Signed replica golden gun on ebay

[Laura Allard]

An autographed replica of the golden gun has just been listed on ebay. The starting price is £2500. It was signed on the second day of the Celebration in Film event. There are photos of the gun as well as of Mr Lee. The link is:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...855734010&rd=1

I attended the event on the Saturday and wondered aftwards how many items would turn up on ebay. (I'm a bit of a cynic.) This is the first from the weekend signing that I have seen. I'm going to watch it just to see if it sells (and for what price).

Best wishes all

[Andrés Verdú]

Hi Lallard37 (and everyone),

I too had spotted the "Golden Gun" replica (modelled after Scaramanga's lethal firearm from the James Bond film) on ebay. I can't say that I am totally surprised to find that people are flogging their signed items from the "Celebration In Film" event.

I actually saw this item come up at the event on the Sunday (I was two or three places behind the owner). Mr Lee commented that the replica must have cost a "pretty penny," and I must admit it looked rather impressive to see up close. Mr Lee also added that he owned a replica exactly the same as this one, except for one detail: on the butt of his Golden Gun are inscribed two initials, a "C" on one side, and an "S" on the other. When he asked the owner if he knew what these initials stood for, the owner had to confess that he did not. Mr Lee then explained that the "C" stood for "Christopher," while the "S" was for "Scaramanga."

Stories of what happened to Mr Lee with the "Golden Gun" offscreen are just as curious as the plot of The Man with the Golden Gun. As Mr Lee recalls in Chapter 49 "Have Gun, Will Travel" of his autobiography, Lord of Misrule (I use italics to indicate that the following is a quotation):

I had a love/hate relationship with the Gun. I should say the Guns, because there were three. One, after much practice, you could take apart and reassemble. The next was like any other gun except for the pretence of being gold, and unable to function. The third functioned, but pitifully: it was capable of firing a cap, so you got a flash from the muzzle - sufficient, in the world of make-believe, to kill the Chinese Chairman Hai Phat. (A nice change for the delightful Chinese actor Richard Loo to play a Chinese, when he is usually cast as an insidious Japanese.)
Now the number-one Gun was 100 per cent gadget. An armourer's brainstorm. It consisted of a cigarette case, a lighter, a pen and a cufflink, all complete and workable away from the weapon. It was a cute invention, but taking them apart and putting them together again was exceedingly difficult, especially when I had to time it with what I was saying, and without looking at it. I'm not very good with my hands, except when holding a golf club or the hilt of a sword. I would drop one of the bits. Or not finish in time. Or it would get stuck. Props need to be kept in their place and this was a very important prop. The entire picture revolved about it. Now I foresaw glumly that the whole promo tour would also revolve about it.
I arrived to meet my colleagues in Los Angeles with the wretched thing in pieces in a box. Despite their innocent appearance I thought I'd better declare their true nature to customs, because customs people can be very mean if they sense that they're not being let into a secret. I opened by announcing myself as due to fly the flag on The Johnny Carson Show for a new film called The Man with the Golden Gun.
'Oh, yeah, I read about it.'
I said I wanted to make it absolutely clear, gentlemen, that I was that man, and I had the Gun with me, and furthermore it was not a real gun but a fake; it couldn't function.
'We better take a look at it.'
I said I would slowly open the box, and they could see it was all in pieces.
'We better see how these pieces add up.'
I explained the operation as painstakingly as a corporal introducing a firearm to recruits. I opened the cigarette case, flicked the lighter and demonstrated that the pen would write. I put them together and pulled the trigger, which was the cufflink, and pointed out that nothing happened.
For the same reason, I suppose, that it hooked the Johnny Carson team, they swarmed round it. They took it and wouldn't give it back. 'We've got to take a look at it. Then, maybe...' I protested that on The Johnny Carson Show they would expect me to show it. 'Sorry, got to take a look.' They wouldn't give it back, and who would argue? They have guns of their own.
Unarmed, and in single file, as Victor Borge would say, we went on The Johnny Carson Show, which was hosted that night by an acolyte called Joey Bishop. Everything that could be known about our film was set out in bite-sized portions on his cue-cards, to prompt his questions. He ignored them until I mentioned my reason for being there. 'Could we see the gun?' he asked.
'If you ask the US customs you'll find it in bond!' I retorted in a Pooterish way. Nobody got it.
He consulted his cards and suddenly said, 'It says here you can sing.' I wondered what that had to do with the film, but I let rip with some Iago, which drew a round of applause from the band, and a blank otherwise.
After this inauspicious beginning we left in the morning for San Francisco, arrived at noon and off at once to all the TV stations, local press, through lunch, after it, through the afternoon and back to the airport. We went from LA to San Francisco to Denver to Dallas to Atlanta...overnighting in every other city, and repeating the process every single day. In the lobby of the hotel in Dallas I was waylaid by a man with a suitcase, which was brimful of original posters of films I'd been in, and he had me sign every one of them, while the organizers of out tour fretted. But, never give short shrift to a fan, I felt. When he'd gone they scolded me. 'Do you realise what you've done?' 'Signed some posters,' I replied. 'They're originals,' they said. 'He can get five thousand dollars for a signed original.' I only wished I'd had the foresight to have saved a few for myself: it doesn't occur to you that a scruffy sheet of second-rate artwork will one day be worth more than the finest Turkish kilim.
In Dallas, the Gun caught up with me, and nearly precipitated my downfall. Carrying it openly and absent-mindedly down the street towards a TV studio, I heard a bellow: 'Drop it!' I spun round to find a cop aiming at me. Without a trace of the suave and condescending manner of Scaramanga, I shouted, 'It's not a real gun! I'm an actor! I'm appearing on television. I'll show it to you, show it to you!' He looked at it and I'll say this much for him that, having studied the gold plate, he could recognise a fake at close range, and let me proceed to examination from the next talk-show host.
In Fort Worth, same process, but we had lunch in the Petroleum Club where the billionaires eat. I wanted to meet the golfer Ben Hogan in his factory nearby. They said, 'Don't be ridiculous, you're promoting a film.' Next day in Atlanta we had a day for sleeping, but I asked for and got a car and chauffeur to take me to Augusta where, for the only time in my life, I played the Masters Course. (Not a demanding course off season - they make it much harder for the championships.) Next morning, Chicago, back to the process. Then New York, same process. Leaving my room in the Sherry Netherland, I faced Billy Wilder, coming out of his room. Seeing the Gun, he cried, 'You wouldn't shoot an elderly Jew?'

