Herb Graff
D.W.
He and his humor will be missed.
DW
pre...@my-deja.com
Moreso than anyone else save Sam Rubin, Herb WAS the Society For
Cinephiles. His nonpareil wit and warmth, coupled with an amazing
generosity of spirit despite many of life's crueler hurdles, made him
one of a kind. My first Cinecon was 1976--the one he ran--and my life
ain't been the same since. His exemplary hosting of countless Cinecon
banquets is the stuff of legend, and one of the great days of my life
was having several Cinephiles to lunch with A.C. Lyles at the Paramount
commissary; we all sat back speechless at A.C. and Herb spent more than
an hour topping each other with name-dropping anecdotes.
Good-bye, my old chum; we shall not see your like again.
Mike S.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Stephen Cooke
On Sun, 9 Jan 2000, D.W. wrote:
> I heard today that Herb passed away either last night or early today.
> He and his humor will be missed.
This is eerie, I was trying to describe Herb's screenings to a friend of
mine only yesterday. I only got to Syracuse twice, but "The Herb Show" was
always one of my favourite things about the weekends there.
I'll never forget him talking about finding films in the garbage behind
the Warner building in Brooklyn, then showing the first reel of a Jack
Haley two-reeler and suggesting that if you want to know how the movie
ends, you should go look in the garbage behind the Warner building.
I'll always remember that, and his anecdote about being shown a film on
Japanese internment during WWII, and then asking the officer why they
didn't round up Italian-Americans or German-Americans..."I never got an
answer."
What a terrific guy. I'm sure he'll have some amazing finds for us when we
eventually join him.
Stephen
Richard M Roberts
> > I heard today that Herb passed away either last night or early today.
> > He and his humor will be missed.
> >
> >
>
> Moreso than anyone else save Sam Rubin, Herb WAS the Society For
> Cinephiles. His nonpareil wit and warmth, coupled with an amazing
> generosity of spirit despite many of life's crueler hurdles, made him
> one of a kind. My first Cinecon was 1976--the one he ran--and my life
> ain't been the same since. His exemplary hosting of countless Cinecon
> banquets is the stuff of legend, and one of the great days of my life
> was having several Cinephiles to lunch with A.C. Lyles at the Paramount
> commissary; we all sat back speechless at A.C. and Herb spent more than
> an hour topping each other with name-dropping anecdotes.
>
> Good-bye, my old chum; we shall not see your like again.
>
> Mike S.
>
My favorite memory of Herb was spending the weekend with him and about
20 other people at the second Saginaw Cinesation . Because there were so
few of us, there was less begging on his time and we had hours of great
conversation. I'll never forget flying back to Chicago with him,
swapping stories. I have this great image in my mind of him laughing
heartily.That was just months before he had his stroke. Now I am so glad
I got back to Syracuse last year to see him one last time. He was the
man who introduced me to Lloyd Hamilton many years ago. This year at
Syracuse, we'll have to raise many a glass in memory to a great
collector, raconteur, and friend to us all.
RICHARD M ROBERTS
ChaneyFan
> Cinephiles. His nonpareil wit and warmth, coupled with an amazing
> generosity of spirit despite many of life's crueler hurdles, made him
> one of a kind.
Herb was possibly the greatest story teller I've ever met. Mind you, most of
the stories weren't true, but he told them with such verve and style that you
didn't really mind at all.
===============================
Jon Mirsalis
e-mail: Chan...@aol.com
Lon Chaney Home Page: http://members.aol.com/ChaneyFan
Jon's Film Sites: http://members.aol.com/ChaneyFan/jonfilm.htm
Christopher Jacobs
ChaneyFan wrote in message <20000113230132...@ng-fn1.aol.com>...
>>>>> Moreso than anyone else save Sam Rubin, Herb WAS the Society For
>> Cinephiles. His nonpareil wit and warmth, coupled with an amazing
>> generosity of spirit despite many of life's crueler hurdles, made him
>> one of a kind.
>
>Herb was possibly the greatest story teller I've ever met. Mind you, most
of
>the stories weren't true, but he told them with such verve and style that
you
>didn't really mind at all.
>===============================
>Jon Mirsalis
Herb's intonation was so captivating that you didn't even mind when he
would repeat the same story year after year, whether it had to do with HOWDY
BROADWAY or something at the Players' Club. My favorite Herb Graff story
(which he enjoyed telling on any number of occasions) was the one that
described the difference between the true die-hard film collector and the
usual, everyday, run-of-the-mill man-on-the-street. I probably don't have
all the details right and Herb would have additional bits of embroidery and
parenthetical remarks, but it was something to the effect of he was at a
convention with a film collector friend and some, shall we say, "ladies of
the evening", were trying to work the convention and asked them if they'd
like to have a good time. When they gave the price, the collector friend
exclaimed "I could buy a two-reeler for that!!"
--Christopher Jacobs
http://www.fargoweb.com/hpr/film.html (this week: MAGNOLIA)
http://www.und.edu/instruct/cjacobs/DWGriffith.html (Griffith vs. DGA
illustrated article)
ChaneyFan
collector friend and some, shall we say, "ladies of the evening", were trying
to work the convention and asked them if they'd like to have a good time. When
they gave the price, the collector friend exclaimed "I could buy a two-reeler
for that!!"
