Tuesday, August 10, 2004
From Elvis to Britney, autograph collector shares his lifelong hobbyFrom Elvis to Britney, autograph collector shares his lifelong hobby
By KRISTIN DIZON
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Some the hundreds of autographed photos he's collected surround Mark Mitchell, top, at his Club Hollywood casino in Shoreline. Old Hollywood legends, such as Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe, are well represented and among the highest valued.
You can find those artful autographs and just about any screen star's John Hancock imaginable at Club Hollywood, a Shoreline casino that opened in September 2003.
"This is by far the best collection in the whole world," says Mark Mitchell, who owns it.
Sure, he's a bit biased, but it is an impressive, not to mention free, display. (He just hopes you'll have a cup of coffee or maybe some sushi.) About 2,500 signatures, all framed with photos of their authors, cover the walls and line a gallery. But the entire collection is about three times that size.
Mitchell, who favors Hawaiian shirts and tinted glasses with gold rims, circa 1978, estimates the value at about $5 million. With his family, he owns and runs the Drift on Inn Roadhouse Casino and Club Hollywood.
Now 69, Mitchell was 4 years old when his lifelong hobby began. His father, M.B. "Mike" Mitchell, was the publisher of the Ballard Tribune in an era when stars came to the local press club on publicity tours. Little Mark would go along and almost always came away with an autograph.
"By the time I was 10 years old, I had a heckuva collection," he says.
Who knows what an autograph says about a person or why we like capturing someone's name on a piece of paper, written in their own hand? Do we feel that we now own a little piece of the person?
Mitchell, a former restaurateur who operated 32 eateries over the years, including Windjammer and Spinnakers on the Bay, doesn't have the answer. "I was just kind of fascinated by meeting famous people and seeing them in a movie as a kid," he says.
The collection centers on Hollywood actors, though there are some directors, producers, musicians and a few sports stars who also appeared in films, such as Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle.
Mitchell says his favorites belong to an earlier era, and include Clark Gable, Laurel & Hardy and Sophia Loren.
A "Guys and Dolls" publicity still signed by its quartet of stars -- Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Vivian Blaine and Jean Simmons -- is "worth a fortune." "I don't doubt that there aren't any more in the world," Mitchell says.
Even more precious, he says, is an early photo of the Beatles, clad in tight black leather, and signed by all four. What makes it so rare is that the drummer was Pete Best, before he was replaced by Ringo Starr.
"That's worth a fortune. That's worth an absolute fortune," Mitchell says reverentially.
A Sinatra fan, Mitchell's encounter with the leader of the Rat Pack is a treasured memory. "I walked up to him at the Sands Hotel in Vegas when I was 18," Mitchell says. He didn't have anything for the crooner to sign, so he grabbed a cocktail napkin and borrowed a pen. That napkin signature is worth a lot more than the usual $500 to $600 for a run-of-the-mill Sinatra.
He also fondly recalls being a child when Irving Berlin previewed a song he was working on. Seven or eight months later, it became a big hit -- "Easter Parade."
Mitchell owns five Marilyns -- you know which one. Each is valued at between $5,000 and $7,000. And, he bought her silver Cadillac limo, which he refinished and now displays. James Dean, also of the early dead club, is worth $5,000 to $6,000.
Mitchell has multiple copies of Jimmy Stewart, Marlene Dietrich and Elvis Presley, among others.
But he's not willing to part with a duplicate, or any of his autographs, though people have asked to buy them. "I've never sold anything," Mitchell says.
Mitchell gathered about half the signatures in his collection, either in person or by sending a picture of the stars to them, along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope. The signed product would come back in the mail. He bought other pieces from auctions, other collectors and through magazine ads.
He has had to destroy a few fakes that failed verification tests.
Some of the hardest autographs to collect aren't the ones you'd necessarily expect. A River Phoenix, which looks more like symbols than the alphabet, was very elusive because the actor died young and hadn't signed many things. Another surprisingly difficult one was Dick Powell, a movie and TV star of the '30s, '40s and '50s.
He never ran down celebrities or chased after them in a car. "You have to pick your time," he says. "You can't walk up to them at dinner."
There was only one star who ever refused Mitchell in person.
"Cary Grant was the only guy who wouldn't sign an autograph for me, so I never liked him. But I got one anyway -- I bought it," he says with a measure of satisfaction.
Some of the signatures seem to mirror the public perception of their authors.
An Ahnold is big and tightly muscular, rather like the physique of the Governator. A Goldie Hawn has a big, curvy G and H, and looks like the written equivalent of an air giggle. Russell just signs with the first name; no Crowe necessary here.
A Rudolph Valentino, who made women swoon in the silent film era, is sexy, yet elegant.
A Trump is eerily megalomaniacal. Signed in shiny, gold marker, it's big -- real big -- and thick. Definitely the sign-off of an ego freak.
