MAILBOX MEMORIES · TTM AUTOGRAPHS
Four returns, one great mail day!
Four autographs came back in the mail today! First up is composer Bill Conti, followed by Chevy Chase, Richard Chaves from Predator, and Joe Keery from Stranger Things. Two signed custom collages, a signed 5×7, and a personalized Playbill made for a fun mix of returns.
Bill Conti: the music behind the movies
First out of today’s mail is my custom Bill Conti collage, now carrying his signature across the white autograph area. I enjoy celebrating the people behind the camera as well as those in front of it, and a composer’s work can be just as much a part of our memories of a movie.
Conti is famous for the music of Rocky, especially “Gonna Fly Now.” It’s the kind of theme that immediately brings the film’s determination and energy to mind. His work also includes For Your Eyes Only, and he won the Academy Award for his original score for The Right Stuff.
His career as a composer and conductor has reached both film and television, including years directing the music for the Oscars. Having his autograph on a design honoring that career is a wonderful way to start this mail day.
Chevy Chase: a signed 5×7 from a comedy favorite
Next is Chevy Chase, who likes to send out his own signed 5×7 photos. That’s what arrived for me today: a portrait signed in blue, with a Bushwood cap providing a fitting nod to Caddyshack.
Chevy’s comedy career includes Saturday Night Live, Ty Webb in Caddyshack, and the title role in Fletch. And then there’s Clark Griswold, whose family adventures in the Vacation movies—including Christmas Vacation—have given audiences plenty to laugh about over the years.
This return takes a different form from my custom designs, but it still makes a welcome addition to the collection.
Richard Chaves: Poncho from Predator
Third is Richard Chaves, best known to Predator fans as Poncho. He signed my custom collage, personalized it “To Scott,” and added “Poncho!!” alongside his autograph. That character inscription is a great finishing touch for a design built around the movie.
Chaves played Poncho in the original Predator (1987), part of the military team caught in a deadly hunt in the jungle. His television work includes Lieutenant Colonel Paul Ironhorse in War of the Worlds and an appearance as the Sky Spirit Chief in Star Trek: Voyager.
The collage brings together his character and the film’s ensemble, so getting it back with both his signature and Poncho’s name makes this one especially satisfying.
Joe Keery: a personalized Playbill
Finally, Joe Keery’s reply arrived as a signed Other Desert Cities Playbill from the Hudson Theatre, personalized “To Scott.” Based on the returns I’ve been seeing from other collectors, he’s sending signed Playbills rather than signing the items people send in. My return followed that same pattern.
Joe is best known for playing Steve Harrington in Stranger Things. His screen work also includes Free Guy and Gator Tillman in Fargo. Outside acting, he makes music as Djo, including the song “End of Beginning.”
I would have loved to have my own item signed, but I’m happy to add a personalized Playbill to the collection. It’s another reminder that through-the-mail collecting can bring back something different from what you expected.
From movie music and comedy to Predator and Stranger Things, today’s four returns cover a lot of ground. Thank you to Bill, Chevy, Richard, and Joe for these additions to my collection!