December8, 2000
Greetings Accumulators!
We're experiencing a snowy blowy day in The Big Apple. Which is why I am
inside, warm and dry, typing to you. I don't envy He Who Is The Light Of
My Life, who had to go out there this morning and drive to work.
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HOW SOMETHING WINDS UP BEING RARE
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Christie's East held an auction of entertainment memorabilia (so what else
is new?) this week, and among the items was a poster of Al Jolson in "The
Jazz Singer". The film was special because it was one of the first talkies
ever, and featured Jolson as the son of a cantor, who decided to buck
family and religious tradition by becoming a jazz singer. Posters were
issued to promote the movie, and theater owners, who order the promotional
material to display out front and in their lobbies, were quite vocal about
what they wanted. Some of the posters (they were half-sheets, just 22
inches by 28 inches) featured Jolson in blackface. The theater owners
wouldn't touch them. They felt that posting the blackface images outside
their theaters would give the public the idea that "The Jazz Singer" was
about a minstrel show, instead of the groundbreaking drama it actually was.
So, posters of Jolson's real face were produced, and that's what they used.
The poster auctioned at Christie's this week is the blackface poster, and
it's the only one known to exist. It fetched $26,000. Not bad for a reject!
MY BROTHER'S KEEPER DEPARTMENT
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No one ever accused Tennessee Williams of being a sane and simple human
being. Apparently, his brother is no ordinary Joe either. Dakin Williams
has been discreetly selling his brother's possessions and private papers to
collectors. From what I hear, he's been cleaning up, especially on choice
items like journals and unpublished works. He is also said to be
interviewing friends of the late writer for a book of his own - a biography
of his brother. So far, he's interviewed Gore Vidal, Eli Wallach, and Elia
Kazan, among others. And, he claims his brother did not die accidentally
(it was reported that he'd choked on a bottle cap), but was murdered. Stay
tuned. This could get interesting.
YA KNOW, IT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING...
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First it was corruption, food shortages, and rampant inflation. Now, it's
a song no one can sing. Russian President Vladimir Putin, acknowledging
that Russians have been national anthem-less since the fall of Soviet
communism because no one can sing the new song Boris Yeltsen approved in
1990, has called for a return to the old one, but with new lyrics.
Apparently, Putin was a little put out by the fact that Russian athletes at
the Olympics in Sydney didn't know the words to their own national anthem.
U.S. citizens and viewers of American baseball games on television can
empathize. So, if you still have that recording of Ludmilla Kotchikovna
singing the new song, hang on to it. It may be a rarity someday. At least
you won't hear everyone humming it in the street.
Happy birthday to Nikki Ballard, my brother Arnie, and my cousins Jackie
and Marge. The other half of the family were all born in April. Go figure.
Artie and I will be doing The Great Paper Chase at Fairleigh Dickenson
University in Hackensack, NJ on Sunday. If you're in the nabe, stop by and
say "Hi!". And bring money. Have a great week, Accumulators. Happy hunting!
Best,
Judith
© 2000 Judith Katz-Schwartz. All rights reserved.
Antiques and Collectibles Newsletter #135
U.S. Library of Congress
ISSN 1520-4464
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Your comments, as always, are welcome. If you have something to say, write to me.
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