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AAP - Pitstop - _0LTN3_AW20140601-FC1.pdf May 13, 2014 16:38:29 AAP - Pitstop - _0LONM_AW20140601-080.pdf May 8, 2014 16:57:04 MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION SUBMITTED A former Hollywood writer whose penchant for FOR YOUR APPROVAL: everything from Spock’s ears to Carnac’s turban makes him the king of TV-MEMORABILIA COLLECTORS — and the keeper of television’s cultural flame. BY KEN WYSOCKY

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AAP - Pitstop - _0LONN_AW20140601-081.pdf May 8, 2014 16:57:09 Jeannie America’s largest collection of TV memorabilia — the “Fabergé eggs of After all, an authentic pair of Batman and Robin costumes in good good in costumes Robin and Batman of pair authentic an all, After Trek Order Honeymooners television’s sprawling legacy. sprawling television’s upside down in a quiet quest to immortalize Angeles Los turning doggedly years 25 last the spent who’s man a Comisar, James to and the sameprinciple applies in spades Substitute TV-show martinis, for props two is too many, and three aren’t enough. 82 Check. Bobby Ewing’s cowboy hat from Mathison in pit-bull-on-bad-guy’s-ankle mode. And as a result, he’s now just like like just ever-growing ensemble, this much is as as certain a verdict on cation. (Inside, the facilities are pitch black 23 hours a day because too condition now goes for nearly $1 million. Holy greenbacks, Batman! tracking the One-Armed Man on n o n a M d e m r A - e n O e h t g n i k c a r t the Conner living-room and sofas Huxtable families’ from the owner, curator and self-described doting parent of what’s arguably the the memorabilia rabbit hole whetherwas they’d trend as an upward and light-controlled warehouses in an undisclosed Southern California lo- ing rush hour.rushing relentlessisBut the man Dr. Kimble think Richard — is equally mum about the collection’s financial value. But you don’tyouBut value. collection’sthe aboutfinancial mum equally is memorable from it: Ralph Kramden’s bus-driver jacket from from jacket bus-driver Kramden’s Ralph it: from memorable much light wreaks havoc on fragile cloth and other materials.) Comisar investment.“I just wanted to save the genie bottle from popularculture,”American heas puts it. No doubt about it: Comisar dur- Drive Mulholland across day every cats of thousands herding have to be a genius to figure out it’s got to be a decent chunk of change. shirt from from shirt stands stands in boldly-gone-where-no-man-has-gone-before territory. sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.” beloved TV mementos. The last thing on his mind as he slid down down slid he as mind his on thing last The mementos. TV beloved “A weapon that Captain Kirk carried in just one episode of of episode one just in carried Kirk Captain that weapon “A You name the show, and it’s likely that Comisar owns something something owns Comisar that likely it’s and show, the name You While Comisar, 48, declines to specify the exact size of his his of size exact the specify to declines 48, Comisar, While But money is totally beside the point when it comes to Comisar’s Sure, Comisar could’ve chosen something easier as his calling, like TheCosby Show sold for $225,000,” says Comisar. “Even non-A-list sold“Even now pieces for Comisar. says $225,000,” : The thousands upon thousands of items fill two climate- and and climate-thousandsTheupon : two thousandsofitems fill ,” he says. he ,” A JUNE 2014 ? Yup. Maxwell Smart’s shoe phone from from phone shoe Smart’s Yup.? Maxwell and the emergency-room set from , respectively; Cosmo Kramer’s goofy lobster lobster goofy Kramer’s Cosmo respectively; , , goes on. And on. And on. And on. And on. , goes AAP - Pitstop- _0LRA9_AW20140601-082.pdf May 12,2014 15:20:47 The Fugitive one martini is OK, astutely noted that ThurberJames once merican humorist Dallas , or , ? Got it. Then there’s Then it. ? Got AA.COM/AMERICANWAY Homeland ER Get Smart I Dream of Dream I Roseanne . The list, list, The . ’s Carrie Law & & Law Star Star The The ?

