Hollywood Celebrities & Memorabilia Show

We found another very busy table—that of Caroll Spinney and his wife, Debra.  For those unfamiliar with the name, he is the lifeblood behind Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch of Sesame Street fame and actual puppeteer for both.  The Spinneys were a delightful couple and we visited them several times on Saturday and returned to them on Sunday as well.  He had his autobiography, The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch) Lessons Learned from a Life in Feathers, and personalized every single copy.  Not only did he autograph it; he colored the illustrations!  There were several beautiful photos also for purchase.  Everything Oscar signs is with a “rottenly”.  Mr. Spinney took great care with each, which is why the line at his table was always long.  What people may not know is that Caroll Spinney received a Living Legend award as of one of 81 bestowed by the Library of Congress on April 24, 2000.

During one of our waits at the Spinney table, a gentleman came up to me and said that Larry Ward told him to come see me.  He asked if I was the Colete who writes articles for Carl Glass’ website.  I glanced back only to Larry send me a smile so I did acknowledge the man’s comment.  That’s when he introduced himself as “the other Larry”, aka Larry Blankley with his wife.  They had driven in from St. Louis for the day to attend the show.  During the course of our chat, this Larry told me how excited he was to be going to Metropolis in June in hopes of seeing Noel’s statue be unveiled.  He also asked me if I had ever seen a Golden Boot Award, and when I said I hadn’t, he produced the 2004 award that was signed by Noel.  This was indeed one of his most treasured possessions.

Meanwhile, I was getting a signal to return to Noel’s table because Ralph Schiller and wife, Kathy had arrived.  People may know Ralph from his posts on Dave Schutz’s board, but he has become a very dear friend of mine.  Would you believe that Ralph and I have corresponded since 2006 but had never met until Saturday?  With Barb rejoining me, there were more ceremonial photos being taken on at least three different cameras to capture the moment!  While Ralph was still there, I got on the phone and called my “Ladies of TAOS” partner, Thom Hamilton.  I passed the phone around so that Thom got to speak for a bit with Ralph, Larry, Noel, and Barb, whom Thom told to “keep her in line”. 

Once Ralph and Kathy left, I meandered over to Edd Byrnes’ table.  I got a copy of his book, “Kookie” No More and have enjoyed reading his life story.  Later on we would share some of our horror stories of having Catholic nuns in grade school.  I purchased a photo of him with the “77 Sunset Strip” awning above and behind him, on which he wrote “Say your prayers”.  I then had my picture taken with him.  Next to Edd Byrnes was Linda Purl, who was another delight.  She is probably best known as daughter Charlene to Andy Griffith’s Ben Matlock.  Ms. Purl had a nice conversation with Barb on Renaissance Festivals as Barb performs at ours.  Meanwhile, Sheree J. Wilson, who is as pretty in person as she is on TV was enjoying a lull in the crowds who kept her quite busy.  Her memorable roles include April Stevens on “Dallas”, Assistant D.A. Alex Cahill on “Walker: Texas Ranger”, and Wilson in the series “Pink”.  Sheree founded the White Bridle Humane Society, a rescue group for horses outside Dallas, Texas.  A portion of the proceeds from her DVD sales is donated to this charity.

Two of the best-known stars were next to impossible to get near – Angie Dickinson and Tony Curtis.  Angie Dickinson looks absolutely fabulous!  Her hair was cropped short, just below the ear and she was wearing a sporty cap on her head.  While she will always be memorable in movies with actors like George Peppard or the “Duke”, it is the 1970s show as Sgt. “Pepper” Anderson that I feel she made a mark on us.  “Police Woman” was innovative with a woman as the central character of a show.  She was also very good as the alcoholic, homeless mother to Helen Hunt in Pay It Forward. I don’t think I ever saw a moment when she was not smiling, and I heard a hearty laugh come from her on Sunday.  Tony Curtis was sporting a 10-gallon hat and had his latest book, American Prince on hand.  He still has that twinkle in his eyes and has not lost his comedic timing when needed.  Christopher Knight (Peter), Mike Lookinland (Bobby) and Susan Olsen (Cindy) from the Brady Bunch were on hand and were in high demand for photos at the end of their table.

While the Midwest may not have as many fans as you’d find in NYC or LA, they are just as devoted and dedicated to the stars of the big and little screens.  Whether they are up and coming starlets, or icons like Noel, people will still make the pilgrimage from within the city, St. Louis, or outside Detroit to pay their respects.

March 2009

WHEN:

January 26-28, 2007

in Phoenix, Arizona

by Mike Goldman

Over and over I heard middle aged people come over and say how much they appreciated Noel and The Adventures Of Superman. They remembered the show from their childhood.  Over and over, they were amazed when they saw all the photos of the other facets of Noel's long career that were on display. Lots of photos and books left the table, all personally autographed by Noel.

One woman came over to Noel and didn't ask for a photo, didn't ask for an autograph.  She simply looked at Noel and said, "May I give you a hug?" But the best fan reaction was this one.  A lovely young girl, who couldn't have been more than 12 years old, came up to the table, stared at Noel, and said,  "Oh my God - it's Lois Lane!  It's such an honor to meet you!"  Well, naturally, she got a hug and kiss from Noel. And Noel spent some time talking to her. She did that with each and every person who came up to her.  Noel's energy is amazing.

But this might be the scoop of the day! Larry asked me to escort Noel over to a booth that had been set up by Warner Home Video. They were there producing a bonus feature for the 6th season DVD of Smallville. They had something called the "Ultimate FanCam". They were having anyone who was interested sit down, and they would ask some scripted questions, and videotape the fan's responses, some of which will be included in this bonus feature on the DVD.  So, it was a real treat to watch them interview Noel.  She was their special guest interview, of course.

January 2007