When did actors start making personal appearences (as we know them today) ?

[Mikey]

Was it the 70's specifically the Star Trek crowd ?

Would you count the 50's and 60's like when the cast of Bonanza would show up at a new grocery store opening ?

[EmergencyIan]

As an aside, I see that Shatner is charging $75 for an autograph (also for a picture, I think).

-Ian

[hedrap]

Mid-70's. More appearance tie-ins - parades, malls, etc...than cons. Trek does appear to be the heart of the con appearance. I wouldn't put it past Ackerman to have a hand in developing it, too.

SDCC didn't explode til the 90's, in regards to movie/TV. I don't recall many people outside comic life in the 80's. Then again, I wouldn't have cared backed then, if it wasn't something current like Predator, Robocop, etc... I just don't recall any promo work for them.

[Boy_Wonder_1978]

As an aside, I see that Shatner is charging $75 for an autograph (also for a picture, I think).

-Ian

'Crazy crazy' what some of them charge. The most I've paid is £120 (GBP) for Mark Hamill to sign an ESB poster. It grieved me to pay it, BUT it was the only way I was going to get his signature on there.

[EmergencyIan]

^ Wow, that's pricey!

- Ian

[Hedji]

They used to ALL be free. Now, it isn't enough that the fans supported them and idolize them. And it's not enough that the convention pays them an appearance fee.

I needed Walter Koenig's signature, and had the opportunity last weekend at Niagara Falls Comic Con... and I just decided that $60 for Chekov's autograph was ridiculous. He clearly outpriced himself, because he had no line, and promptly fell asleep, and his handler put a jacket over him like a blanket. His photographs weren't great either, so I decided my life will just have to go on without Walter Koenig's autograph.

[cjefferys]

Yeah, I remember the days when they were free, so I have a really hard time paying for autographs. The only one I remember paying for is when George Romero was at Fan Expo nearly ten years ago and I paid to have him sign my original Dawn of the Dead script. Other than that, I've only paid when I bought someone's book and the price included them signing it (eg. autobiographies by Christopher Lee and Bruce Campbell), that I don't have a problem with.

[ScottA]

I used to go to Dixie Trek in Atlanta in the 80's and 90's and all the Trek people were there and autographs were free. I got Doohan and Sirtis. Also got Christopher Reeve, Burt Ward and Julie Newmar for free as well. Not to mention Van Williams.

Once they started to charge I stopped.

[Nostalgiabuff]

i think the prices are determined by the con and the money goes to the con. they paid to bring the actor there, paid their expenses etc and so they charge the crazy prices to recoup

[TrekStar]

I don't think I would pay for anyone's autograph either, television star or athletes, simply because they don't
need the money, and these people running the shows are just plain greedy. When I was a kid, I got both
West and Wards autograph both appearing at a car show for free, all there was was a cover charge to get in,
back in the 80's I got Chuck Norris autograph, because I bought his autobiography which the store he was appearing
at was selling, he autographed the book, he didn't charge extra for his signature. It's a sin these days what some
of these places charge for autographs and autographed memorabilia, although I might dish out the cash for Jessica Alba's
autograph if she signed while sitting on my lap.

[Brazoo]

i think the prices are determined by the con and the money goes to the con. they paid to bring the actor there, paid their expenses etc and so they charge the crazy prices to recoup

That's what I thought. I thought what usually happens (at least with the bigger stars) is that the con promoters negotiate an appearance price with the stars and the autograph or meet-and-greet costs go towards paying down that price. Maybe there's someone here who better understands the way this works to clarify.

I guess I get that fans don't like paying for autographs - nobody in their right mind likes paying extra for anything - but I wonder, if the con promoters are making money off of charging admission for fans to get the autographs, and fans can make money selling autographs or collectables that are autographed, why is it only wrong for the stars to make money off autographs?

From my perspective, and what I know of the history of this, fandom and collectors are the ones who seem responsible for monetizing autographs - not the stars.

