For those of us living in the Northeast the convention situation is abysmal. The only one worth its salt within a 100-mile radius is Chiller. While they have great guests it is a disorganized nightmare that gets worse with each passing year.
Back around 2004, I really got into the convention scene in a big way. I traveled to the West Coast three years in a row and, aside from the exorbitant prices, they were the best con experiences I ever had.
Other shows held nationally in places like Michigan, Florida and Texas are better organized but their guests are strictly the B-list and the same year after year. Creation, for all their price gauging and silly rules, is still the best game in town. They get the A-list stars of sci-fi (and their prices reflect it) and they provide the best possible con experience going.
Creation started running cons in 1971 and were based in New York for many years. In the mid-80s they opened three comic stores and their “crown jewel” was a quick bike ride from my house. I wiled away many hours there searching for back issues and hanging out with friends there. Creation primarily ran comic conventions back then (as well as Star Trek) but in the 90s they picked up their operation and moved to California, all the better to communicate with the majority of actors who lived there.
They stopped running big shows in NY because it was much cheaper to host them in CA, losing the expense of flying a star first class and put them up in some five-star hotel. Their NY shows were a shadow of the CA shows, often garnering 1-2 big celebs while their annual shows in Pasadena and Las Vegas were overflowing with the A-list.
In 2005, I ventured to Pasadena for the first time and it was well worth the trip, so much so that I returned the following year before I saw a full guest list.
Creation deserves credit for refining the convention experience over the years. Stars will often do a 45-60 minute presentation, taking questions and telling stories. Then there will be (paid) opportunities for photos and autographs.
The autograph lines are often huge but they set the stars up behind the stage so people won’t miss the next presentation while they wait. The photo ops are dicier because they’re often in another room away from the main stage. All in all they do a great job.
My only gripe is their policy against personalized autographs. They claim it slows up the lines but it’s people chatting with the actors that slow up the lines more than anything else. I have no problem with people doing that. Often the actors are gracious and realize this is a special moment for the fan. So too is a personalized autograph.
So unlike my first show, I decided to ask each actor (with two exceptions) for a personalization and each one said yes, much to the staff’s chagrin. It makes the memento of the day that much more special (at least in my eyes) and takes an extra second. AND you can’t sell it on Ebay so the stars should like that!
Prior to leaving for California I found out that Leonard Nimoy would be appearing at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood for a retrospective on the films of Jack Broder, a B-movie mogul of the 50s. Broder’s film, “Kid Monk Baroni,” was Nimoy’s first.
Another noteworthy actor appearing in the film was Jack Larson (Jimmy Olsen in “The Adventures of Superman”). Mr. Larson would also be appearing with Mr. Nimoy (as well as several others associated with the film) for a Q&A following the presentation.
My flight into Burbank was slated to arrive in plenty of time for me to attend. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see two of my heroes in an intimate setting like this.
Conventions, even the best ones, are usually pretty crazy, and this was to be a small screening for friends, family and a few fans. My plane arrived an hour late so I scrambled to check in at my hotel and drive to Hollywood. I expected hordes of Trekkies and despite having an advance ticket I worried I’d be shut out.
If you’ve never been on Hollywood Blvd. before it’s an experience. It’s a combination of old Hollywood glory (trying to resurrect itself) cheesy tourist shops, bizarre denizens (especially at night) and most recently, swanky upscale shopping.
I arrived at my destination and parked at the Hollywood and Highland shopping complex adjacent to the Kodak Theatre (where the Oscars are now held). I met up with some people also going to screening (one of whom was Mr. Broder’s grandson) and arrived at the theatre with about 20 minutes to spare.
The hordes of Trekkies and Superman fans I expected were nowhere to be found and seats were easy to come by. I found myself sitting in the seats reserved for the Nimoy family so I quickly moved.
Soon, Leonard Nimoy arrived with his wife and he seemed genuinely happy to be there. Jack Larson was seated nearby as well. After a brief intro we were treated to “Kid Monk Baroni,” a B-programmer to be sure, but a harmless story about a guy from the wrong side of the tracks who becomes a prominent boxer, gets in with the wrong crowd, loses his soul and wins it back again, all in 80 minutes.
Throughout the film there were scenes that sparked (unintentionally) great laughter from the audience. Its’ dialogue and situations were hilariously dated and the harmless relationship between Nimoy’s character and a priest seemed pretty salacious in light of recent events that much of their dialogue now sounded like double entendre. Nimoy could often be heard laughing at himself.
For what it was, the film was very entertaining. Nimoy’s manager was played by Bruce Cabot of “King Kong” fame and the story had a “Bowery Boys” feel to it in spots. It was priceless to see the always-reserved Nimoy trying to play an Italian kid from the ghetto and somewhat succeeding.
The spirited Q&A was great fun. Everyone there was in a jovial mood. In addition to Mr. Nimoy and Mr. Larson the director’s daughter was there as was the film’s publicist and the ingénue of “Kid Monk,” Mona Knox. They told stories of the production and what those days were like in Hollywood and then opened up the floor to questions.
I was able to ask Mr. Nimoy a question and he gave a great answer. When asked what “Kid Monk” did for his career, he responded, “Well it was made in 1952. Then I spent two years in the army and by 1956 I was driving a taxi so what does that tell you?” It was like a class reunion for all concerned and it was for me, the unexpected high point of the trip.
Although their literature stipulated no autographs or photos I came armed with my camera and a photo for Mr. Nimoy, just in case. After the Q&A broke up I accosted Jack Larson first and he was only too happy to pose for a picture. He seemed genuinely pleased to meet the fans.
Mr. Nimoy was obviously not hanging around. I skulked around him for awhile and even ended up next to him at a urinal in the men’s room! After that it was obvious he was leaving. I followed him out and there was a small throng of autograph hounds surrounding him, so I joined the party.
He patiently signed and when it came my turn he took a quick look at the photo (it wasn’t your usual “Star Trek” shot) and signed it. That was the capper to a great night (I had nothing for Jack to sign but I already have his autograph).
I left on a high and when I got back to the garage I had no idea what my rental car looked like, except that it was black and I had a vague idea where it might be. After searching three levels I found it and started back to Pasadena. By the time I went to bed I had been awake for 21 hours!
The screening at the Egyptian was a completely unexpected (and fortuitous) side bonus of the trip and completely unconnected to the convention. Despite the harried nature of the experience it was completely worth the effort and an experience I’ll always treasure.
It also bears mentioning that the Egyptian is an amazing revival theatre restored to its former glory. Their screenings almost always include Q&A’s with actors and directors and if I lived within 50 miles I’d be there every week!
And all this happened before the actual con!
(Steve will be sharing more of his Con experiences in the weeks and months to come!)
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