Mollie Lane

The Captain Celluloid Show - October 16 and 17, 2010  

Baby McIntyre with Santa

                 December 17, 2011

         Holiday Inn West 57th Street, NYC

by Mollie Lane

Nothing beats an opportunity to get up close and personal with the faces that grace your childhood memories.   The Captain Celluloid Movie/TV Con managed to deliver that this weekend.   I left having connected with new "friends" from my past along with a chance to reconnect with some old ones.

Beverly Washburn was my first stop as she and I share a love for animals and we both volunteer at animal shelters.   If you happen to go to a show where she is appearing, do stop and speak with her.  She exemplifies what good will is all about.  Having worked with the likes of Jack Benny, Loretta Young, George Reeves, Barbara Stanwyck, Kirk Douglas and Old Yeller she is a joy to talk to.  All the proceeds of her appearances go to help homeless an abused animals so your money goes to a good cause.   Beverly is in the process of updating her book "Reel Tears" so be on the lookout for the latest release!   She has also completed a new film called "Hard Four" which features Edward Asner.  This film is now available on Netfliks!

Lee Aacker played "Rusty" in the television series "Rin Tin Tin"  According to Lee there were 3 dogs used in the show.  One dog ran with the horses, one was used for scenes where the dog needed to be more still and a third was used for fighting scenes.   You can tell in the still photography the distinct differences in their appearances although as kids I sure none of us were paying much attention.  Lee retired from acting at the age of 18 and enjoyed a successful career as a builder in the construction industry.  Officially retired from "working" in 1990, today Lee lives in California where he teaches under privileged and developmentally disabled children how to jet ski!  It was a joy to speak with him and he made me feel as if I had known him my entire life. 

Bill Gray is best known for his role as "Bud" in the classic TV series "Father Knows Best" starring Robert Young.  But Superman fans remember him best as the precocious photography enthusiast who almost managed to reveal Superman's true identity in the episode "A Shot in the Dark", from the 2nd season of The Adventures of Superman in 1953.  Bill Gray up until recently did not have any idea that he had appeared on this iconic television series until Jack Larson (Jimmy Olsen in the series) alerted him that he did indeed appear in one episode.  But fans of Superman are certainly glad he did.  We're always excited to meet anyone who got a chance to work one on one with the Superman cast whom we have come to know and love today on a very personal level.   Bill Gray today resides in California and still keeps in touch with his fellow cast members from Father Knows Best Eleanor Donohue and Lauren Chapin.

Roger Mobley played Joey's best friend on the television series "Fury".  Roger today hails from Texas and was here for the NY show with his lovely wife.  I had mentioned to him that I recently had the chance to interview Bobby Diamond for a retrospective article on Fury which appears on the Glass House Presents.  I guess it would not be a surprise that Roger loves horses.  He and his wife live in Texas and adopted a Mustang from Nevada whom they have affectionately named "Sonny".  We chatted a little bit about life here in New York and talked a little bit about getting around town and suggestions on where to go for a nice dinner in the Big Apple.   Like Lee Aacker, I had the feeling I had known these nice folks my entire life.  

Jon Provost played Timmy on the TV series "Lassie".  Leave it to me to gravitate to those actors that played opposite animals.  Jon was on hand along with his wife Laurie Jacobson.  You can read about Jon's career in his book called "Timmy's in the Well".  He is working on a new book called "Timmy's in the Kitchen" which is believe it or not a cook book! 

Super Couple Kal and Kara - it a delight for Superman fans to be able to connect with Kal and Kara.  They look absolutely incredible in their superman costumes.   People just love getting their picture taken with them.  Check out their picture in the gallery below!

Larry Storch played Corporal Agarn in the 1960's series "F-Troop".  I have seen him before at these shows and it was good to see that he is doing well and was in good spirits.   Many may not know that Mr. Storch was in the navy during World War II and was on the same ship as Tony Curtis who passed away just last week.  Larry got a chance to meet up with his long time friend at the Chiller Theatre convention in Parsippany, NJ in April of 2009.

Conrad Brooks actually came over to introduce himself to me when I was over at Roger Mobley's table.  A charming gentlemen, Conrad has appeared in numerous horror and sci-fi films and has appeared along side Bella Lagosi in "Glen or Glenda" and Lon Chaney Junior in "Plan 9 from Outer Space".  Mr. Brooks currently resides with his wife Ruthie in West Virginia.

I really love attending these shows.  It's a chance to do what I used to fantasize about as a child which was to crawl into the television screen and personally speak to the people who could communicate with me yet I could not respond to. 

Some dreams come true.

October, 2010