And one can't help but wonder whether Michael Jackson's ornate, tall and very swoopy autograph would make a graphologist break out in a cold sweat.
Then there are the surprises.
A Woody Allen is remarkably neat and normal -- a model of good penmanship -- not, as one might think, neurotic and nebbishy. A Robert De Niro is bigger and loopier than you'd expect from the guy who plays wiseguys. But there's another one that looks scrappier, and you can see his chameleon skills extend off-screen as well.
Besides autograph collecting, Mitchell has two other notable hobbies. He's an expert poker player who's won some big tournaments in Las Vegas, including a division of the World Series of Poker.
And, the man who's been fascinated with Hollywood his whole life gave it a shot himself. Mitchell moved to Malibu in the mid-'80s to study acting with famed teacher Lee Strasberg.
For two years, Mitchell went to class five days a week. He got an agent, read all the trades and went after parts.
"I would not take extra work," he says. "If it wasn't a speaking part, I wouldn't take it."
He played a hit man on TV's "The Equalizer," a stockbroker on "Scarecrow and Mrs. King," and a TV reporter on "Harry and the Hendersons." He was also a gambler in a movie and appeared in "Northern Exposure" about a dozen times.
He partied with a number of the stars. There are photos of Mitchell, in a tux with frilly shirt, standing next to Sid Ceasar, Hugh Hefner and others.
"I went to some pretty good parties at the Playboy Mansion," he says.
Acting, he says, is pretty easy. "I found anybody can act if they want to," he says. "That's why so many stars' kids are actors."
Though he's always viewed acting as a sideline, Mitchell hopes to find some character roles soon.
But the father of four and grandfather of 10 says his autograph-collecting days will likely never end.
"I still just can't stop," he says. "It's almost an obsession."
IF YOU GO
Club Hollywood, 16716 Aurora Ave. N., Shoreline; 206-546-4444; casino open 7 a.m. to 3 a.m.; restaurant open 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Some of Mark Mitchell's massive collection includes these stars:
Old Hollywood: Jimmy Stewart, Lon Chaney, Errol Flynn, Mae West, Charlie Chaplin, W.C. Fields, John Wayne, Rita Hayworth, Shirley Temple, Betty Grable, Lauren Bacall, Gary Cooper, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Ronald Reagan, Ava Gardner, Marlene Dietrich, Elvis Presley
New Hollywood: Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, Richard Gere, Brad Pitt, Will Smith, Keanu Reeves, Adam Sandler, Britney Spears, Halle Berry, Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Meg Ryan, Drew Barrymore, Robert Redford, George Lucas, Dustin Hoffman
By KRISTIN DIZON
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Some the hundreds of autographed photos he's collected surround Mark Mitchell, top, at his Club Hollywood casino in Shoreline. Old Hollywood legends, such as Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe, are well represented and among the highest valued.
You can find those artful autographs and just about any screen star's John Hancock imaginable at Club Hollywood, a Shoreline casino that opened in September 2003.
"This is by far the best collection in the whole world," says Mark Mitchell, who owns it.
Sure, he's a bit biased, but it is an impressive, not to mention free, display. (He just hopes you'll have a cup of coffee or maybe some sushi.) About 2,500 signatures, all framed with photos of their authors, cover the walls and line a gallery. But the entire collection is about three times that size.
Mitchell, who favors Hawaiian shirts and tinted glasses with gold rims, circa 1978, estimates the value at about $5 million. With his family, he owns and runs the Drift on Inn Roadhouse Casino and Club Hollywood.
Now 69, Mitchell was 4 years old when his lifelong hobby began. His father, M.B. "Mike" Mitchell, was the publisher of the Ballard Tribune in an era when stars came to the local press club on publicity tours. Little Mark would go along and almost always came away with an autograph.
"By the time I was 10 years old, I had a heckuva collection," he says.
Who knows what an autograph says about a person or why we like capturing someone's name on a piece of paper, written in their own hand? Do we feel that we now own a little piece of the person?
Mitchell, a former restaurateur who operated 32 eateries over the years, including Windjammer and Spinnakers on the Bay, doesn't have the answer. "I was just kind of fascinated by meeting famous people and seeing them in a movie as a kid," he says.
The collection centers on Hollywood actors, though there are some directors, producers, musicians and a few sports stars who also appeared in films, such as Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle.
Mitchell says his favorites belong to an earlier era, and include Clark Gable, Laurel & Hardy and Sophia Loren.
A "Guys and Dolls" publicity still signed by its quartet of stars -- Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Vivian Blaine and Jean Simmons -- is "worth a fortune." "I don't doubt that there aren't any more in the world," Mitchell says.
Even more precious, he says, is an early photo of the Beatles, clad in tight black leather, and signed by all four. What makes it so rare is that the drummer was Pete Best, before he was replaced by Ringo Starr.
"That's worth a fortune. That's worth an absolute fortune," Mitchell says reverentially.
