Poor alert regular Paul has some stuff to show off, and he wanted to seize the moment of our recent discussion of episode 604- ZOMBIE NIGHTMARE to let you know about them. Unfortunately he had problems trying to post here…

So we’re going to go a different direction and turn it into a “brushes with greatness” (or semi-greatness) thread. Here’s Paul:

I, Paul DerHagopian, like a number of MSTies, have obtained autographs from the show’s cast and writers, but I’ve also gotten autographs from people involved in the movies featured on the show.

I got my MST3k Amazing Colossal Episode Guide book signed back at Gateway Con 2000 in St. Louis, by Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, Mary Jo Pehl, and Bill Corbett (Corbett wrote “subbing for Trace” as he joined the show after the book was written). I’ve also got an MST3k Sci-Fi Channel poster signed by Nelson, Murphy, Corbett, Pehl, and Patrick Brantseg sold by the MST3k Info Club after the series ended. Back in 2010, I purchased the Volume XVI DVD with Tom Servo figurine signed by Kevin Murphy and the XIX DVD with Gypsy figurine signed by Jim Mallon. I’ve also got The Crawling Eye episode mini poster signed by Joel Hodgson that was included when I pre-ordered the XVII DVD from Newbury Comics.

I’ve also paid to have Tia Carrere and Adam West from Zombie Nightmare to sign my MST3k Volume XV DVD containing that episode, as well as the min poster. You can see my video encounters with them on YouTube. I got Tia Carrere to lampoon her “This is a big garage” dialog line by writing “This is a big DVD set!” on my copy, while Adam West just personalized it to me. Carrere also gave me a free complementary music CD of hers, too.
Tia Carrere, Adam West.
I’ve also met Alan Oppenheimer, who played Dr. Hale in “Riding With Death.” I brought the official, commercial release of the uncut version of that work on VHS for him to sign. I brought and 8×10 screen capture of him from the episode when I approached his table, surprising him, as he claims he’s never heard of MST3k and was unaware he was on the show, having completely forgotten about his appearance on the Gemini Man TV series from which Riding With Death was compiled from.
Here’s my footage with Alan Oppenheimer. Two words…patent papers.
I also paid Fred “The Hammer” Williamson for a photo op and to have him sign my Warrior of the Lost World episode mini postern from the XVI DVD set. I got him to lampoon his dialog from that film that he delivers to Robert Ginty “You’ve been chosen…like King Arthur”.
I got him to write: “You have been chosen to receive this.” — Fred “The Hammer” Williamson
I’ve also met Herschell Gordon Lewis, the producer of Monster a Go-Go. I first met him back in 2010, where he signed my MST3k Volume 8 DVD, writing: “The most monstrous aspect is the plot. You won’t find my name on this. Once you see the movie, you’ll know why”–Herschell Gordon Lewis
This year at Florida SuperCon, I brought the 2010 special edition DVD of the uncut version of Monster a Go-Go for him to sign, as well as another copy of the MST3k Volume 8 DVD for him to sign for my friend. On that copy he wrote: “No monster, but the whole thing is monstrous!”–Herschell Gordon Lewis.
The footage of my 2nd encounter with Herschell Gordon Lewis, on being asked if people know him for producing Monster a Go-Go, widely considered one of the worst movies ever made: “No, not really, and I certainly hope they don’t put that on my tombstone when I die.”
You can see my photos here.
I also have an autographed copy of Bert I. Gordon’s book, that I purchased from his website on his 90th birthday, as well as a DVD copy of The Giant Spider Invasion signed by its director, Bill Rebane, purchased from his website. I’ve also got a signed photo from the cast of Cinematic Titanic purchased from their website. In addition, I’ve got a reproduction of a newspaper article that I wrote as a child writer at the age of 15 back in 1999 for The Miami Herald’s arts section when the show began its final season that Barb Tebben got signed for me by the cast and writers.
I even have a DVD copy of Kevin Murphy and Jim Mallon’s precursor work to MST3k, Blood Hook, signed by the president of that film’s distributor, Lloyd Kaufman of Troma Entertainment.

Wow, that is quite a collection.

I’ve have lots of celebrity encounters over the years, (I’ve talked on the phone with Weird Al, Tom Lehrer and George Lowe, the guy who did the voice of Space Ghost, among others). But here are two of my favorites.

I met Jack Gilford once–this was the late ’70s. He was starring in a summer stock version of “Damn Yankees.” He was in his dressing room during intermission. He was hot and sweaty. The friend who’d brought me back stage introduced me and I followed up by saying (I was part of a comedy group at the time) that I was a struggling comedian. For the first time, he seemed to suddenly became aware of me. Gilford looked at me, gave me that patented eye twinkle and said “Yeah, kid, so am I.” Of course the three or four hangers on in the room laughed robotically. “Very funny, Mr. Gilford…”

I also met James Doohan, toward the end of his life. He was at a scifi convention in St. Louis. He was thin and haggard but really enjoyed talking to fans. Some jackass pulled a fire alarm that night, and the poor guy had to walk down several flights of stairs and stand in his robe in the hot parking lot waiting with the rest of us to be let back in. People quickly rushed to find him something to sit on. I always wondered how many days that took off his life.

What’s your story?