First....
I am one of the few people on this list to have met and spenta few
precious minutes with our friend Tom Martin.
He is indeed one of those rare people whose heart and soul radiate
from his eyes and his smile is devoid of artifice.
Tom, when I met him at a gig I was playing near his home, was just
happy to be here and now, in the moment. His recent tales of health
challenges are heartbreaking but his spirit remains mighty. We are
lucky to have him in our MOPO group, where some of us get a little
testy at times (although we haven't had a good flame war in some
time...)
So, here you go Tom;
When I was 12 years old, I had a short collaboration with the Brunas
brothers making a fanzine. I sent them a copy of "Thing", my stapled
together, hand made ode to FMOF. They sent me "Terror Monsters", a
harbinger of great books to come. They were impressed with my graphics
but felt that I was making too many jokes (a complaint echoed by my
wife of 25 years. "How can a man who plays such beautiful music tell
such horrible jokes?"
We somehow collaborated but it was toough: I was in California, they
lived in New York. They DID turn me on to Bruco Enterprises,a place
that sold movie posters. My first poster was "Macabre", the cool one
sheet with the death's head terrorizing some generic hotties. On the
back was the address of theater Poster Exchange in Memphis. Their
prices were much more reasonable: 75¢ for a one sheet, $2.50 a set of
lobby cards.
I went insane. I mowed lawns for anyone who had a quarter, I had
advances on my 50¢ a week allowance that are probably still
outstanding (I'm 71). I had stuff from "Godzilla"; 1sheets, 3 sheets,
lobby set; "Creature from the Black Lagoon" lobby sey & insert....I
was beginning to fill up a foot locker.
I somehow started corresponding with Malcolm Willits, who had a small
poster store in Hollywood. My dad drove us to Southern California to
visit my wacky great-aunt. I stopped by Willits' store and got a bunch
of lobbies from "A &C Meet Frankenstein" and a gorgeous one sheet from
"The Devil Commands for a whopping five bucks. I staggered over to the
Cherokee bookstore where they let me loose in the upstairs safe. They
had PILES of mint AIP posters. I overspent while my dad tried to talk
me into collecting something more sensible like...stamps.
I saved my foot locker for years. I went through a really bad
financial patch in my mid-thirties after being introduced to hard
drugs. I sold everything but that Karloff poster....and that went for
$100 in the mid-Eighties.
I moved to San Diego, hated everything about it until I fell in love
with the woman who saved my life. We're still together and we have
poster rules. The stone lithos go upstairs in our huge living room
(except for "House on Haunted Hill", which...oddly enough...she fell
in love with and helped me buy.
I'm back in the hobby with both feet. I've met some amazing people,
done business with many of them, and I'm presently preparing a book
for my son so that, when I pass on, he'll know what my stuff is worth
and where to go to sell it.
I just got him a one sheet from something called "Deathgasm" for his
birthday. (Heavy metal meets pentagrams made of human intestines.)
Hey, he just turned 40 today and he inherited his old man's exquisite
taste.
A BIG shout out to the late Chuck Vergara, who sold me much of his
collection for far less than it was worth. It turned out he had cancer
and wanted the posters to go to someone who would appreciate them. One
of the most generous guys i ever met, a beautiful person.
Gotta go; dinner calls.
Love to you all, and I love these kinds of threads.
Greg Douglass
Lake Hodges,
CA
PS-If anyone has a "Devil Commands" one sheet; you know where to find
me....(760)212-3648
SENT: Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at 7:44 AM
FROM: "Alan Adler" <m...@charter.net>
TO: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU
SUBJECT: Re: [MOPO] who inspired YOU in posters and business most in
life
Hi Tom -
Always love your stories and your big heart - eyeballs and ears are
important - but your big heart is what makes you the angel that you
are.
So here are some stories for you.
My father was my greatest mentor.
He loved movies and bragged that he used to go see 5 movies a day
during the depression when he was supposed to be looking for work.
When I was 8 the family was riding from NC to Baltimore to visit my
grandmother. It was an 8 hour ride. We got 30 minutes out of town and
were going through
Greensboro and Godzilla has just opened. I cried so hard to see that
movie my mother and father pulled over and waited in the car while I
went in and watched it. Came out, got in the car and we continued our
all night drive to Baltimore.
When I started to show interest in movie posters he'd take me to
different theaters and appraise my technique for asking the managers
for them. Studied the grip of my handshake - a good handshake and
looking someone in the eye always makes the best impression. I was 9
years old.
