Famous Signatures and Such

Within my family collection are various inscribed photos of famous (friends) people, written to my mother, Colleen Conte. Featured in this post is a photo from actor Dennis Cole and a photo of a Houdini movie poster and two books about and written by Tony Curtis, signed to Colleen. Also, among the items I’m offering on Etsy and Ebay is the actor Cornel Wilde’s Turquoise Bolo. Colleen had this bolo custom made by the Zuni tribe many years ago for Cornel. He wore it often as it became his trademark tie. Another one of a kind item is a Richard Conte signature block that he had made many decades ago. You can find detailed information about these items and people on their individual pages on Etsy and Ebay. My seller’s name on Etsy is KStone4U and my name on Ebay is Kris4Sale. The joy of memorabilia.

Dennis Cole and Colleen Conte

Tony Curtis and Colleen Conte

Cornel Wilde’s Turquoise Bolo

Richard Conte’s Signature Block

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Tony Curtis

I met Tony Curtis at the Playboy mansion one day back in the 1980’s. I loved his characters in movies as I was growing up, so it was a thrill to meet him. He was also a friend of my mother, Colleen. For those who don’t know, Tony was a great painter artist and created a huge number of paintings. Also, he and his wife Jill Vandenberg did wonderful work on their ranch, the Shiloh Horse Rescue and Sanctuary, founded by Jill and her family. Tony’s artistic legacy lives on and the Shiloh Ranch continues to save lives. Thank you, good people.

Tony Curtis and Colleen Conte

Tony

Tony Curtis art

Tony Curtis and wife Jill Vandenberg

Tony Curtis and Colleen Conte

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Cornel Wilde, movie star, friend

Many years after my stepfather Richard Conte made his expansion (as I call it), another movie star entered my mother’s life, Mr. Cornel Wilde. Recently, I found two handwritten notes from Richard (Nicky) Conte to his wife Colleen (my mother) reminding her to be sure and get a certain movie poster to Cornel Wilde as a gift. Mom had always said that Richard knew his time was short and that he wanted her to hook up with Cornel. Cornel was a full package of talent – actor, writer, director, producer, soundtrack composer, fencing champion, artist, linguist, etc. I got to know Cornel pretty well. We all went to dinner and different events together. One event that stands out was the New Year’s Eve party at The Playboy Mansion. The theme of the party was lingerie, so most of the women and some of the men were dressed for bed time. It was quite a scene. Cornel and Colleen actually got married on a cruise ship in international waters, but then never had it officiated in the US, so she remained Mrs. Richard Conte. Years later, when Cornel made his expansion, at the time he was working on the sequel to his movie The Naked Prey from 1966. He gave me the script to read and was considering me as the soundtrack artist. I wrote a story based on his 1972 TV movie, Gargoyles before I met him. Cornel was a man of solid integrity and he sincerely loved my mother, Colleen. I sang an original song, Somebody Loves You at his funeral in 1989. Here’s to you my friend.

Cornel Wilde and Colleen Conte, photo by Kristopher Stone

Cornel Wilde and Colleen Conte at La Cage Aux Folles Restaurant in L.A. photo by Kristopher Stone

Cornel Wilde

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Richard Conte, famous actor

If you’re over 60, you probably remember the famous actor Richard Conte. He was my mother’s third husband and she is now his widow. His friends knew him as Nicky from his given name Peter Nicholas Conte. I knew him as my step-father when I was in high school and we still feel his presence in our lives. He performed in 66 movies and 25 TV shows. His last American movie before shooting 20 some films in Europe was The Godfather. He was considered for the lead role that Brando ended up playing and was cast in the character of Don Emilio Barzini, the rival mob boss that was out to take Brando’s character down. His legacy lives on in what is called “film noir” (vintage films – primarily stylish Hollywood crime dramas) as his new following and presence online expands.

Richard Conte and wife Colleen

Richard Conte and Vittorio De Sica

Peter Nicholas Conte (Richard Conte)

Peter Nicholas Conte (young Richard Conte)

Richard Conte Collage

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Kristopher Stone Performance

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