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Adding rarities to the collection

Hello All ...Fellow Collectors and Enthusiasts:

I have been collecting autographs for nearly 40 years (hard to believe!) and about 15 years ago I decided to specialize in horror film autographs from 1910-1960 - a half century of personalities comprising the monsters, heavies, heroes and heroines from not only the Universal Studios pictures, but all the studios from Paramount and MGM, down to lowly Monogram, PRC and beyond. Can't leave out Edward D. Wood Jr.! And what fun it has been to look far beyond Karloff, Lugosi, the Chaneys, Lionel Atwill - even John Carradine, Clive, Zucco, J. Carroll Naish and Glenn Strange.

I have ventured into tougher waters - trying to find Dwight Frye, Frances Dade, Irving Pichel, John Wray, Arthur Edmund Carewe, Rafaela Ottiano, Louise Allbritton and many others - obscure, forgetten yet vital to collecting closure and completeness. That may never happen. This past year I have found Rondo Hatton, Michael Curtiz, Tod Browning and James Whale - not to mention Skelton Knaggs, Robert Frazer, John Harron and Cyril Delvanti - who? - You know, that grave robber in the first scene of Frankensetin Meets the Wolf Man grabbed by re-awakening Lon Chaney Jr. .....Grand fun looking, locating, swapping and meeting so many great collectors and fine folks. Need Harry Cording, Kay Harding, Olaf Hytten and Gerald Hamer ....add them to the recently obtained Charles Gerrard (Martin in 1931's Dracula) and the scarce Kathleen Burke of Island of Lost Souls and a collection is born ....ever-growing and a life unto itself.

Roger Hurlburt

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Permalink Reply by Bill Panagopulos on January 10, 2013 at 3:33pm

Tough genre!

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Permalink Reply by Roger Hurlburt on January 10, 2013 at 7:11pm

Yes, it is tough.Lots of secretarial stuff seen and it is difficult to authentic the signature of an actor when no one has seen others examples. I made lots of mistakes early on - Lilian Lugosi signed images instead of Bela and so on. Thanks to Gary Brucato's site, it is easier to compare pieces with the database exemplars. All fun and close to detective work. I guess autograph collecting is an odd hobby to many.

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Permalink Reply by Scott Paul on January 11, 2013 at 7:39am

That is an interesting field to get into and I agree very challenging. I met Dwight Frye, Jr. a few years ago he was a very nice guy. I collect similar but I go up to about 1980. I go to Monster Bash out near Pittsburgh every year. Ricou Browning and Julie Adams were there last year. Donnie Dunagan from Son of Frankenstein I think will be there too. He always has great stories. The biggies like Karloff and Lugosi are out of my pay grade so doubt I will ever have those. I pick up what I can of the character actors and supporting cast. I have met Dolores Fuller (Ed Wood's girlfriend) and of course Conrad Brooks.

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Permalink Reply by Roger Hurlburt on January 11, 2013 at 11:13am

The horror autographs are great to seek ....took me years to find an Ed Wood signature; it is on a 1952 playbill for a small West Hollywood show. He is difficult to find because he is such a cult figure and there isn't much to find. I collect from a few long-dealers and quite a bit from other collectors. Trading is great when you both want an item the other has ....both parties are pleased. It is amazing what does lurk out there - people I thought I'd never locate in authentic autograph form - Charles Ogle (the first Frankenstein Monster), Holmes Herbert of Universal and Sherlock Holmes films; an 8x10 Geo. Zucco photo signed in 1940; a Rondo Hatton signed autograph album page; an a pair of signed Edward van Sloan photos ....both from the same collector and quite rare. Now I am down to character players and off-beat bit players .....never know what will turn up by looming, inquiring and swapping scans etc. A great pasttime.

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Permalink Reply by Al Baggetta on February 21, 2013 at 4:43pm

John, since you seem to be an authority on early signatures, can you tell me if the attached picture is an early photo of John Harron and does this look like his signature. I'm on a hunt to find out who this fellow is.

Thanks

Al B.

Attachments: No photo uploads here

PGPhoto.jpg, 125 KB

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Permalink Reply by Roger Hurlburt on February 21, 2013 at 4:51pm

Hello John from your friend and collector Roger Hurlburt. I looked at your photo and I do not believe that is John Harron. I have an authentic John (WHITE ZOMBIE) Harron signed photo in my collection. To be honest, I cannot place this fellow ....but he is not Mr. Harron, to that I will attest. As to John Harron: He is one heck of a rare signature. MIne is the first collected in 30 years of looking and assembling. After 1932's WHITE ZOMBIE, Harron's (brother of Bobbie, also an silent actor with Griffith etc.) career went virtually nowhere. I have spotted him in bits and walk-ons in later films, especially at Warner Brothers. I think he died in the 1939 or the early '40s. That one Lugosi film makes him collectible to horror buffs like me. Maybe ths helps? .....Best ...ROGER

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Permalink Reply by www.TheCEAD.com on May 28, 2013 at 12:31am

Thanks for the pitch for my site-- www.TheCEAD.com, Rog! Looking over your list of acquisitions above, I blush with pride at how many of them I've been able to find for you!!!

Your pal,

Gary

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Permalink Reply by Luis Munoz on August 31, 2016 at 8:30pm

Gary is the best!

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Permalink Reply by Ergo on June 20, 2013 at 8:03pm

Where did you find Skelton Knaggs' autograph?

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Permalink Reply by Roger Hurlburt on June 21, 2013 at 5:56am

Skeltton Knaggs in autograph form had eluded me for many years. The current one came not too long ago from an outstanding private collection and I traded dearly to obtain it. Only a few known although Knaggs lived until 195 and passed on rather young.. Guessed he was not easy to approach and, unfortunately, a rather creepy looking fellow. Hope he was a nice guy; drinking killed him. His background was in the stage and he did Shakespeare before being pegged as a grotesque player.

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Permalink Reply by Ergo on June 22, 2013 at 10:21am

Interesting! Thanks for replying; Knaggs is sort of a minor obsession with me - trying to learn more about the man behind the startling face. Is there anything else written other than his signature? Was it on a Playbill? I'd like to find out what kind of person he was.