Ray Richmond: Spending a morning at the Hollywood Autograph Show

J.R. was waiting in line with maybe 200 fellow fans to spend a moment getting the autograph of – and perhaps taking a selfie with – Christina Ricci, the actress who made her debut in the “Addams Family” movies in the 1990s who is now an Emmy-nominated star on the Showtime series “Yellowjackets” as well as a regular on Netflix’s “Wednesday.” The setting on Saturday was the Hollywood Autograph Show at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel, a three-times-a-year movie and memorabilia event where fans can come to lay eyes on some old-time celebrity favorites, get their name in ink, pose for a selfie and maybe pick up a book or vintage photograph.

Eighty or so celebrities staked out tables to sign their name and pix for a fee. J.R. was one of those who got hooked on attending these shows a few years back and now never misses one. He was thrilled to have a chance to get an autograph from, and selfie with, Ricci, a current star and therefore a rarity at these shows. She was charging $80 per stroke of the pen and another $80 for a pic, and given how many people were lined up, it was looking like she was going to enjoy quite the lucrative payday. It was a way for her to make a decent chunk of change while an actors strike was still on.

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For her part, Ricci was efficient and focused, at once businesslike and sweet. It was impressive the way she warmly greeted everyone who wanted to chat for a few precious moments while keeping that line moving. Clad in a long-sleeve blue-and-green striped shirt, her hair in a ponytail, the actress was the very picture of casual elegance. Everyone seemed to emerge from meeting with her positively joyous. At the same time, Ricci wielded a very active pen, dispensing the goods and raking in the bucks.

“Yeah, the celebrities who come here can do really well,” J.R. observes. “I’m here to get Christina and Tom Wilson (Biff Tannen in the “Back to the Future” movies). maybe Linda Blair, too. I’ll have to see. But it’s just fun to be here in this environment and share a couple of minutes with people I really admire. And if I leave $500 here for autographs and pictures, it’s worth it to me.”

Yes, Linda Blair of “The Exorcist” fame (now 64 years old) was here too, drawing a pretty good crowd of autograph seekers (though nothing like Ricci). Blair was more typical of the celebs who attend these things. Many were nostalgic faces from television’s past, such as Keith Thibodeaux (who played Little Ricky on “I Love Lucy” in the 1950s), Larry Mathews (son Richie on “The Dick Van Dyke Show” in the 1960s), Barry Livingston and Stanley Livingston from the classic Sixties comedy “My Three Sons”), Vicki Lawrence from both “The Carol Burnett Show” and its spinoff “Mama’s Family,” Paul Peterson (Jeff on “The Donna Reed Show”) and several castmates from the original “Twin Peaks” in the early 1990s: Sherilyn Fenn, Sheryl Lee and Ray Wise. Others included actors Eric Roberts, comedian Jov Lovitz of “SNL” and “The Critic” fame, Parker Stevenson (“The Hardy Boys”), Mariel Hemingway and Pia Zadora.

Yes, it was quite the kitschfest. Even comedian Murray Langston (who gained fame as The Unknown Comic, performing with a paper bag over his head) was at the show bagless and ready to sign his name for 40 bucks a pop. He said on Saturday that he wasn’t there to pull in a fortune but simply to get out of the house and enjoy himself.

“It’s all just about not having to stare at the four walls,” Langston said.

Langston added that some stars like Ricci can make some real dough. “The last one I did, Dick Van Dyke was there, earning $100 a picture,” he said. “I hear he made 60 grand. Not a bad day’s work.”

Not bad indeed. Some, like William Shatner, can charge even more per autograph and photo – reportedly $150 a pop. Others, like Langston, charged much more modest fees and often had few takers. But one thing that was clear was that this was the last place in America where you could leave your plastic or your Venmo or your Apple Pay at home, because cash was king. Hardly anyone accepted anything except cold, hard greenbacks, perhaps just out of habit. As a result, one of the most popular spots at the show was the ATM.

Why do the celebrities bother to do this? One could argue that the ones who charge the most like Ricci or Van Dyke need the money the least. Herbie J Pilato, a prolific author who has written numerous books on classic TV, including bios on Mary Tyler Moore and Elizabeth Montgomery that he has on site to sell and sign, believes that events like the autograph powwow serve a valuable function in allowing stars and fans to informally meet and bond – albeit for a price.

“”It gives the fan a real opportunity to talk to these people one on one who they have admired from afar, and they can see they’re just like everybody else,” Pilato believes. “I’m talking in particular about people from other parts of the country who don’t see celebrities every day like so many of us do.  They come here and book a hotel and make a vacation out of it. It’s a big deal to them. The celebrities, meanwhile, know how dedicated these people are to them and appreciate it. And that’s a big reason many of them come to the show.”

There were at least a thousand people there on Saturday, and there was a joyousness in the air that was palpable. And the celebs who were there mostly didn’t look miserable to have to pull in cash on a per-autograph or per-photo basis. In fact, they looked excited to be in such an atmosphere of adoration. It didn’t look like something they had to do but wanted to do. And it was nice to see that at least a few performers are still able to make a few bucks despite the walkout.

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