The Care and Feeding of Celebrities
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| Title: | The Care and Feeding of Celebrities |
| Creator: | Dorothy C. Fontana |
| Date(s): | June 1974 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | focus on Star Trek: TOS |
| Topic: | |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Care and Feeding of Celebrities is a 1974 essay by Dorothy C. Fontana.
It was printed in Star-Borne #13.
At the top of the essay was this statement: "This topic was also discussed by Ms. Fontana at NYSTCON #3."
It should be noted that Fontana was herself, a celebrity and frequent con guest of honor.
While much of the advice is about celebrities at cons, that is not its entire focus.
It should also be noted that at the time this essay/open letter was written, celebrity guests of honor were present at cons for the cost of their expenses or (perhaps) a small fee. The rise of large payments to guests of honor had not yet quite occurred. This meant that celebrity guests went to cons because they found it fun and/or because it was in their financial best interests to promote the show, or their other projects.
Some Topics Discussed
- what constitutes being a good fan as opposed to a bad fan
- Star Trek TPTB are available and generous, and fans should be grateful
- celebrity guests are very popular
- "how [should] you, the fan, should treat celebrities who have donated their time, talent, and efforts to make your conventions successful and fun, or a miserable disaster that will sour them on fans forever."
- make sure your do a lot of advance research: "It is not polite to congratulate someone on a show they haven't done. Get your credits straight first."
- don't call them on the phone, especially long-distance, collect
- let them eat food at cons when they are hungry
- don't mail them stories or scripts, don't ask them to read your stuff
- no, Gene Roddenberry is not "cracking down" on fanzines, which is a "wild distortion of the truth... [Fanzines] are a labor of love, generally speaking."
- selling copies of scripts is illegal, only Lincoln Enterprises can make money doing that
- don't create and sell bootleg blooper films
- don't spread rumors like DeForest Kelley is retiring to take care of his dying wife: "his lively wife was and is superbly healthy"
- stop spreading rumors about what you see: "If a male guest is seen having breakfast with an attractive woman who is not his wife, it is not necessarily an indication of any scandal."
- "The next time you have a chance to meet a celebrity - - any celebrity -- try to follow these guide lines. You'll find you're a standout among fans in the eyes of the celebrity."
The Essay
One of the first things any fan should realize is that the actors, writer, executives, and others involved in STAR TREK have made themselves extraordinarily available to the fan public. Gene Roddenberry, Majel Barrett Roddenberry, James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig, David Gerrold, and I have attended some half dozen conventions in the past year at the request of STAR TREK devotees. Leonard Nimoy, Mark Lenard, Nichelle Nichols, Deforest Kelley, Barry Atwater, Celia Lovsky, and other actors. Harlan Ellison, Norman Spinrad, Theodore Sturgeon, Margaret Armen, Marc Daniels, Joe Pevney, Matt Jeffries, James Rugg, and Fred Phillips have attended at least one major convention to meet and speak to fans. Between us, we have signed thousands of autographs, answered thousands of questions (generally the same ones), addressed thousands of fans, and traveled thousands of miles to do so -- often at our own expense.
I have seen Gene and Majel Roddenberry, James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Mark Lenard, and Daivd Gerrold spend hours chatting and hobnobbing with fans in an informal atmosphere. I have seen James Doohan "fill in" gaps in convention programs by singing folk songs in several different languages. I have seen David Gerrold perform toast master duties at banquets and luncheons. I have watched David and Jim auction off art show and souvenir items for conventions. And I have seen almost all STAR TREK people judging art shows and costume calls, delivering speeches, and participating in panels at conventions for the fans. Not to mention the interviews for both regular press and fanzine writers or the speeches to college and high school and grade school classes.
Available? Very.
In addition, any number of times, Gene Roddenberry, David Gerrold, and I have either arranged for a convention to get film from a network or studio, have donated our personal copies of films for convention screening, and/or personally carried five or six films to conventions. Were it not for these efforts, the conventions in question might not have had enough films to satisfy fans. On several occasions, Gene Roddenberry was able to persuade the network involved to allow a special preview screening of film for a convention. Such previews included "GENESIS II", "QUESTOR", "STAR TREK ANIMATED", and of course the original STAR TREK pilot.
Cooperative? Very.
Now, the question arises as to how you, the fan, should treat celebrities who have donated their time, talent, and efforts to make your conventions successful and fun, or a miserable disaster that will sour them on fans forever.
Courtesy. This should be obvious, but some fans forget their manners when confronted with an actor, director, or writer. For instance, it is not polite to ask for an autograph -- and not have a pen or pencil ready. It is not polite to shove, push, or crowd around someone signing autographs. It becomes uncomfortable and dangerous for both celebrity and fans. It is not polite to congratulate someone on a show they haven't done. Get your credits straight first.