I was there not only for Herb's telling of the story but for the actual
incident. In the early 1980's at the Columbus Cinevent, a few women of a
certain profession heard that there was a convention in town that would attract
500 people, about 480 of them men. They went down to the Rodeway Inn (or
whatever hotel we were in at the time...Steve Haynes may be able to help with
details) and camped in the bar where they solicited anyone with a Y-chromosome
who walked by. I never actually heard the incident Herb mentioned, but the
story was that when one offered some collector "A good time for $40," the man
replied, "$40?? That's a 2-reeler!" When Herb told the story the next year,
someone came up to him afterwards and said, "I don't believe it Herb. Where
can you get a 2-reeler for $40?"
The ladies packed up and left after a night or two of no action. Herb
circulated the story that Mike S. felt sorry for them and offered one of them
Chapter 6 of DON WINSLOW OF THE NAVY, but I doubt the veracity of that only
because I know how much Michael enjoys that serial.
David Lynn
Resource," for the New York Times: NYT Archives--Arts/Cultural Desk,
1-15-2000.
pre...@my-deja.com
a
> convention with a film collector friend and some, shall we say,
"ladies of
> the evening", were trying to work the convention and asked them if
they'd
> like to have a good time. When they gave the price, the collector
friend
> exclaimed "I could buy a two-reeler for that!!"
>
He told a wonderful variation of that at the 1982 Cinecon Banquet in
Davenport. He was recalling the time in Columbus where the hookers had
started at $50, and the price kept dropping as the evening went on and
there were no takers, "until finally, out of pity, Mike Schlesinger
offered one of them Chapter 5 of 'Don Winslow of the Navy!'" One of the
proudest moments of my life.
Mike S.
(and truth to tell, it was Chapter 2 of "The Black Coin")
pre...@my-deja.com
chan...@aol.com (ChaneyFan) wrote:
> >>>it was something to the effect of he was at a convention with a
film
> collector friend and some, shall we say, "ladies of the evening", were
trying
> to work the convention and asked them if they'd like to have a good
time. When
> they gave the price, the collector friend exclaimed "I could buy a
two-reeler for that!!"
>
actual
> incident. In the early 1980's at the Columbus Cinevent, a few women
of a
> certain profession heard that there was a convention in town that
would attract
> 500 people, about 480 of them men. They went down to the Rodeway Inn
(or
> whatever hotel we were in at the time...Steve Haynes may be able to
help with
> details) and camped in the bar where they solicited anyone with a
Y-chromosome
> who walked by. I never actually heard the incident Herb mentioned,
but the
> story was that when one offered some collector "A good time for $40,"
the man
> replied, "$40?? That's a 2-reeler!" When Herb told the story the
next year,
> someone came up to him afterwards and said, "I don't believe it Herb.
Where can you get a 2-reeler for $40?"
>
> The ladies packed up and left after a night or two of no action. Herb
of them
> Chapter 6 of DON WINSLOW OF THE NAVY, but I doubt the veracity of that
only because I know how much Michael enjoys that serial.
All too true, except for the last part: I've never actually seen it! :-)
Mike S.
You don't need to prostitute yourself to enjoy "Stix Nix Schtick Pix!"
http://www.mdle.com/ClassicFilms/PhotoGalleryZ/
ChaneyFan
Davenport. He was recalling the time in Columbus where the hookers had
started at $50, and the price kept dropping as the evening went on and
there were no takers, "until finally, out of pity, Mike Schlesinger
offered one of them Chapter 5 of 'Don Winslow of the Navy!'" One of the
proudest moments of my life.
That was the same story I heard...I just got some of the details twisted over
the past 18 years. (I could have sworn it was Chapter 6!)
Herb had a wonderful way of stretching truth beyond the breaking point. I
remember one story he told that went something like this, "____<name of
prominent David Letterman writer deleted>___ is such a lucky guy. He was once
at a western convention standing next to some guy in the dealer's room who
stood up and said, 'Hey, anyone collect non-western pictures. I've got an
original of MODERN TIMES here for $25."
I said, "Wait a minute Herb! I was standing there too. It wasn't a western
con, it was Cinevent. And it wasn't $25, it was $125." Herb replied, "Yeah, I
know. But it's a much better story the way I tell it."
pre...@my-deja.com
chan...@aol.com (ChaneyFan) wrote:
> >>>He told a wonderful variation of that at the 1982 Cinecon Banquet
in
> Davenport. He was recalling the time in Columbus where the hookers had
> started at $50, and the price kept dropping as the evening went on and
> there were no takers, "until finally, out of pity, Mike Schlesinger
> offered one of them Chapter 5 of 'Don Winslow of the Navy!'" One of
the proudest moments of my life.
>
> That was the same story I heard...I just got some of the details
twisted over the past 18 years. (I could have sworn it was Chapter 6!)
You know, it may well have been. My memory's also not what it once was.
> Herb had a wonderful way of stretching truth beyond the breaking
point. I
> remember one story he told that went something like this, "____<name
of
> prominent David Letterman writer deleted>___ is such a lucky guy. He
was once
> at a western convention standing next to some guy in the dealer's room
who
> stood up and said, 'Hey, anyone collect non-western pictures. I've
got an original of MODERN TIMES here for $25."
>
> I said, "Wait a minute Herb! I was standing there too. It wasn't a
western
> con, it was Cinevent. And it wasn't $25, it was $125." Herb replied,
"Yeah, I know. But it's a much better story the way I tell it."
And that same P.D.L.W. was in Columbus another year when some stranger
wandered in with an original print of CITY LIGHTS and he snatched that
up for $50!! Oh, the humanity...
Mike S.
"If your brains were dynamite, you couldn't blow your nose!"--Jack Webb
in THE D.I.