Virginia Sale

Virginia Sale was a character actress who appeared in nearly a couple hundred movies and several tv shows from the late 1920s until she retired in the 1970s. She was adept at playing both dramatic and comedic roles, but it's latter for which she is remembered by fans of old movies.

When I wrote to Miss Sale in 1981, she was a resident of the Motion Picture Country Home in Woodland Hills, California. I sent her this character pose, which she signed and returned within two weeks.

A Couple of 'Paul Newman' Anecdotes

In noting the recent passing of legendary film star Paul Newman, I thought I'd relate a couple of relevant anecdotes.

Sometime in the late 1970s (could have been earlier, I really don't remember), Paul Newman's chauffeur-driven limo got a flat tire while passing through here (Mount Vernon, NY) on the northbound Hutchinson River Parkway. The driver managed to get off the highway and to a service station to have the flat changed. While waiting, Newman went to a nearby deli and bought a 6-pack of beer. Someone in the store told him he "looked like Paul Newman", and he replied, "Yeah, I get that a lot". Then he returned to his car, and he and the driver drove back onto the highway to Connecticut. This was reported in the newspaper the next day after the deli clerk called the newspaper to tell them he thought he had Paul Newman as a customer. A few phone calls from the press to Newman's public relations office, confirmed that he was, indeed, in Mount Vernon the previous day.

Another story: In my early days with DHL (mid-1980s), for the first four years my delivery route was in Fairfield County, Connecticut. One of the cities I delivered was Westport (partially, not the entire city), and two or three times, I had letters addressed to Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. I believe their house/farm was on Coleytown Road. Neither was home when I delivered, or if they were, they didn't come to the door. Instead, their housekeeper accepted and signed for the letters. She had a bit of an attitude too, sort of like "I work for the Newmans, what do YOU want from them?". Perhaps she thought I was there to ask for an autograph?

During my active years of collecting autographs, I sent photos to Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, to their home in Westport, asking them to sign them. The photos were never returned. A few years later I read an article in which was mentioned Mr. Newman did not sign autographs. The article stated that he said he always signed for people in his early days of acting, but one time, when he was in a restaurant, he got up to go to the men's room, and while standing at the urinal, somebody approached him and asked for his autograph. At that point, he decided to turn down all such requests. Some autograph seekers are overanxious and ruin it for everybody!

Glenda Jackson

Glenda Jackson is a British stage and movie actress who has been acting since the 1950s. In addition to movies, she has appeared on many tv shows and made-for-tv movies.

I enjoyed her performances in 1973's "A Touch of Class" and 1977's "Nasty Habits".

In 1981, I wrote to her, at her residence in England, requesting a photo, and she replied within one month. She sent this letter as well as this post-card size photo.

Mel Blanc - 'Man of a Thousand Voices'

Mel Blanc was a comic actor who was very adept at creating voices for all types of characters, which he played on Jack Benny's radio show in the 1940s. He also had his own radio show for several years. But he is best known for the voices he created for various cartoon characters in Warner Brothers cartoons - Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester the Cat, Tweety Bird, Yosemite Sam - the list goes on and on.

In 1980 I wrote to Mr. Blanc and requested a photo, and he sent this one within two weeks. This is a great photo, showing him surrounded by some of the animated characters for which he provided voices. The inscription: "Eh - what's up Bill? 'Bugs Bunny & Gang' - Mel Blanc".

Here's Mr. Blanc in a well-known routine he did with Jack Benny.



And here he tells how he created the voices for the Warner Brothers cartoon characters.

David Tomlinson

David Tomlinson was an English actor who was in movies from the 1940s into the 1970s. He had many memorable appearances, but is best remembered for his role of 'George Banks' in the 1964 Disney movie "Mary Poppins". I also remember him in "The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu", the 1980 comedy starring Peter Sellers.

In 1980, I wrote to him, at his residence in England, and requested a photo. He sent this vintage post-card size photo within one month.

Ruth Donnelly

Ruth Donnelly was an actress on stage and in movies. She began her career as a teenager in about 1915, on Broadway. About the same time, she appeared in some movies. She continued to perform in plays and musicals until she went to Hollywood in the 1930s and played supporting roles in dozens of features until she retired in the 1960s.

In 1971, I read a newspaper interview which mentioned she was living in New York City. I looked up her number in the phone directory and called. She was very friendly and happy to be appreciated for her movies, especially by a person of my young age (at the time, I was 19). I asked for an autographed photo, and she sent this photo which I received within one week. The photo is a 'contemporary' portrait, as she did not have any photos from her earlier years.

Here is a vintage photo of how I remember her, as she appeared in movies of the 1930s and '40s.

Dennis Patrick

Dennis Patrick was a well-known and recognizable character actor whose career began in the early 1950s. While he appeared in several feature movies, he was more prolific in tv shows, and was seen on many dozens of shows right into the 1990s.

When I first saw him in a movie, it was as the wealthy businessman character 'Bill Compton', in 1972's "Joe", which starred Peter Boyle. The movie was very controversial at the time, but by today's societal standards, it wouldn't be so.

Mr. Patrick was a New York City resident in the 1970s, and his phone number was published in the Manhattan directory. I called him shortly after seeing "Joe", to tell him I appreciated his performance. He may have been receiving crank calls about his role, because when he answered the phone and I asked, "Is this Dennis Patrick the actor?", he cautiously and slowly replied "Y-e-e-e-s-s". When I explained why I was calling, he became at ease, and after a few minutes of light conversation, I asked for an autographed photo. He took down my name and address and in a few days, I received this photo in the mail. His brief inscription: "Thanks for asking".

In 2002, Mr. Patrick died tragically, in a house fire in Los Angeles, at the age of 84.