_________________________________________
Lee, Christopher, Lord of Misrule: The Autobiography of Christopher Lee, (London, England: Orion Books Ltd., 2003), pp. 235-7 inclusive.

And after all that rigmarole they didn't let Mr Lee keep "the wretched gun." Sorry about the long quote, but I thought people might be interested to know Mr Lee's account of the Golden Gun.

Just to add that I, like Lallard37, had wondered whether some of the items signed by Mr Lee at the event would end up being sold off. Although the replica together with Mr Lee's signature would make a splendid collector's item, I wonder whether anyone will actually put in a bid (do I hear £2,500 anyone?). Perhaps, as with the posters, Mr Lee might wish he'd "saved a few" for himself. ;)

To quote the great Vincent Price's tongue-in-cheek musing from that brilliantly funny film, The Comedy of Terrors (1964): "Is there no morality left in this world?" Seriously, though, good luck to eagle*eyes on his auction!!

Warmest regards to all,

poeraven :)

P.S.: I attach a pic of Mr Lee as Scaramanga with the Golden Gun, though I cannot remember which internet site I found it on, so I can only cite "the internet" as a source reference.

[Matt Gemmell]

Well everyone's free to do whatever they want with their own property but it's not what I would do .

I've been lucky enought to meet Mr Lee on quite a few occassions and have several items autographed both for myself and my son .
They are all personalised and I would NEVER dream of selling them .
They are cherished items which will remain with me as long as I live .
Money is'nt everything . After all , it is only money .

[Purple_Pen]

With this sort of thing in mind, I was quite surprised to see that for the 'Celebration in Film' weekend, there was a ruling in place that items for signing would not be personalised. I could understand a ruling that all autographs must be personalised, so that people cannot re-sell, and to discourage people who make money out of selling celebrity autographs. But I don't really understand why the ruling at the weekend was against personalisation.

[Matt Gemmell]

[. But I don't really understand why the ruling at the weekend was against personalisation.[/quote]
I was'nt at the event but I'm pretty sure it would be to save time . With an event this size personalisation can really slow down the proceedings especially when you have to spell out unusual names .

[Laura Allard]

Hi Purple Pen

It was explained at the event that there would be no personalisation in an attempt to speed up the augograph session. Since Mr Lee had agreed to sign 400 autographs each day, having to personlise each one would slow the process down, especially as each person having the item autographed would have to write their name on a piece of paper to ensure that Mr Lee spelt the name correctly.

Best wishes

[Purple_Pen]

Ah, right - I hadn't though of timing issues.

Thanks, both of you, for explaining.

[Stuart Ball]

Like Matt has said people are free to do whatever they want with their signed items but it does seem a bit mercenary doesn't it?

I met Mr Lee at the Making of a Legend event last year and it was an unforgettable experience. I have a number of things signed by Mr Lee and I could never part with them - their sentimental value is worth much more than a monetary sum.

[Laura Allard]

Hello everyone

Well, it got one bid and, judging by the username, the buyer is a Bond fan.

Best wishes all