Fame can bleed you out and drain your soul.  Many gifted celebrities have died prematurely - some by their own hand, and others destroyed by the very spotlight that made them a star.  I want to honor these stars that shone brightly and brought us great joy and entertainment.  Physically gone but immortalized forever on film or in song.

DOROTHY DANDRIDGE AUTOGRAPH

(1922-1965) Her 42-year-old body was found by her manager after breaking into her apartment.  The cause of death was initially determined to be an accidental overdose of antidepressants. That was then contradicted by the coroner’s office, which said she died of a fat embolism from a fractured ankle that traveled through her body, ultimately cutting off her oxygen.  Her biography, written by Donald Bogle detailed, respectful and the definitive story of her life.  She was magnetic in “Carmen Jones” and did a brilliant acting job in “Bright Road”.  Running out of film work, Dorothy resorted to performing on stage.  This clip from 1960, when she was only 38, shows a touching sadness in her eyes …

Dorothy’s autograph is a bit rare and pricey, especially on photographs.  Shown here is a vintage autograph album page that she hand-signed for an in-person collector.

JUDY HOLLIDAY AUTOGRAPH

(1921-1965) A multi-year battle with breast cancer, which metastasized after a mastectomy, took the bubbly blond at 43.  Unforgettable in “Born Yesterday” and “It Should Happen to You”.  I love this 1953 clip of perky and pretty Judy on “What’s My Line” … AND you can see how she signs her name to compare with my autographs!

The photo in my collection is a small 2x3 photo, which seems to match her signature according to a vintage autograph facsimile book.  And the signed paper seems to perfectly match how she signs her name on the chalkboard of “What’s My Line”. 

GAIL RUSSELL AUTOGRAPH

(1924-1961) Found by her neighbors, dead at 36 from liver damage due to her chronic alcoholism.  This one is especially sad, not only because of her young age, but because she had so many mental problems that simply weren’t diagnosed or in the public vernacular during her time.  Her marriage to the handsome (but brooding, moody and not always gentlemanly Guy Madison), along with her high-profile affair with John Wayne probably didn’t help with her mental fragility. Gail Russell was a delicate and unique flower.  And sometimes the world is too cruel for such beings.

E! True Hollywood Story: Mysteries and Scandals – Archive footage and Gail is discussed by those who were there including Ruth Warrick and Jimmy Lydon.

INGER STEVENS AUTOGRAPH

(1934-1970) Died at 36 in the ambulance on the way to the hospital after her friend found her on the kitchen floor barely conscious after a purposeful overdose of sedatives and alcohol. Inger was another beauty carrying a lot of mental issues and past trauma; she even had to hide her interracial marriage because the studio didn’t want it publicized.  The pressure cooker of fame pushed her to escape into pills and booze.  She had attempted an early departure in 1959, but somebody found her before she passed.  Sometimes people just want out of here.  Heaven on earth to some, Hell on earth to others.  A great video montage of Ingrid clips and photos; so lovely.

In 2014, I bought a massive collection (almost 2,000 pieces) from a long-time collector who wanted to liquidate and start collecting gold coins.  I had so much fun going through and identifying each piece.  The Inger Stevens signed card stood out like a gold coin, from the gold coin guy!

NICOLETTE LARSON AUTOGRAPH

(1952-1997) Nicolette passed away at the age of 45.  Depression and anxiety led to her chronic use of Valum and Tylenol PM.  Her decline happened so quickly, over just a few days, that nobody understood how critically ill she was.  Acute liver failure and fatal brain swelling were the final culprits.  One of the first 45 singles I ever bought was Nicolette’s first hit. Here’s a sweet version of “Lotta Love” from Musicladen in Germany.  

This signed cut piece by Nicolette was another great find in a huge collection of random signatures.  I don’t think the seller knew who he had! Each one cost $2.77

ELIZABETH HARTMAN AUTOGRAPH

(1943-1987) Elizabeth jumped from her fifth-floor apartment window when she was 43.  Lifelong depression, anxiety and paranoia deteriorated her mental health so much; she simply had to leave.  Mental health is such a topic of discussion today and people are getting help because there is awareness.  In 1987, it was a different and perhaps crueler world for those suffering in their head.

I’ll never forget watching “A Patch of Blue”.  I think it was one of those movies that my father made me sit and watch, telling me “Now this is a good one”.  The blatant racism exhibited by Shelley Winters’ character and the brutal way that she treated her daughter shook me badly.  I was probably in my early teens, and it upset me.  I don’t think I’ll ever watch it again.  The trailer gives me PTSD. Instead, here’s a sweet clip of her discovery and screen test process “A Cinderella Named Elizabeth”

I’m very lucky to have an authentic hand-signed and inscribed index card from Elizabeth.  This is one of those great finds in a massive collection that I bought for eighty-eight cents apiece.  Treasures like this make up for the forgeries and secretarials in the mix. 

