Lauren Bacall

The whole purpose of starting this blog was a way to catalog my autograph picture collection and, well, show it off! In typing the first entry I realized I had no idea which star I would write about first.

My other concern was making the blog informative for someone interested in taking up the hobby or, at the very least, listing the tools necessary to contact one or two favorite stars only.

In regards to my first concern, I wanted the first post to be of a very memorable star. I wanted it to be someone -male or female- who is normally considered a legend. As luck would have it while flipping channels last night I stumbled upon the movie, "Sex and the Single Girl." Starring Tony Curtis and Natalie Wood the movie had both Henry Fonda and Lauren Bacall as co-stars. Though I do have authentic Tony, Natalie and Henry autographs in my collection, Ms. Bacall's was the most recent addition.   To boot, she dedicated the picture to me prior to signing it!

Now, having the picture dedicated is not always a given. Many stars will not dedicate no matter what! And, truth be told, when you are signing 30, 50, 100 or 500 autographs in one day, dedicating does interrupt the quick flow of just adding your signature to a picture. Even when you beg for a dedication in your letter of requests, many stars conveniently forget that part. Well, one way they can't forget is to place a sticky-note on the back of the picture and fold it over the top of the picture with a polite and convenient reminder. With Ms. Bacall the sticky said, "Please make out to Felix if time allows. XXOOXX"

I think the sticky notes work most of the time though not always. Oh, the hugs and kisses (XXOOXX) seem to work quite well when included in the letter of request and on the sticky-note!

As it relates to my second concern -and keeping the post informative- I made sure the picture I sent Ms. Bacall for signing was a very flattering picture of her.  After all, sending any old picture to a star might not work. The given picture might be from a film they refuse to discuss, or possibly they resent having been associated with the entire production. The given picture should never include another star in it unless you know for a fact they are or were very, very close.

Now, on to Ms. Bacall! The picture I chose is from the movie Dark Passage. Also starring Humphrey Bogart, Dark Passage was release in 1947. Critics were mixed on Mr. Bogart's performance but many were quite impressed by Ms. Bacall's.

IMDB.com describes the basic plot of the movie as, "A man convicted of murdering his wife escapes from prison and works with a woman to try and prove his innocence."

The movie is also notable for the fact that the first third of the movie is shot entirely from the point of view of Mr. Bogart's character, Vincent Parry. That is, one NEVER sees his face. Of course the movie entails some face altering and sooner or later we see Mr. Bogart's mug after bandages are removed. Eventually, too many crimes take place and they are all conveniently lined up at Mr. Parry's feet. Knowing he can never escape he plots to escape to South America leaving Mr. Bacall's character, Irene behind.

The closing shot of the movie has Mr. Parry in Peru at a nightclub with a drink in his hand. As he looks up he sees Irene across the dance floor. He gets up and walks toward her where they embrace.  

Dark Passage has never been one of my favorite movies though it is definitely one I stop to watch if I catch it. Also, in seeing the movie for the first time years ago it struck me that Bogart and Bacall have two of the most distinct voices on the planet. There's no way you can hear either voice and not know who it belongs to! For that alone I always remember Dark Passage fondly, and chose my picture of Ms. Bacall from that movie!

Whenever I receive an envelope back in the mail I never know who it is going to be from. I've considered coding my self-addressed-stamped-envelopes but eventually always dismiss the notion. After all, it does take away from the suspense. I remember when I opened Ms. Bacall's envelope earlier this year I was struck with the fact I had a living legend dedicate and sign my picture of her. I was very glad I had remembered to write her. She is 87 years of age and though apparently in robust health, she is getting on in years. As no one can live forever, and as there is always the possibility a movie star might stop autographing through the mail, I was very happy to know I had my own personalized Lauren Bacall 8x10.

Dear friends, thus concludes my first entry.