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PLAY MISTY FOR ME – CAST AUTOGRAPHS
My first exposure to “Play Misty for Me” was when my best friend Jimmy (RIP) made me watch his homemade “slap tape” compilation. It was a montage ON BETA MAX of movie clips featuring women slapping/getting slapped and some iconic confrontation, camp, or meltdown scenes. This scene with Jessica Walter killed me LOL and inspired me to watch the movie.
CLINT EASTWOOD AUTOGRAPHS TTM - MOSTLY SECRETARIAL
Clint Eastwood is known as a generous signer for TTM autographs. Unfortunately, almost none of those who received TTM were signed by him. He has had an inside team member or secretary signing for him for YEARS. You can see from my examples here those which have been signed by somebody else. Almost every single one that you see for sale on eBay is NOT authentic. All of these are secretarial; signed by an inside member of his team.
CLINT EASTWOOD AUTOGRAPH
Luckily, I do have one genuine Clint Eastwood in my collection which was obtained in person during his early career. (Early career signatures are always the best in my opinion. Before the celebrity gets “autograph fatigue” and starts scribbling in person.)
JESSICA WALTER AUTOGRAPH
Jessica Walter is priceless. Always SO good, in everything she does. I’m so glad that “Arrested Development” gave her a late career resurgence and some of the best witticisms and acerbic lines ever uttered on screen. Nominated for an Emmy but didn’t win for “Arrested Development”. Interesting note that the one Emmy she did win was for a 1974-5 TV series called “Amy Prentiss” – and it had only three episodes. Way to go, Jessica. Her classic line delivery will live on forever as long as social media exists and people keep rediscovering and circulating her hilarious quips.
I wrote to her and got the black and white photos (cut out of books) signed when I was a teenager. The B&W and color “Play Misty for Me” 8x10’s were purchases for $.88 and ~$40 respectively. (That lot of over 1,000 autographs for $.88 each was a treasure trove!)
IRENE HERVEY AUTOGRAPH
“My god she’s a little old for you! What is this?!!? Be kind to senior citizens week?!?!” Poor Irene Hervey was on the receiving end of that line, and I was a bit surprised to find that I had her in my collection. I bought the signed playbill that you see here for $3.50. Interesting side note that Joan Crawford was the godmother to her son, Jack Jones (singer of “The Love Boat” theme). But Joan and Irene were NOT close; Joan was closer to Jack’s dad, Allan Jones, a fellow MGM contracted player. And yes, I have both Jack and Allan autographs in my collection. Here’s my reenactment of the confrontation scene.
DONNA MILLS AUTOGRAPH
Donna Mills is currently a social media darling who has just joined OnlyFans at the age of 85. You go, Donna Mills! I didn’t really follow her or watch “Knot’s Landing” much, but apparently, I did send her a fan letter - because the 5x7 autopen signature was her standard TTM response. The other autographs you see here were bought in collections. She has been a generous signer TTM for the past 20 years or so and I have so many in my collection! Pennies.
“Careful … might put your eye out. – I hope he likes what he sees when walks in here, because that’s what he’s taking to hell with him!”
JACK GING AUTOGRAPH
I was on a frenzy of buying and got this autographed photo of Jack Ging for $20 simply because he was in the movie. He was the bartender in the movie that encouraged Clint Eastwood’s character to talk to Jessica Walter’s character. I know. Promises in Malibu here I come.
JOHNNY MATHIS AUTOGRAPH
Although it was the instrumental version of “Misty” (by Errol Garner) that was played in the movie, when Johnny Mathis recorded it with vocals, it became his signature song. In July of 2013, I took my beloved and gorgeous grandmother to see Johnny Mathis at the San Francisco Symphony. He was 79 years old and in perfect voice. Amazing that he still sounded exactly like his records. We had 1st row in the box seats overlooking the stage and my grandmother kept nudging me and telling me to shout out a song that she wanted him to sing. “Gram we’re at the symphony hall, all dressed up in box seats, it’s not a good look. He might sing it soon.” She kept nudging me. I was dying laughing.
Johnny Play Misty for Me:
I already had a signed index card in my collection, but I wanted Johnny to sign some photos from his youth. He was gorgeous! Since I didn’t want to drag my grandmother backstage after the show, I drove the Symphony Hall early in the day of the concert and knocked on the backstage door. A security guard opened up and I gave him my envelope of photos with letter and SASE and I said something, intimating that I was delivering a package for Johnny, that was important. He ensured that Johnny would get it. I got everything back duly signed in a matter of days.
Johnny Mathis was a class act. Even the way that he casually outed himself in the June 22, 1982, of US Magazine – “Homosexuality is a way of life I’ve grown accustomed to.” The idiocy known as “the public” sent him death threats and he got serious backlash. Therefore, he zipped up and didn’t talk about it again for years.
“Chances are – if you wear a silly grin” … (SOMEONE will have a negative comment)
ALICE GHOSTLEY AUTOGRAPH
I’ve got to throw Alice Ghostley in here. A classic character actress from the Golden Age of theater and television, notably as Esmerelda on “Bewitched” and Bernice on “Designing Women”. What does she have to do with “Play Misty for Me”, you might say. And I’d say that one of her most hilarious scenes in “Designing Women” was when she was working at Burger Guy and started singing “Misty” to the drive-thru customer over the order microphone. It still makes me laugh to this day. If the TikTok link below is not working, you’ll just have trust me that it’s second only to “Black Man” as Bernice’s greatest hits.
I’ve got Alice in my collection because I wrote to her TTM when in the 1990’s and the 8x10 was a free photo that she sent in reply from the “Designing Women” set.
If you’ve read this far, you are now excused from “Play Misty for Me”.
“Oh, get out of here, you crazy fool!” or “Yeah, get lost asshole!”
Your choice.