James Comisar in his Jeannie’s bottle; Max- bottle; Jeannie’s The Flying Nun Turkey Dinner; Timmy Timmy Turkey Dinner; Alka Seltzer figurine Arnold’s menu board board menu Arnold’s Annette’s Griffith Show THIRD THIRD ROW TOP ROW, FROM Club crown ( chairs ( fabric Snuggle outfit; Survivor: Africa Gumby and Pokey Goober Pyle’s felt felt Pyle’s Goober ( figu- Raisins California ( Gilligan’s hat; Tattoo’s well Smart’s ice-cream ice-cream Smart’s well Captain bottle; worth’s OPPOSITE softener and stuffed Island M.D. Factor Rider photo studio with photo studio net; Island Fantasy rines; Wonder Woman’sWonder rines; phone ( phone preserver ( SECOND ROW turban; Kitchen Treat Kitchen turban; BOTTOM ROW Martin’s shirt ( shirt Martin’s ROW FOURTH Kirk’s tunic ( Ross’ Ross’ Deputy Barney Fife’s hat LEFT PREVIOUS SPREAD: iature KITT Car ( Car iature KITT bear; the Bunkers’ the Bunkers’ bear; The Andy Griffith Show Happy Days Happy boots; Dr. Doug Dr. Marcus Welby, Dr. Marcus ’s supplies; Speedy Speedy ’s supplies; ); S.S. Minnow life life Minnow S.S. ); ER : ); a Mrs. );Butter- a Mrs. vomit bucket; bucket; vomit the Bat Phone; The Andy Andy The Get Smart Get ID and supplies; supplies; and ID Mickey Mouse Gilligan’s Gilligan’s : ); Carnac’s Carnac’s );

Star Trek ); a jeep :

Lassie ’s coro- ’s flag; flag; Fear Fear : Knight Knight : : amin-

) ); ); ) ) ); “Stay Tuned — More to Come.” Talk about about Talk Come.” to More — Tuned “Stay Locke,the show’s longtime illustrator and when the aspiring writer and JohnnyCar- and writer aspiring whenthe graphic artist. (Back then, shows used bum- the world of TV ephemera in 1989. That’s That’s 1989. in ephemera TV of world the a portent.) a portent.) per cards to segue into and out of commercial son $212paid for bumperfanatic cards two from breaks; they typically said something like, like, something said typically they breaks; A The Tonight Show TV legends like Norman Norman like legends TV Comisar officially entered entered officially Comisar Lear and Fred Silverman, Silverman, Fred and Lear former , hand-painted by Don

writer

for

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PREVIOUS SPREAD: THE COMISAR COLLECTION INC.; ABOVE: FERGUS GREER But the journey really began in the late As an overweight, often-bullied kid who wore what were known 1960s and early 1970s, when an impression- back then as “husky-size” jeans, Comisar found comfort and solace able young Comisar regularly plunked his in front of the family’s black-and-white TV, with its quaint antenna tush down in front of a TV in his parents’ “ears” wrapped in aluminum foil for better reception. “No way I was West Los Angeles home, enraptured by going out for Little League,” Comisar says. “So I was very happy to e v e r y t h i n g f r o m Batman to H.R. Pufnstuf. sit on our cold linoleum floor and hang out with Captain Kirk and At the time, TV already had a bad name. Batman, with my grape soda and a bag of Funyuns. My young little Newton N. Minow, a former chairman of mind became very aware of what characters wore and said. I loved the Federal Communications Commission, comedies — and being funny helped me survive in school, because I called TV “a vast wasteland … a procession of could make bullies laugh.” game shows, formula comedies about totally looms large over Comisar’s quest. As a youth, he unbelievable families, blood and thunder, lived for the nights his mother would let him stay up to watch the mayhem, violence, sadism, murder … and legendary entertainer’s opening monologue. Thus inspired, Comisar most of all, boredom.” And that was in 1961. says that at age 15, he knew he would become a comedy writer. He did

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AAP - Pitstop - _0LONP_AW20140601-083.pdf May 8, 2014 16:57:12 James Comisar holds holds Comisar James ABOVE: 84 an original Shatner and Leonard Leonard and Shatner Nimoy of issue featuring William TELEVISION

Star Trek TV Guide “A weapon that Captain thousands of dollars.” of thousands Even non-A-list pieces Kirk carried in just one JUNE 2014 sold for sold now sell for hundreds of episodeof .