My father used to wake me up from a dead sleep and say "the window
cards are on the poles tonight'. We'd get into his black Buick and
drive down the road. He'd stop at one pole after the other and I would
take a little stack of them down. This was so long ago I don't even
remember the titles.
When I found rooms of posters as I got older - or a big pile of them
in the trash, I'd call him, he'd leave his ladies dress shop, rent a
big Uhaul trailer and attach it to his then Cadillac, come to me, hire
a couple guys and clear a space at his storage building to safely
store them.
When he went to buying trips, I would tell him what theater I wanted
something from - let's say when the first Cinerama film came out -
Windjammer - he would go there and buy me a program or even ask the
manager for stuff.
He and I would sit and watch movies all the time. Went to movies all
the time. Christmas Day. New Years Day. Always the first show of the
opening run of something important.
I had the love for the movies, but he stoked the fire and taught me
everything I know about how to enjoy them.
Something tells me you and my dad were cut from the same special
cloth.
Alan
> On Apr 27, 2021, at 5:44 AM, Tom Martin
<dreamfact...@hollywooddreamfactory.com> wrote:
>
> question to MOPO. bruce, and others
>
>
> who were your early or best mentors in posters and business...?
>
> please share your stories
>
> we all have mentors as well as teachers of the trade who give us
info and help us learn...
>
> what interesting world of cinema art..history and its only been a
little over 100 years..
>
> speak up Mopoilians
>
> Tom
> Hollywood dream Factory(R)
> since 1977
>
> On 2021-04-27 08:21, Bruce Hershenson wrote:
>> Tom, you are an amazing survivor! I love your story about Adam
West.
>> Hang in there!
>> On Mon, Apr 26, 2021 at 3:45 PM
>> <dreamfact...@hollywooddreamfactory.com> wrote:
>>> hello Bruce and mono land....
>>> I have been learning so much since my surgery feb 4 and the prior
>>> eye
>>> surgery jan 19..
>>> I was asked by a case worker what was my strongest character
>>> asset...
>>> I said well I am not that strong....I can cry at just thoughts of
>>> others sadnesss.. or pain
>>> and yet my mother and a few people seem to have thought I was
>>> strong
>>> I say well I pray to god..try to treat others fair and I keep
>>> trying
>>> so...theni remembered Adam west what he said to tell my ex wife
>>> when was
>>> selling his biography
>>> see we sold it 29.95 autographed...
>>> and had lackluster sales,.,
>>> I had to get the books send them to Adam he send back..and we
mail
>>> them...all for 29.95
>>> I kept running ads in CBG, movie collectors world... Baby
>>> boomer..eve a
>>> full page baby boomer ad..still....low sales..
>>> so Adam called me one day...my ex said he won't give up !!! he
>>> keeps
>>> trying ....so Adam said "tell her you are exercising" I thought
>>> that was
>>> so funny but he was right..
>>> I just kept trying new ads..as I believed in him as a pop culture
>>> legend..
>>> so I Told the woman assessor who asked me ..I think my best
assets
>>> I am
>>> determined to get things done...
>>> I also Told Adam sir I should just stop and give upas sam doing
>>> poor
>>> job...he said Tom what you need to know is no one knows anything
we
>>> all
>>> just guess banditry...wheter it be Nasa or medical or
>>> business..sometimes it works but many times it does not, when
>>> edison
>>> was asked why his 10,000 light bulbs failed experiments felt
>>> he said I didn't fail, I found 10.99 ways NOT to make a lightbulb
>>> I have been exercising, resting, doing much ponderingonlife
>>> I gave my car to my son and much of my material stuff is gone, as
>>> for
>>> movies andposterand music..well I can only see partial left
>>> eye...deaf
>>> in one ear, and now one partial Charcot Foot...amdf next going to
>>> be
>>> fitted for prosthetic
>>> I even got mental council lug to make sure sam lucid///the young
>>> man
>>> asked me share you offended that I lack empathy ifs am not
>>> religious??
>>> I said no many of my friends are atheist, agnostic, Muslim, Hindu
,
>>> Buddist,jews ofallraces and ethnicity
>>> etc..I love all people and all Races..Iam Sicilian andsawa great
>>> PBS
>>> travel history..Sicily is right over North
Africa..eithiopia...and
>>> was
>>> captured by Normans Greeks, Muslims. Romans. you name it
>>> Carthigy...so
>>> it explains why I must have the blood of many people in me.
