The Mail-Journal, Volume 15, Number 36, Milford, Kosciusko County, 27 September 1978 — Page 23

by Jane C. Foss "Gratefully, Clark Gable/’ “Best o’ Luck, Dennis Morgan." “With Cordial Best Wishes, Nelson Eddy." “Hello, Jane, Errol Flynn." So read the signed photographs of these superstars back in the golden days before the word superstar was even invented. Dumping the worn leather briefcase, I find a couple dozen or so pictures, letters, and autographs that have survived the years and numbers of storing places. They reek of sentiment. They also promise a more tangible value. According to A Guide to Paper Americana Priced to Buy and Sell, compiled by L. L. Cohen and published by H. C. Publishers Inc., New York, many of the autographs I am looking at are now worth as much as S6O. To me, they are a piece of my childhood. I was a teenage fan letter writer. Was I ever! Letters poured from my pen. Movies were at their peak in the ’4os, and every Saturday afternoon a friend and I would take our quarters and go off for an afternoon at the show. Five cents for the bus ride downtown, 10 cents for the ticket, 5 cents for candy, and 5 cents for the ride home. The movie started at 1 o’clock; usually we stayed to see it a second time. After every film I sat down to compose my letter to whichever star seemed worthy of my efforts. Some(JmUxios ond Ntw y«or to you Imm and Ndson Eddy times several friends would spend an evening together writing fan letters. The responses did differ. I learned that a specific question, criticism, or praise brought the quickest — and the most personal — response. Persistence usually brought treasure— the signed picture. Was the signature actually signed in ink or merely stamped? A little wetness applied to the end of the signature would blur the ink if indeed it was signed. Skeptics pointed out that a secretary could have signed the autograph, but of course none of us believed that

Autog'toplu—do uoii aM aotkct them?

A special thrill of mine was a fine picture — in profile — signed "To Jane, Sincerely, John Barrymore.” A signed sheet from my autograph book accompanied this picture — another triumph. I had one of those common spiral-bound autograph books that school children pass around to their classmates. I removed the spiral binding and sent some of the sheets along with my fan letters, requesting an autograph for my book. Most of the stars obliged. Encouraged by success, I sent the whole book to Errol Flynn and asked if he would get autographs of his fellow actors for me. Such excitement when the book came back with signatures of Olivia de Haviland, Eddie Albert, Dennis Morgan, Ann Sheridan, and four or five others. With Mr. Flynn on page one. Nelson Eddy and I carried on a correspondence for three or' four years. He kept me informed of radio appearances, concert dates near my home town, and his latest record releases. And I kept him informed of my continued fan support and my honest opinion of each performance. As I mentioned before, a favorite pastime for teen girls during the ’4os in the little town where I lived JI K

was to assemble paper, pens, address lists, maps, and potato chips and soda pop—tea and cookies if it was winter —for a write-in. We met in someone's home, spread our materials on the floor, and wrote fan letters. We wrote to movie stars mostly, although occasionally a radio personality or recording person would catch our attention. To add a bit of competition, we sometimes made it a contest. Each would write to the same star, mail the letters simultaneously at the same mail box, and wait to see who would get what first. What triumph it was to get a signed picture when someone else got only a printed card! Addresses were a challenge. Fan magazines occasionally published addresses, but we usually ignored those as being too common. One of our letter-writing group visited Hollywood with her family one summer and took a tour of movie stars’ homes. The tour included a map—with house numbers. . Bonanza! Newspaper columns answering questions about addresses sometimes yielded an entry for our file. The quality of the letter was given much attention. Advise was shared, if grudgingly, by those who had had especially good returns. We each had our pet approaches. Strategy was discussed, and campaigns planned. Poetry, cuteness, littlegirl sincerity, devoted slush — we tried everything. My own personal experience proved that specific questions or criticism brought the most prompt and the more personal replies. "Are you shooting your new picture on location?” "Have you recorded the songs from ‘Bittersweet’?" “I really didn’t feel ‘Elizabeth and Essex' gave you a chance to use your talents to best advantage. ‘They Died With Their Boots On’ used your skills in a greater variety of ways." “How could you have played a role that required you to kill Nelson Eddy?” After a letter telling Nelson Eddy that I had enjoyed his latest film, especially the music. I received an autographed picture pf him in a costume from the movie, and a list of the songs with their recording numbers.

A critical tetter to the actor Robert Cummings brought a fine picture signed "To Jane. I’ll do my best to improve." Food for the 14-year-old ego! Each of us haunted the magazine stands to grab the new issue of every fan magazine as it appeared each month. A quick scan of the contents and we knew if it was worth our dime —or quarter if it was a biggie. Fan magazines were pretty pure in those days. The most intimate fact revealed was if he wore both top and bottom of his pajamas. We each devoured and digested every word written about our favorite. Sometimes articles would include information we could refer to in a tetter, like a possible new movie or recording. We saved all the magazines. Many stars, or their studios, tried to collect a fee for photographs—--10 cents to a dollar for various sizes. Most of us found, with experience. if we ignored the printed card listing rates and wrote again, the picture came with no further reference to money. A few stars never came through, and we dumped them. I don’t believe any of us ever paid for a photograph. An interesting question is how the stars, or their secretaries, knew what had already been sent. I received half a dozen or more pictures of Nelson Eddy and Errol Flynn over a several-year period with not a duplicate. When we all wrote to the same star at the same time, several would receive pictures a day or so apart — all different, even different sizes. The town in which we lived had about 1,000 inhabitants, and our hobby was well known. Teachers asked to see our latest loot. One day when I was reading in the bedroom I heard the mailman holler up from the porch below my window. “Hey, Jane. You got something here from Clark Gable. Come down and open it so I can see what it is.” It was a 9 by 12 picture autographed "Gratefully, Clark Gable.” The day I received a 10 by 14 pen-and-ink drawing of Superman signed “To Jane, a super girl” by the artists, the whole town knew.

I was lucky in concentrating on a singer with my fan letters. There were always record lists to ask for plus an annual concert tour to write about. There’s no name-dropper like a teen movie fan, and I adored going to the record store with my list of the latest Nelson Eddy records, typed on a piece of notepaper which said, "From the Desk of Nelson Eddy.” The record clerk never commented. Jealous, no doubt. The one time I met Nelson Eddy face to face in a hotel drugstore before a concert appearance, I was able to say, “As you told me in your last letter . . .’’ And he graciously nodded as if he remembered well. I received Christmas cards from him and his wife for several years. My father once asked if I thought he should add the Eddys to the family card list. Adults like to tease a teenage movie addict, but we all accepted it in martyrlike silence and consoled ourselves flipping through our pictures. That’s what I’m doing now —flipping through my pictures and notes. Here’s one typed on notepaper signed, “Hastily, NE." Oh, how I loved getting that one! Here are Fred Mac Murray and Spencer Tracy and Jane Withers. And here’s Hugh Herbert; remember him? The picture is signed with his characteristic “Woo Woo.” The movies at that time showed us a make-believe world —glamour, beauty, romance, escape on a Saturday afternoon. Our tetters were a roadway into that world; and the pictures and tetters we received made us feel as special as those who sent them. It was a neat hobby.