Carnac the Magnificent, Carson’s popular, long-running character. character. Carson’s long-running popular, Magnificent, the Carnac a to Carson planned in retire 1990s started 1992, versionComisar of For months, he peppered Carson’s office with letters, faxes and and faxes letters, with office Carson’s peppered he months, For a social-media campaign in an e life took a deliciously cosmic and Carsonic twist. Upon hearing that life,”Comisar says ofthe day he drivenwas toCarson’s home and received a from call Helen Sanders, Carson’s longtime She assistant. had momentous news: Impressed by Comisar’s passion and zeal, Car- phone to nocalls, Then, avail. months Comisar Carson retired, after son decided to give him the feathered and bejeweled worn byturban “Short of my daughter’s birth, it was the greatest moment of my of moment greatest the was it birth, daughter’s my of “Short $225,000 AAP - Pitstop- _0LRAD_AW20140601-084.pdf May 12,2014 15:20:51 Star Trek Star . AA.COM/AMERICANWAY

f ort to snag a New Dating Game Dating New first as a freelancer, writing writing freelancer, a as first jokes for Joan Rivers, then then Rivers, Joan for jokes cards purchase, Comisar’s Comisar’s purchase, cards for questions developing removedbumper-thefrom so right out of high school, school, high of out right so bachelorettes on bachelorettes In 1991, just a few years years few a just 1991, In Tonight Show Tonight memento. . The All-The Jeannie Times Galactica Bad I knew this was going was to Ibe mythis knew life’s work. If Baron Cohen’s trademark tracksuit, eyewear Kensington, England, where he scored Sacha He also discovered that the studios stored stored studios the that discovered also He Universal Studios’ giant rental departments, would literally end up on a shelf with other with shelf a onup end literally would where nondescript set pieces that could be be could that pieces set nondescript where wink, wink), all he’d have to do is write a write is do to have he’d all wink), wink, walk up and down those aisles and recognize virtual-dumpster diving via the Internet Internet the via diving virtual-dumpster over the crown to me and trusted that I had had I that trusted and me to crown overthe check for 10 times the weekly rental rate. rate. rental weekly the times 10 for check considered them clutter and garbage, but but garbage, and clutter them considered or Craigslist). His searches eventually went eventually searches or His Craigslist). the heart the and to the heart his conserve skills most turn to willing was Television of King the television late-night of king legendary the then tossing him a wad of Benjamins for good to run classified ads in the in ads classified run to they were old to me.” a storage problem than a studio asset,” he he asset,” studio a than problem storage a and cap from a rental piece wasn’t returned (nudge, nudge, all these objects. They resonated deep inside aroundL.A.,chasing down the resulting leads (life was harder before you could go go could you before harder was (life leads items like a Cylon robot from from robot Cylon a like items iconic artifact, I iconic knew what artifact, I was here to do.” more distinctive-looking and, as such, less- such, as and, distinctive-looking more measure. measure. minutes. “That was the point,turning where international in scope to recover items that studios The truck. a upwith merelypulling roofsand rats lurking about. Here he found rentable items on old soundstages with leaky brain.” ‘husky’ my handed him the turban, then chatted for 45 then chatted turban, the him handed members. The farthest journey? To South South To journey? farthest The members. crew and cast shows’ with overseas moved of more — regard low in held were pieces pittance. This was akin to taking taking to akin was This pittance. usedelsewhere were available for weeklya says. “Early on, I obtained a lot of things by lota of things obtained on,I “Early says. bric-a-brac and stu and bric-a-brac “If,say, the genie bottle from Jonesing for more, Comisar also used used also Comisar more, for Jonesing Better yet, Comisar quickly learned that if Living the collection dream requires requires dream collection the Living A ’s Jesse Pinkman to a meth house and and house meth a to Pinkman Jesse ’s and spent countless hours driving driving hours countless spent and survived the 1960s production, it it production, 1960s the survived and Lily Munster’s dress. “Those “Those dress. Munster’s Lily and Da Show tv Comisar couldn’t have asked writer gave him access to to access him gave writer for a better setup. Being a Being setup. better a for - memorabilia f ,” Comisar recalls. “I’d recalls. ,”Comisar . Los Angeles Angeles Los I Dream of Dream I Battlestar Battlestar Breaking Breaking