>>> the best lesson I learned was to Forgive everyone...I learned
that
>>> the
>>> China guys that set out take my trademark are suffering too
>>> perhaps
>>> more then me...so to just forgive them and help as many people as
I
>>> can
>>> before I need this life..
>>> all my mentors seem to agree..andend up serving others instead of
>>> there
>>> own egos..
>>> so I have been trying to come up with items to help disabled
people
>>> like a way to come in the door from outside in a wheelchair..I
took
>>> a
>>> foam mat ,placed it in from of the door, went backwards and did
>>> it!!!
>>> my nurse watched in case it didn't work..the disability guys said
>>> there
>>> was no way to do its a foot needs the door stop//
>>> so I shimmed it up with a foam mat on the other side anti
>>> cleared...
>>> I am eating well..taking vitamins..doing leg lifts.ab
crunches.and
>>> other
>>> then UTI infection...I had a 6.5 A1-c and tall my bloodworm looks
>>> good//
>>> so baby steps.prayer, frienbdsand family
>>> its been hard mentally on my son..so he needs to recover
>>> fromtheshock of
>>> seeing his dad and his mom ill..
>>> I affected his life...but he's been reading Positive books and
>>> videos
>>> andexpossing to great works like Norman Vincent Peale and
other...
>>> so we
>>> are getting along better.....
>>> we have spoke about the universe, God..media//its affect on
>>> Kids..etc
>>> He told me Speilbergt was tgeone who helped define PG-13 ratings
>>> for the
>>> movies/// so Lucas. Spielberg.Capra and many others have used
Media
>>> to
>>> do many positive things in cinema...
>>> I am not sure whats next but sam so thankful for my friends on
mope
>>> family...as its been great adventure to share your story...and
>>> learn
>>> about Motion pictures with you all...
>>> I hope to do some good things before I transition to the next
>>> thank you so much everyone and I wish you health peace and
>>> happiness for
>>> young family and/or business ventures..
>>> God Bless,,
>>> Tom
>>> Hollywood dream factory(R)
>>> since 1977
>>> On 2021-04-26 14:22, Bruce Hershenson wrote:
>>>> IF YOU HAVE NEVER EVER BOUGHT EVEN ONE VINTAGE MOVIE POSTER,
>>> TOMORROW
>>>> WOULD BE A GREAT DAY TO START, BECAUSE WE HAVE 1,299 AUCTIONS OF
>>>> INSERTS, HALF-SHEETS, AND SMALLER NON-U.S. POSTERS FROM 16
>>> COUNTRIES
>>>> CLOSING IN ONE DAY ON TUESDAY AT
>>>> HTTP://WWW.EMOVIEPOSTER.COM/AGALLERY/13.HTML [1] [1] AND THE
>>> DEALS ARE SO
>>>> GOOD YOU WILL FIND THEM HARD TO BELIEVE! How good? FOUR HUNDRED
>>> TWENTY
>>>> FOUR of these are at $1 or no bid, and just under HALF are at
>>> just $1,
>>>> $2, $3, $4 or $5, and the half that are over just $5 (even the
>>> most
>>>> expensive) are mostly far under where the same or similar
posters
>>> have
>>>> sold for in the past (and we have NO "buyers premiums", so $1 is
>>>> REALLY $1, and not "$1 plus a massive $19 buyers premium")! In
>>> these
>>>> days where just about everything you buy (from food to health
>>>> insurance to homes) keeps getting more and more expensive, isn't
>>> it
>>>> nice to know that there are still LOTS of $1 to $5 original
>>> vintage
>>>> movie posters available on eMoviePoster.com? What's more, buy
all
>>> you
>>>> want and we let you accumulate all the "rolled" items you buy in
>>> a
>>>> TWELVE week period and still let you pay just one shipping
>>> charge! But
>>>> you can't get the great deals and outright steals on these
>>> inserts,
>>>> half-sheets and non-U.S. posters if you aren't bidding, and it
>>> takes a
>>>> while to go through this many posters, so why not go to the
above
>>> link
>>>> very soon because on Tuesday starting at 7PM CST, ALL these
>>> posters
>>>> will be going, going, GONE. I GUARANTEE YOU THAT THERE WILL BE
>>> LOTS OF
>>>> GREAT DEALS (AND SOME REAL "STEALS") ON THESE AND THE ONLY
>>> QUESTION IS
>>>> WHETHER YOU WILL GET THEM OR SOMEONE ELSE WILL!
>>>> -------------------------
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team
>> P.O. Box 874
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