Well, dear readers, it’s insanity says Vanity Fair – no, I’m not talking about Thoroughly Modern Millie, I’m talking about the circus that came to town yesterday, the circus known as Doyle’s and their auction of Stephen Sondheim’s personal items. I have to say and will say that the Doyle’s low to high estimates were very fair. Clearly, the Sondheim FANatics include some very wealthy types who don’t care how much money they’re spending. Some of the prices realized were so far from actual reality that it was breathtaking. There was not one single bargain or reasonable price in the entire four hundred plus items. I’ve been doing auctions for forty years and I’ve never really seen anything like what happened yesterday, although I’m told when Jackie Onassis’ auction happened, that was ever nuttier. I’ve been a bidder on many of the biggest celebrity auctions and there are always a few items one can grab for a hundred or two hundred bucks. Always. Not yesterday, yesterday was Sondheim FANaticism on steroids. Things that were worth maybe two or three hundred dollars went for five grand or ten grand. Yes, there were some rare and interesting items, but the prices realized were all from some Fantasyland that I don’t reside in. A Faberge gold box in the shape of a pool table, admittedly rare, went for a whopping 85K. Not JUST 85K mind you, but 85K PLUS a 20% buyer’s premium – it may have even been 23% as some auction houses have been doing recently. I sat and watched off and on for the day and my mouth was on the floor. Stuff you wouldn’t even give a second glance to if you saw it in a thrift shop went for thousands just because Steeeeve owned it. Someone, without any proof whatsoever, posited as fact that this was all to benefit various charities. Let me tell you something – if that were true it would have been trumpeted loud and clear in the Doyle’s catalog. But none of that matters – it was just fascinating to watch. In fact, I only got two hours of sleep last night – I was so wound up from the show I just could not fall asleep. So, I was at the auction when it began. I finally left here at 10:45 and deposited checks at the bank, went to CVS and got Claritin-D and Pepcid, then had my lunch meeting at Art’s Deli.
I had matzo ball soup and a toasted sesame bagel. The meeting went well, and after it I drove home. I took note of a store I’ve probably seen a zillion times but I’m not sure I’d ever been in there, called Aunt Teek’s, which is two doors up the street from the Antique Mall, another place I rarely venture into, even though they’re a four-block walk from here. So, I decided to go into Aunt Teek’s and look around. The owner seemed very nice and did warn me that his dog occasionally will bark at customers. That didn’t happen while I was there. There was a lot of art, which surprised me, and the first thing that caught my eye was a beautiful painting that looked right out of Charles Dickens – and how right I was – it was a production design painting from the 1974 TV movie of Great Expectations, by production designer Terence Marsh and signed by him. Price was 200 bucks, but it was in a ratty frame and was very dirty. I brought it up and the owner said amusingly, “What exorbitant price do I have on it?” I said it wasn’t that exorbitant but I would have to probably re-mat it and reframe it. I thought he might take twenty percent off, but he gave it to me for a hundred bucks. I was, needless to say, thrilled, and the fact is after cleaning it up it looks fine framed as is. Production design art never seems to go for very much money – don’t know why, since this piece is really detailed and beautiful. Terence Marsh was not chopped liver, either – a two-time Oscar winner who worked either as art director or production designer on little films like, oh, Dr. Zhivago (Oscar number one), Oliver (Oscar number two), A Man for All Seasons, Scrooge, The Hunt for Red October, Basic Instinct, Clear and Present Danger, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile – you know, stuff like that.
While this isn’t from films of that caliber – in fact, it’s from a not well thought of TV movie version of Great Expectations, but it’s still a thrill to have it. Aside from Marsh’s signature on the art itself, he’s signed it on the mat, “To Bobby” – it only took a minute to know that “Bobby” is producer Robert Fryer. What a bargain this was. I have to take it to my local framer and have them put wire on it so I can hang it – IF they charge me, it won’t be more than five or ten bucks for that. Here’s what it looks like, although no way around the glare, I’m afraid. This is EXT. SATIS HOUSE.
Then I came home, talked to my gal at the publisher, figured out how everything would work with the new Benjamin Kritzer file, and I sent that in. Shouldn’t take very long to get the test books and then we’ll make it available for anyone who’d like to have that book looking like an actual book, with some punctuation adjustments and identifying the right sci-fi TV show Benjamin appears on. Then I watched more of the auction before sitting on my couch like so much fish, at which point I fell asleep instantly. That was about forty-five minutes, then I plopped down on the bed and got another ninety minutes.
It was seven by then, so I made two hot dogs and those were merely okay. That was it for food. I had a telephonic conversation and then just zoned out until it was time to write these here notes.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, which won’t be much, I’ll eat something fun, I’ll go over to the local framers and have them put some wire on the back of the frame so I can hang it – if they are too busy, then I’ll go buy some wire, as I already have the little things to screw into the wood frame. Otherwise, I’ll just watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow, I may go see the upstairs show at the Group Rep, as Doug is in it, but mostly I’m relaxing right through the weekend, and also looking for the other young folks for our August show.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, do whatever needs doing, eat, get the wire put on the painting so I can hang it, and then I’ll just watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, astonished at the insanity of that Sondheim auction madness.