[palitoy]

From my perspective, and what I know of the history of this, fandom and collectors are the ones who seem responsible for monetizing autographs - not the stars.

I think it started with the car/boat shows in the 1970s, the guest was provided by the show promoter to draw the crowds, meeting Boss Hogg or Batman was an incentive.


When I started doing cons in the 1980s, autographs were often free. Sometimes you were limited to one, Chiller Theatre brought in Ray Harryhausen for a signing once. Just line up and get 'er done, then he left.

With some of the guests, they'd sign anything for free but you could buy a photo for $10 from them. All of them were good sports, so I have a pile of autographs from people like Michael Berryman and Robert Clarke. I guess they made good money and told others.

The last time I saw one of these was a Trek convention I was working in Ottawa, James Doohan just said "Alright line up" and he signed like a machine, no chit chat, just "hurry up please, others are waiting". I went to a Trek Con again in '94 and there was just tables and price lists.

I watched it become more and more of a business at Chiller and other expos. Each year the guest list got larger and larger, transcending the genre to pop culture, even porn. Sometimes the people charging for photos hadn't a single screen credit, the "Scream Queen" phenom was never my favourite.

Now, I honestly think that the whole thing is at Ragnarok, it costs you $100 to get in and as much as $200 to get your photo or autograph with one actor. Why have dealers at these shows if you've gotten the attendees for $500 to $1,000 before they've set foot in the place?

[palitoy]

I wanted to add, about two-three years ago a new Comic Con opened up in Toronto. It was a huge bomb, nobody came.

The saddest thing was seeing how the "Your photo with the stars" guy had slashed the prices on Margot Kidder, she was $100, then a big slash and $75, then another slash and $49. I figured if I hung around all day, I'd get $20 to pose with her.

[JediJaida]

I once paid $10 for a photo for Nichelle Nichols to sign for my mother. That was it! She was very kind, and was perfectly willing to get writer's cramp from doing all of those autographs. I think I was in line for about an hour waiting for my turn, but it was worth it. The others that were waiting made jokes, and told silly stories, and Nichelle was just so upbeat about it all, even though she had to have been exhausted by it all.

THAT my friends, is a classy lady.

[Brazoo]

I think it started with the car/boat shows in the 1970s, the guest was provided by the show promoter to draw the crowds, meeting Boss Hogg or Batman was an incentive.


When I started doing cons in the 1980s, autographs were often free. Sometimes you were limited to one, Chiller Theatre brought in Ray Harryhausen for a signing once. Just line up and get 'er done, then he left.

With some of the guests, they'd sign anything for free but you could buy a photo for $10 from them. All of them were good sports, so I have a pile of autographs from people like Michael Berryman and Robert Clarke. I guess they made good money and told others.

The last time I saw one of these was a Trek convention I was working in Ottawa, James Doohan just said "Alright line up" and he signed like a machine, no chit chat, just "hurry up please, others are waiting". I went to a Trek Con again in '94 and there was just tables and price lists.

I watched it become more and more of a business at Chiller and other expos. Each year the guest list got larger and larger, transcending the genre to pop culture, even porn. Sometimes the people charging for photos hadn't a single screen credit, the "Scream Queen" phenom was never my favourite.

Now, I honestly think that the whole thing is at Ragnarok, it costs you $100 to get in and as much as $200 to get your photo or autograph with one actor. Why have dealers at these shows if you've gotten the attendees for $500 to $1,000 before they've set foot in the place?

Yeah, thanks. Obviously you have a way longer and deeper history with this, but this tracks with my experiences too. And I agree that the dealers (and smaller artists) trying to make a living are getting hit hard by this.

I just don't get when some people put the whole blame on the stars when it seems to me that simple supply and demand set mainly by the fans is the main culprit. Someone is paying the $200 bucks for a Shatman autograph (or porn star or whatever). Isn't that what sets the price for this madness?