Stars Peddle Autographs, Nostalgia

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Dick Van Dyke, Joan Collins and 80 other veteran stars are preparing to spend a weekend in an L.A. airport hotel selling their autographs.

They are the latest celebrities to feel the love – and bank the money – from fans at the Hollywood Show, a gathering of stars from yesteryear run by David Elkouby.

Drawing between 3,000 and 4,000 fans and 70 movie memorabilia vendors to the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, where shows are held over weekends every three months, the Hollywood Show is “a win-win for everybody,” said Elkouby, who also owns Hollywood memorabilia store Star World.

“The stars get all the admiration from fans who still love them, and some cash, too,” he said. “The fans get a personal interaction with celebrities they’ve watched for years and that’s an emotional thing. When we reunited ‘Starsky & Hutch’ at one show, grown men were crying.”

Elkouby, who has been running the show with his wife, Ester, for the last five years, operates similar shows in Las Vegas and Chicago. Attendees are charged $20 admission – on top of the fees paid for autographs.

“We make our money through selling tickets at the door, by renting booths to merchandise vendors and with an online store,” he said. “The celebrities make their money from selling their autographs – but mainly it’s about the love.”

The stars typically charge $20 to $30 for each autograph; Van Dyke charges $80. The next event, Jan. 23-25, will feature the original stars of “Lost in Space,” along with Eric Roberts, Angie Dickinson and others.

– Sandro Monetti

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