Courts In Session at the
Hollywood Collectors Show
By Steve Randisi
reprinted from the January, 1997 issue of "Classic TV"
Picture a
room full of veteran movie and TV stars, a seemingly endless display of memorabilia, and a
multitude of enthusiastic fans in the midst of it all. The price of admission is only ten
dollars, and you don't have to get dressed up to attend. If any of this rings a bell,
you've probably attended one of Ray Courts' Hollywood Collectors Shows.
Courts, a collector of vintage l6mm films, is quickly becoming one of the nations
leading promoters of memorabilia and autograph shows. Headquartered at the spacious
Beverly Garland's Holiday Inn in North Hollywood, Courts gives the average collector the
opportuility to rub elbows with many legendary performers from the '20s through the '90s.
Like its competitors, HCS offers a myriad of dealers from around the country who
peddle rare posters, stills, videotapes, and other treasures. In fact, some collectors
look more like archaeologists as they dig through stacks of old photographs in search of
their idols. But the spotlight is clearly on the celebrity guests, who sit at rows of
tables and sell autographs, pose for pictures, or simply answer questions about their
work.
Over the years, Courts has played host to such luminaries as Gene Autry; Alan Young,
Dwayne Hickman, Adam West, and David Carradine. Unlike other shows of its kind, HCS
maintains a completely relaxed atmosphere. There is no pressure to catch any of the
celebrities before they disappear into the sunset, and no one has to wait on line for
hours to get an autograph. And while other shows tend to confine their guest lists to
stars associated with a specific genre, this one renders a wide range of personalities. If
you're there on the right day, you can chat with former TV hostess Vampira, or trade quips
with Steve Allen, Don Knotts, or Norman Fell. "You'll even get to meet Beverly
Garland herself," says Courts with a smile.
For those who enjoy catching up with former child stars, there's usually an impressive
cluster of them at each exposition. Their names represent the black-and-white era of
classic sitcoms: Jay North (DENNIS THE MENACE); Paul Petersen (THE DONNA REED SHOW);
Stanley and Barry Livingston (MY THREE SONS); Elinor Donohue, Billy Gray, and Lauren
Chapin (FATHER KNOWS BEST); Larry Matthews (THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW); Bernard Fox, Sandra
Gould, Kasey Rogers and Erin Murphy (BEWITCHED) along with Adam West, Yvonne Craig, Lee
Meriwether, Julie Newmar and Frank Gorshin (BATMAN).
Though its an exciting outlet for aficionados, Courts concedes that his celebrities
often have "as much fun or more" than the fans.
"For some of the actors who haven't worked in a while, it's a chance for them to
get back into the limelight," says Courts. "It's rewarding for them, and they
enjoy people coming up to them and reminding them of things they've probably forgotten.
Most people tell me our shows are like one big party for two days!"
Planning these extravaganzas, which draw several thousand people throughout the
weekend, requires much hard work. Yet, Courts and his wife Sharon say they enjoy every
minute of what they are doing and actually feel "blessed." Like many of his
fellow collectors, Courts is a baby boomer who consumed the usual amount of Saturday
morning television. "I grew up with shows like "SKY KING", "MY FRIEND
FLICKA", and "THE ADVENTURES OF RIN TIN TIN." The people from these shows
are my idols, and when I get to welcome them, it's really a thrill. And I know it's a
thrill for the people who come to see them," Courts reveals.
"There's a folksy ambience to the show;" says Jim Pierson, who organizes the
popular Dark Shadows Festivals held on both coasts. "Where else can you walk across a
parking lot and casually bump into someone like Donna Douglas from "THE BEVERLY
HILLBILLIES?"
When it comes to his guests, Courts enforces a code that would make Rodney Dangerfield
happy: everyone gets the same respect. "Sure, we like it when someone like Charlton
Heston comes by. However, we don't care if a person was a bit player or a big name
star; everyone gets the same treatment," he confides.
The promoter also makes sure that his guests are not exploited in any way.
Courts says that's the last thing in the world he and his wife would ever let happen.
"We pay for autographs just like anybody else," says Courts. "We give the
table space to the celebrities for free. And when we tell them there's no charge, they
usually look at us like we're crazy!"
The one exception involving money was the late Pat Buttram, who was Gene Autry's
sidekick in the movies long before he portrayed the shifty Mr. Haney on "GREEN
ACRES."
"Pat showed up at the door and offered my wife five dollars,which was the
admission price at that time, to get in," Courts recalls. "She tried to explain
that celebrities don't have to pay to get into our shows, but Pat was insistent. He said,
'Take the damn money! I'm only going to stay for a half hour and I want to be left
alone. I am here as a collector and I don't want to be bothered with signing autographs.'
Well, about four or five hours later, Pat was still there. He was laughing, posing
for pictures and signing autographs for everybody. He had a very good time,
even though he came in with an attitude!"
Mr. Blackwell, the fashion critic known for his annual Best and Worst Dressed lists,
is another "success" story. Courts remembers Blackwell's appearance:
"He wrote a book called 'From Rags to Bitches' and said he wanted to appear
at our show to sign copies. When he showed up, he looked around the room and said, 'This
is nothing but a memorabilia show!' And I said, 'Yes, what did you expect?' As we walked
him over to his table, he told us he'd only stay about forty-five minutes or so. However;
twenty minutes later he came to us and asked, 'Can I stay all day today and come back
tomorrow?' Mr. Blackwell is now one of our best friends."