A Sinatra fan, Mitchell's encounter with the leader of the Rat Pack is a treasured memory. "I walked up to him at the Sands Hotel in Vegas when I was 18," Mitchell says. He didn't have anything for the crooner to sign, so he grabbed a cocktail napkin and borrowed a pen. That napkin signature is worth a lot more than the usual $500 to $600 for a run-of-the-mill Sinatra.
He also fondly recalls being a child when Irving Berlin previewed a song he was working on. Seven or eight months later, it became a big hit -- "Easter Parade."
Mitchell owns five Marilyns -- you know which one. Each is valued at between $5,000 and $7,000. And, he bought her silver Cadillac limo, which he refinished and now displays. James Dean, also of the early dead club, is worth $5,000 to $6,000.
Mitchell has multiple copies of Jimmy Stewart, Marlene Dietrich and Elvis Presley, among others.
But he's not willing to part with a duplicate, or any of his autographs, though people have asked to buy them. "I've never sold anything," Mitchell says.
Mitchell gathered about half the signatures in his collection, either in person or by sending a picture of the stars to them, along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope. The signed product would come back in the mail. He bought other pieces from auctions, other collectors and through magazine ads.
He has had to destroy a few fakes that failed verification tests.
Some of the hardest autographs to collect aren't the ones you'd necessarily expect. A River Phoenix, which looks more like symbols than the alphabet, was very elusive because the actor died young and hadn't signed many things. Another surprisingly difficult one was Dick Powell, a movie and TV star of the '30s, '40s and '50s.
He never ran down celebrities or chased after them in a car. "You have to pick your time," he says. "You can't walk up to them at dinner."
There was only one star who ever refused Mitchell in person.
"Cary Grant was the only guy who wouldn't sign an autograph for me, so I never liked him. But I got one anyway -- I bought it," he says with a measure of satisfaction.
Some of the signatures seem to mirror the public perception of their authors.
An Ahnold is big and tightly muscular, rather like the physique of the Governator. A Goldie Hawn has a big, curvy G and H, and looks like the written equivalent of an air giggle. Russell just signs with the first name; no Crowe necessary here.
A Rudolph Valentino, who made women swoon in the silent film era, is sexy, yet elegant.
A Trump is eerily megalomaniacal. Signed in shiny, gold marker, it's big -- real big -- and thick. Definitely the sign-off of an ego freak.
And one can't help but wonder whether Michael Jackson's ornate, tall and very swoopy autograph would make a graphologist break out in a cold sweat.
Then there are the surprises.
A Woody Allen is remarkably neat and normal -- a model of good penmanship -- not, as one might think, neurotic and nebbishy. A Robert De Niro is bigger and loopier than you'd expect from the guy who plays wiseguys. But there's another one that looks scrappier, and you can see his chameleon skills extend off-screen as well.
Besides autograph collecting, Mitchell has two other notable hobbies. He's an expert poker player who's won some big tournaments in Las Vegas, including a division of the World Series of Poker.
And, the man who's been fascinated with Hollywood his whole life gave it a shot himself. Mitchell moved to Malibu in the mid-'80s to study acting with famed teacher Lee Strasberg.
For two years, Mitchell went to class five days a week. He got an agent, read all the trades and went after parts.
"I would not take extra work," he says. "If it wasn't a speaking part, I wouldn't take it."
He played a hit man on TV's "The Equalizer," a stockbroker on "Scarecrow and Mrs. King," and a TV reporter on "Harry and the Hendersons." He was also a gambler in a movie and appeared in "Northern Exposure" about a dozen times.
He partied with a number of the stars. There are photos of Mitchell, in a tux with frilly shirt, standing next to Sid Ceasar, Hugh Hefner and others.
"I went to some pretty good parties at the Playboy Mansion," he says.
Acting, he says, is pretty easy. "I found anybody can act if they want to," he says. "That's why so many stars' kids are actors."
Though he's always viewed acting as a sideline, Mitchell hopes to find some character roles soon.
But the father of four and grandfather of 10 says his autograph-collecting days will likely never end.
"I still just can't stop," he says. "It's almost an obsession."
IF YOU GO
Club Hollywood, 16716 Aurora Ave. N., Shoreline; 206-546-4444; casino open 7 a.m. to 3 a.m.; restaurant open 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Some of Mark Mitchell's massive collection includes these stars:
Old Hollywood: Jimmy Stewart, Lon Chaney, Errol Flynn, Mae West, Charlie Chaplin, W.C. Fields, John Wayne, Rita Hayworth, Shirley Temple, Betty Grable, Lauren Bacall, Gary Cooper, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Ronald Reagan, Ava Gardner, Marlene Dietrich, Elvis Presley
New Hollywood: Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, Richard Gere, Brad Pitt, Will Smith, Keanu Reeves, Adam Sandler, Britney Spears, Halle Berry, Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Meg Ryan, Drew Barrymore, Robert Redford, George Lucas, Dustin Hoffman