PHYLLIS HYMAN AUTOGRAPH

(1949-1995) Phyllis Hyman’s live-in assistant found her body; gone at 45 due to an O.D. of vodka and Tuinal.  She struggled with mental illness, bi-polar disorder and clinical depression combined with heavy substance abuse of cocaine and alcohol. So many flames of sensitive souls are extinguished early in life. We the public only see one side and sometimes have a hard time processing why somebody “rich and famous” would leave on purpose.  It’s because they’re human – and suffering human pains – under the spotlight.  Not many people COULD handle that type of scrutiny without paying some sort of emotional toll.  

Here’s Phyllis on Mike Douglas singing her 1979 #6 Dance Hit “You Know How to Love Me”

The beautifully signed album soundtrack from “Sophisticated Ladies” (for which Phyllis was nominated for a Tony) was a find for me!  Community Thrift Store in San Francisco - $2.50

CARMEN MIRANDA AUTOGRAPHS

(1909-1955) During an August 1955 performance on “The Jimmy Durante Show”, Carmen lost her breath and fell to one knee.  She got up, brushed it off and continued performing.  She had guests at her house later that evening.  Her husband found her body the next morning, holding a small mirror in her hand.  Dead by cardiac arrest.  This frenetic fireball is everything in all her performances!  Here’s my take from watching one of her films during the Covid pandemic. I start talking about Carmen at 1:20

CARMEN MIRANDA STAMPED AUTOGRAPH – LISTED AS “AUTHENTIC”

I used to think that the great 5x7 with the beautifully written autograph in red was authentic.  Then I did a little research, which I encourage ALL collectors to do.  You will see by the side-by-side comparison photo, that somebody on eBay is selling the EXACT same photograph with the EXACT SAME autograph – stroke by stroke, letter by letter.  Keep in mind that the seller has a JSA certification and is asking over $700 … for this mass-produced piece that was sent out in the hundreds if not thousands.  What are the lessons here?  

1. Much of the fan mail sent out during the Golden Age of Hollywood were either secretarial, rotogravure prints, or high-end stamps.  The reason why the stamps can look so real is because they would use liquid fountain ink on the stamp, making it look as if the piece was “pen signed”

2. Do your own research!  Look for authentic examples (checks, contracts, legal documents, in-person) and look for the exact same piece that you think is authentic.  You probably won’t like what you find a lot of the time.  Or buy a piece that has video/photographic proof of the celebrity signing that EXACT piece you want to purchase.

3. A Certificate of Authenticity is meaningless.  Even larger agencies like JSA, PSA and Beckett have become increasingly erroneous in the certifications.  I mean they’re all businesses and they get paid to authenticate each piece you send in.  When they say “No, no, no”, you will probably stop sending for authentication and they will lose money.  Therefore, “yes, yes, yes” your stamped/printed/auto penned signature is authentic.  BOO!

CARMEN MIRANDA AUTHENTIC AUTOGRAPH

Here is an example (not in my collection of her authentic signature) on a contract from 1950.

CARMEN MIRANDA SECRETARIAL AUTOGRAPH

Oh … and my log shows that I have another vintage 5x7 of Carmen signed to Emerson.  Due to my haphazard filing system (multiple M binders in multiple locations), I have no idea where she is hiding.  Collectors note: When somebody says, “Do you have (fill in the blank)?” And you say, “Yes, I do!”.  But then you can’t find it.  That means your filing system sucks. WAIT!  I just found it.  In my “To Be Researched” file.  

Here are the results of my research on “To Emerson”: it’s a secretarial signature.  When you look at authentic Carmen Miranda signatures (contracts, for example), you will see that she has loopy C’s, sometimes enclosing, usually arching over and often leading directly into the A.  Carmen is one continuous word and almost reads like “Carmeer”.  Her M’s are also usually loopier than the secretarial, often goes right into the I and Miranda is often one continuous word, looking like Marandas or Malandas.  Her true autograph is more like her personality … big, loopy and continuous movement.  These tightly structured, neatly written restrained signatures are just not her!  Both the stamped and secretarial autographs of Carmen Miranda may be wonderful looking collectibles, but they’re not AUTHENTIC autographs.  Caveat emptor.

I’ll end this little school lesson on a much more vibrant and cheerier note – Carmen Miranda at her finest!