Though there has been some criticism over celebrities hawking their autographs, Courts
says his patrons don't have much to complain about. "Sure, the celebrities make
good money from their autograph sales," he admits. "Some of them donate the
money to their favorite charity; others don't and that's fine. But how can a collector go
wrong getting an in-person signature for ten to twenty dollars? In fact, our show has
lately become an autograph dealers' delight."
According to Courts, actor Don Knotts, the flustered co-star of "THE ANDY
GRIFFITH SHOW", is the reigning champ of the autographing competition. "We
were totally unprepared for the reception that Don recently got," recalls Courts.
"He worked hard both days of the show, and seldom had a chance to put his head
up- unless he had to smile for a photo. Even when he took a lunch break, he took some
photos with him that had to be signed for a dealer. And he sat there, autographing
with one hand and eating with the other!"
Another recent show-stopper was Gale Storm, who starred in two classic sitcoms,
"MY LITTLE MARGIE" (1952-55) and "THE GALE STORM SHOW: OH' SUSANNA"
(1956-61). "The amount of people who showed up to see this great lady of television
was just incredible," noted one observer.
Is there any star that HCS hasn't featured, but would like to?
Courts won't name names, but admits that he's constantly inundated with requests. "We
have an endless list of names and suggestions," he says. "Even our daughter made
a request; she wants us to invite Rob Lowe! But I will say that we get new people
all the time. We also get a lot of camera crews, producers and casting agents who drop by
just to see who's here."
Amid all this euphoria, one has to wonder how an unassuming guy like Courts, who does
not stem from a show business back ground, gets all these famous faces to appear.
"It's because I've always been up front and honest with them," says Courts.
"For years, many actors had been taken advantage of. They were used, reused, 
and
then discarded. Even now, some of them think there's a catch to doing our show. I tell
them, 'No way! Everything is free. Whatever you earn is yours."'
Courts credits actor Will Hutchins, TV's "SUGARFOOT" from 1957 to 1961, as
the catalyst for procuring guests. "When we started back in 1991, our only guest was
Robert Shayne, who had played Inspector Henderson on the old "SUPERMAN" series.
Bob and his wife Betty became our dearest friends, and through them we met Will and his
wife Babs," recalls Courts. "Will knew a lot of actors and began spreading the
word. And pretty soon people began saying things like, 'How about showing up at that
collectors' show over at the Garland?' It just seemed to catch on. Nowadays,
however; the guests call me and ask if they can get a table," laughs Courts,
Hutchins, who also did a stint as Dagwood Bumstead on CBS's short-lived
"BLONDIE" series (1968-69) recalls his first impression of HCS. "At first,
I didn't think it would go over in Los Angeles because everyone out there is so blase'
about this sort of thing," he says. "I did Ray's show mainly because of Babs, my
wife. And we had a lot of fun with it. But I think the credit should go to Ray and Sharon,
and their family, who work so hard putting these shows together. They are aces with me,
and I know the other guests have admiration for them."
The actor, who is a regular at HCS, says he's also intrigued by the dealers who flock
to these events. "I think someone should do a documentary about these people. It's
fascinating the way they travel all over the country with the great films and gems of the
past. They're the ones who have preserved the artifacts from old movies and
television shows, and other things that might have been lost forever." says Hutchins.
Apparently the fans aren't the only ones searching for relics of the past. "I
love to collect old movies too," Hutchins reveals. "In fact, at the very first
show I did, I wound up buying more stuff than I sold. When you see people like Jonathan
Winters and Gene Autry at the show, it's mainly because they are looking for stuff just
like everybody else."
Although HCS is a bona fide success story, its banner is now something of a misnomer.
The promoter has recently ventured outside of Hollywood, taking his show on the road to
such diverse places as Secaucus, New Jersey and Chicago, Illinois. It was in New Jersey
that Courts reunited the Dynamic Duo, Adam West and Burt Ward, for the first time in
several years. As if Batman and Robin weren't enough, Frank Gorshin and John Astin, both
of whom played the Riddler, were also major attractions that same weekend.
While Courts acknowledges that he's had "a pretty good time in Jersey," he
vows to keep North Hollywood the home base of his enterprise. "Even though we meet at
the Beverly's Hotel four times a year, we re always looking at other exciting locations.
Right now, we're considering San Francisco, Detroit, and Orlando," says Courts.
Regardless of the locale, Courts and his family are looking forward to future shows.
The promoter says he 'rotate' the appearances of his guests. "It's
sometimes difficult to tell one of our celebrities to sit out a show. You know, take a
little break to avoid overexposure," says Courts. "However, in order to keep our
shows fresh, we have to bring in some new faces along with the regulars. But it's also
important to remember that all of our celebrities are always welcome to attend our Show
even if they are not a scheduled guest."
Courts strives for total harmony. "We try to keep everyone happy, the dealers and
all the people who support us. Occasionally, we get someone with an ego problem, but
that's rare," he says. "And when one of our guests has passed away, we
dedicate the next show to that person. There's a plaque and photo on display along with a
poem for their dedication. Sharon and I appreciate the opportunity to give something back
to these wonderful people who have given us so much."
STEVE RANDISI is life-long TV historian and freelance author whose work ftequently
appears in FILMFAX magazine.
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