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DAMIAN DOVARGANES/CORBIS TELEVISION

endless time and energy. As Comisar puts it, “If you like to sleep in Wizard of Oz. Now wait a minute, you may or take weekends of, you need to find something else to preserve.” think; of Oz was a movie, not a television show, yes? Yup, released in 1939. omisar’s collection grew and grew. at first, it But people of a certain age — like the 48-year- filled a small apartment closet. Then a garage. Then a old Comisar — will recall that from 1959 to storage unit. Then 10 storage units. And like Breaking 1991, it was annually broadcast on TV and C Bad’s Walter White, he’d created a monster of sorts — became a cherished viewing tradition for mil- without the cash-flow benefits enjoyed by White’s alias, Heisenberg. In lions of families. Comisar won’t reveal the cos- addition, restoring relics isn’t cheap; when possible, Comisar hires the tume’s asking price. But given that Reynolds original costume designers (who happen to be some of Hollywood’s auctioned of Marilyn Monroe’s iconic “sub- leading costume experts) to mend their own work; other times he way grate” dress from Year Itch for a hires museum conservators to repair and maintain things such as whopping $4.6 million (she reportedly bought a Superman tunic or Bozo the Clown’s costume. “We ate plenty of it for just $200), it’s easy to imagine it’ll take mac-and-cheese dinners and missed family vacations along the way,” some serious coin — financial courage, so to Comisar says. “But it was a sacrifice we were willing to make to save speak — to take the Cowardly Lion costume a kind of history that no one else was attending to. of Comisar’s hands. “My wife, Amber, was very patient when I commandeered our only hall closet and filled it with early acquisitions, such as genie bottles here’s no doubt that or Steve McGarrett’s badge [from Hawaii Five-0],” many people feel TV is about he continues. “And when the time came to convert as valuable as a bitcoin. Just the garage into a storage area for the full-sized T look at the derisive terms The most spaceship from My Favorite Martian, she was on used over the years: Idiot box. Boob tube. painful sale? board — even if it meant we had to park the cars Opiate of the masses. Every one, blocks away.” But for every critic, millions of people like So where does America’s crusader for TV’s heri- Comisar fondly relate to television shows he states tage go from here? At this point, there’s certainly the same way they associate favorite songs without no turning back. If there’s a 12-step program for with certain life passages. For many folks, hesitation. addicted collectors, Comisar — who earns a liv- Friends was, well, a true friend — an emo- ing authenticating Hollywood artifacts — is be- tional touchstone that held a mirror up to “These are yond reproach. Which leaves him with a new goal their own lives. Even silly TV theme songs my kids,” — a final frontier for his memorabilia enterprise: stick in our collective cranium like gum on a 30,000-square-foot museum where Americans Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver’s PF Flyers. he asserts. can see what Comisar hath wrought. “The fact is that so much of our personal “I didn’t spend my adult life collecting these history — the sights and sounds of our child- things so they could sit in humidity- and light- hoods — is bundled up with these shows and controlled warehouses,” he says. “I want them on view so people their theme songs and characters,” Comisar can enjoy a reunion of sorts with our shared American experience. A says with evangelical zeal. “I can’t tell you place where people can journey through seven decades of our popular how many times I’m in airports and people culture. And it’s absolutely unacceptable that there’s no such museum ask what I do. And when I tell them, virtually dedicated to preserving TV’s tangible history.” every time it gets into a sort of storytelling, But just like trying to unravel the Gordian knot that was Lost or where people tell me their favorite show, or figuring out the puzzling, fade-to-black final scene of , explain why they preferred this endeavor is no slam dunk. On one hand, he believes that if he over I Dream of Jeannie. In a way, Cap- builds his Museum of Television, they will come. On the other hand, tain Kirk and Herman Munster and Keith he can’t help but recall noted actress Debbie Reynolds, who in 2010 Partridge were members of our families.” gave up her decades-old dream of establishing a motion-picture-and- No doubt that’s how it felt to that husky television museum to showcase her astonishing collection of costumes kid who found comfort by hanging out with and memorabilia. Instead, the heartbroken actress auctioned it all of. the characters he befriended on a small, The thought of his collection sufering a similar fate pains Comisar seven-channel television some 40 years ago. to no end. “The collection’s emotional value is way greater to me than “All I wanted to do was honor television the monetary value,” he says. “Parting with any piece truly sucks.” He history and own a tangible piece of my child- knows the feeling well, as he’s sold pieces periodically to make ends hood,” he says. meet or to generate cash to buy more. The most painful sale? Every One item at a time. Or two. Or three. one, he states without hesitation. “These are my kids,” he asserts. “How do you possibly decide to get rid of one over the other?” KEN WYSOCKY is a freelance writer and editor in Mil- waukee who’s still stuck in the first stage of grieving over Nonetheless, to drum up seed money for the museum, Comisar is Breaking Bad’s demise. He believes owning Walter White’s selling one of his prize pieces: the Cowardly Lion costume from The porkpie hat would help him move on.

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AAP - Pitstop - _0LRAF_AW20140601-086.pdf May 12, 2014 15:20:51