to her. A photographer snapped a photo of them together and I quickly shoved my camera into his hand so that I could get on the amazing Krofft action.

Celebs of the 2009 Hollywood Show will continue…

Among her many other credits were a nude pictorial in Playboy, a role in Friday the 13th: The Series, and a recurring part in Curb Your Enthusiasm as Cha Cha.

After giving Tia my sob story of how tapped I was, and the fact that I still had to take my Mom to the Hard Rock Cafe on the way back home to Dayton, she made me the deal of selling me both of the pictured signed photos for $30 – one to satisfy my Disney collection and one a nice, hot picture of the model-turned-actress as she was seen in Wayne’s World. And then she sweetly posed for a picture with me as part of the deal.

This concludes the celebrities and autographs of the Fall 2009 Chicago collectors show. Return to the show here…

The signatures that were likely gathered on the set of the 1936 movie Small Town Girl (Janet Gaynor’s signature was featured in the last posting). The next three come from three legendary performers: James Stewart, Andy Devine, and Robert Taylor. Stewart represents one of three actors from whom I acquired signatures either through the mail or in person – at a much later date of course.

It is only speculation of course, but I assert that the next six autographs were obtained on the set of a Laurel and Hardy film at the Hal Roach Studios. Pick a Star was shot in late 1936 and early 1937 as a musical comedy vehicle for Rosina Lawrence and Patsy Kelly. Also in the cast was Jack Haley, Mischa Auer, and adding comedy relief, Laurel and Hardy.

Two of the minor cast members found in the book are Lyda Roberti and Tom Dugan. These are followed by a cute inscription from Stan Laurel and … Bing Crosby! Why, you may ask, did Bing Crosby sign the book on this set, considering he is not in the film? Well, that’s a question I’ve been asking as well. He and Oliver Hardy were good friends, so it is certainly not beyond the realm of possibility that he was visiting the set with Hardy, but unfortunately conspicuously absent from this set of autographs was Oliver Hardy himself. (And before you ask, the missing page is not located in this section.)

The last two performers to sign Mildred’s book were Patsy Kelly and Rosina Lawrence, who was the only person to sign the book whom I actually met. Clearly from her inscription, Rosina was as kind in 1936 as she was in the 80′s and 90′s when I met her. Her handwriting never changed either.

So this is quite a cool piece of Laurel and Hardy memorabilia and has caused me to speculate that Mildred may have been employed as an extra in this film – although I’ve never been able to spot her. This seems to be validated by the inscription that was left by Patsy Kelly. Or perhaps Mildred was just visiting her father who was employed as a still photographer at the Roach Studios.

The final two signatures are from two Hollywood biggies: Adoph Menjou and Frederic March. These two were appearing in the Janet Gaynor version of A Star Is Born during this time period, so it is likely that Mildred was on this set as well. This film went on to be nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

As a bit of bonus, the inside back page of the book includes the handwriting of Mary and Mildred’s mother Verna Kornman. The purpose of this list of names was to try out some potential screen names for Mildred to employ in her film career. She never hit the one that Mildred would eventually use when she became a fashion model (as seen at the top of the posting): Ricki Van Dusen.

This concludes Mildred’s autograph book. Return to the beginning of the book here or my 2005 visit with Mildred here…