I made my annual pilgramage to Mount Dora for the annual booksale there. To the left is one of the sketches I drew of the community senter that always holds the book sale. I’ve been going to it for 23 years. I’ve missed only one entirely and that was last year due to a caricature gig.

While milling amongst the books I spotted someone amongst the fellow book lookers. It was Russ Wheeler. I had watched Russ Wheeler for years when he hosted Channel 9’s ‘Dialing for Dollars’. Channel 9 would play a flick and between Wheeler would spin the wheel and give away cash. This was back in the ’70s. I loved the old films Channel 9 would play. The Marx Brothers, Danny Kaye, MArtin and Lewis were just a few that I would stay up and watch late at night. Sometimes I would suddenly fall ill and have to stay home from school if Russ Wheeler had a Marx film on that morning.

It was my elementary school teacher, Nancy Ingle, a zillion trips to the Orlando Public Library and the old films that shaped me as a professional cartoonist.

Wheeler’s run eventually ended on ‘Dialing for Dollars’.  I had noticed over the years since, he got into acting in the ’80s and ’90s. He played a doctor in both ‘Cocoon’ and ‘Harry and Son’. He also did a series of films with Hulk Hogan and Chris Lemmon. Anyway, I walked up to him and made sure he was Russ Wheeler and then thanked him for his hosting. He responded that “it was nice playing a philanthropist with other people’s money”. It was really great meeting him.

I picked up lots of books at the sale. I found a few with some great artwork. Below is from a how-to-sew book and the other is from a french children’s book. A volunteer at the book sale noticed I was pisking up the book and let me know it had been her son’s. She had picked it up in France as a gift for him quite a few decades ago.