It is not polite to pop a flashcube in someone's face or shove a microphone at them and start asking questions -- especially when the celebrity is on his or her way from one place to another. Nor is it polite to monopolize a celebrity's time (whether at a convention, a play, or a private gathering) to present your own ideas or ask questions. There are other fans just as interested as you are.
Consideration - which, of course, goes hand in hand with courtesy. It is not considerate to call a celebrity's room or to disturb a celebrity guest in his or her room in any way. A hotel room is generally considered off limits -- the one place a guest can relax and have some quiet. (Believe it or not, conventions and the demands they make on a guest are extremely tiring. It is hard to be "on" all the time.) Beyond, this, it is not considerate to call a celebrity at home, even if the phone number is listed. It is intolerably rude and ignorant to place a long distance collect call to a celebrity. (This has happened.)
Legal liability. Because of the legalities involved in reading script or story material not submitted by a literary agent, fans should not (REPEAT, NOT) personally present or mail scripts, series ideas, stories, or other such material to producers, writers, or actors. Fans often fail to realize the legal complications this could entail for the celebrity. Because this problem of possible legal liability exists, fans must understand a celebrity is not being rude or uncaring if he says he cannot read fan submissions of this kind.
Rumors. This is one of the worst problems -- at conventions and in fan circles. I do not know where most of these rumors originate. I have never heard one that had a grain of truth. Most seem to come from someone's imagination, and they snowball and gain credence in the retelling. I have "heard" that Deforest Kelley's wife, Caroline, was "dying" and that De had "retired" to be with her. This was a distortion of the truth that was almost a slander. Not only was De not retiring, but his lively wife was and is superbly healthy.
I have "heard" that Gene Roddenberry was "cracking down" on all fanzines and none would be allowed to be published. This too was a wild distortion of the truth. No one has ever prohibited the publication of fanzines. These are understood to be primarily an amateur operation, generally with small circulations, and usually published without much profit --if any. They are a labor of love, generally speaking.
However, the illegal reproduction of STAR TREK scripts, the illegal dealing in bootleg films (such as the blooper reel) are frowned upon by Gene Roddenberry, Paramount Studios, and the guilds whose members receive royalties and residuals from the legal sale or running of such items. To be specific -- STAR TREK (LINCOLN) ENTERPRISES is licensed by Paramount to sell STAR TREK scipts. STAR TREK (LINCOLN) ENTERPRISES pays the writers a royalty on the sale of those scripts. If a dealer has a legitimate product, he need only apply to Paramount, pay a license fee if Paramount agrees to grant one, and he can operate legally. Anyone who does not do so runs the risk of legal action by Paramount.
To return to the subject of rumors, fans should realize false rumors can damage a person's reputation, hurt personal life, and generally cause great harm. Further, what you see is not necessarily the same as what you assume. For example, if a male guest is seen having breakfast with an attractive woman who is not his wife, it is not necessarily an indication of any scandal. If someone is "sneaking around" he does not have breakfast with the lady in a public place crawling with fans. He does not introduce the lady to fans who approach him. In other words, you cannot presume to judge without knowledge. Suppose the lady is the celebrity's agent (there are a number of them both in publishing and television-screen agencies), an interviewer, or a personal friend? The dangers in believing any rumor you hear are obvious. The best rule is not to believe anything you see or hear unless you personally hear the individual directly involved confirm it.
Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that celebrity guests are human beings. They can get tired, hungry, frustrated, and irritable. They appreciate courtesy and thoughtfulness. They require a certain amount of privacy and "time out" to recharge their batteries, especially at conventions where fan demands are heavy. They prefer a friendly hello and smile to being stared at. They are fallible. It is possible, in fact probable, they do not remember details of STAR TREK episodes. Fans should not be aghast at this, but they should remember it has been five years since STAR TREK went off the air as a live series. All the STAR TREK people have done a great deal of work on other TV shows, movies, books, plays, etc. Few of us have studied STAR TREK as dedicated fans have. Don't be disappointed if a celebrity guest doesn't remember minute details of a show done five to eight years ago. When you do ask questions, remember celebrities like to know you're interested in what they're doing now, not only in what they did on STAR TREK. Actors, writers, directors, and technical artists prides themselves on the versatility of their talent and would be pleased to tell you about new projects.
The next time you have a chance to meet a celebrity - - any celebrity -- try to follow these guide lines. You'll find you're a standout among fans in the eyes of the celebrity.