The Great Expectations Charity Auction Costume Conflict

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The charity auction at the Beauty and the Beast (TV) convention Great Expectations was one of highs and lows, great excitement and surprise, disappointment, and strife.

Some Context

Auctions at fan-run cons are an expected and popular activity.

Some are art auctions where fanart is sold and the proceeds generally go to the fans who created the art.

Less common are charity auctions where items are sold and proceeds are donated to non-profits and other organizations that supply therapy dogs and help battered women. Two popular organizations were Greenpeace and the Pediatric AIDS; this latter non-profit was the recipient of "Great Expectations'" proceeds.

At "Great Expectations," there was a surprise donation, that of Vincent's famous costume. It was modeled by one of the guests of honor (Edward Albert who portrayed Elliot Burch). The fans, of course, went wild.

Edward Albert (Elliot Burch) modeling Vincent's costume at the charity auction -- photo by Ann Anderson, printed in Once Upon a Time... Is Now #49

Edward Albert (Elliot Burch) modeling Vincent's costume at the charity auction -- photo by Paula Vitaris, printed in Once Upon a Time... Is Now #48

This charity auction and Vincent's outfit, however, ended up not only raising a lot of money, but also causing much fannish strife.

Some Topics Discussed

• who "owns" fandom relics and memories
• who makes decisions for all of fandom

Fan Comments

1993

As Chair of the auction, I alone contacted Judy Evans regarding her possible assistance with the event, for the sole purpose of helping the Pediatric AIDS League. As she was very interested in our charitable focus, she volunteered to help by sending some of her design sketches and by discussing with Witt-Thomas the possibility of getting costumes. As the items arrived after all promotional materials had been mailed, I decided to keep the costumes as a surprise for use as an auction booster for the charity, should it need it. In order to keep the surprise, no one on staff was told I had the costumes. The staff learned about this added asset for the auction at the same time you all did on Saturday night! The staff were all as excited and delighted as you were, because we watched the crowd reaction and the faces on the Director and her assistant from the Pediatric AIDS League, we knew we had a means of really making a difference for the children!

However, by Sunday morning, we perceived the climate to be changing. Although there were two very positive proposals presented to us for "fandom" purchasing the costume, there appeared to be an underlying current of confusion and differences of opinion of which many of you were not aware! The staff became bombarded with everyone's opinions and solutions and not all were moving in the same direction, and rumors were reaching me as to who had donated the items and under what stipulations they were to be auctioned - all of which had no basis in fact whatsoever, as I was the only one who had discussed bringing the items to the con and I had discussed the background with no one!

Although in your own minds you all had love for "B&B' and the preservation of the costume in mind, outwardly and behind the scenes the discussion over "custody and possession" had turned the focus away from our charity to a point where the Director of the AIDS League approached me and begged me to send the costume back to Witt-Thomas. She said from a bystander's position that she and the children did not want money tainted in this way and she no longer saw love for the children in the raising of this money.

Well, my friends, this broke my heart because I saw the atmosphere we had worked so hard for being pulled apart. It was at this point that many staff and nonstaff banded together with a bid not only to promote the continuance of "B&B' but to mainly aid the children who needed us, as this was the reason Judy got the costume donated in the first place! We topped the opening cumulative bid through this pledge of love, a pledge assembled on the spot night along with everyone else's!

I initially announced the bid anonymously, as we perceived that it should not have mattered who was bidding, as underneath our hearts were all in the same place - to bring the room together in a unified manner to help Pediatric AIDS and exemplify the "loving nature of B&B fandom. The Heart of Texas Beauty and the Beast Network was at no time trying to keep the costume for its own use! Although we would have upheld our pledge, in our hearts we made the challenging bid in the hopes to raise the bid in a COMPLETELY joined effort! At no time was I or the staff saddened by the winning bid; as I stated from the stage as everyone cheered and locked arms, "Now that's the unity we were looking for and the love the Pediatric AIDS League wanted to see!' The staff even joined in by making donations to the purchase and were delighted to see camaraderie restored! I thought most attendees knew after the fact why I made the bid; but for those who didn't, I ask for your understanding as we did what we thought best under the circumstances for the good of the convention! Believe me, you and "B&B" always had our support just as we depended on yours!

[Eddie Albert] is a terrific showman, and one of the most gracious men I've ever had the privilege of meeting. The auction was marvelous.

[...]

He was a scream. While auctioning off something, the bid wasn't going high enough, so he autographed it. When he did, he got ink on his pants and said some- thing to the effect of: "Y'know, I ought to charge you more for that. Look at my pants." Whoever it was bidding said, "Well, if you'll cut out that piece for me, I'll give you an extra $50." He grabbed his pant leg and slung his leg up on the table. "Gimme the scissors!" Everybody howled. We yelled, "NO! No!' He dickered over that piece of pants like crazy...like, "Naw, you gotta pay more than that...these pants cost me more than that! Eventually, things got down to stripping for dollars. Every time the bid was too low, he tossed his leg up on that table and said, "Okay, what goes next?" He lost belt loops, cuffs... it was crazy!

Eventually, though, Edward quietly left the stage and left the auction to David Schwartz and Kim Clark, who were also pretty good. Later, though, about 1:00 AM they weren't nearly finished. They said they had a special surprise from Witt-Thomas that even they hadn't known about. About then, Edward came out on stage in Perlman's original costume from the pilot episode. (Not the hair, folks, just the clothes.) The crowd went wild! He postured and teased and played, but they stopped the bid and made everyone wait until the next day.

After things settled, Maxine and I went up and talked to him, and Max said, "Can I touch it?" He just grinned. "Sure!" So, we got to touch the leather. Really weird feeling. Never thought I'd find myself getting a thrill out of something that silly, but I did. I'll never watch that episode again without thinking about how that leather feels.

The next morning Sally Newman made a proposal that fandom buy the costume by everyone chipping in, with her, or someone keeping it in trust for everyone. Another similar counter offer was made (I believe by Bob Kerwin) with the objective of buying it for Perlman. David Schwartz had tried to reach Perlman to let him know about the costume's availability and he'd been unable to find him, so this was a very thoughtful offer as well. There were also several private bidders, I believe. For a short time, things started to get kind of touchy...even nasty. Terrylene saved the day. I'd just told Nan, "Fever' all over again." Terrylene got up on the stage and signed to everyone and reminded them of the episode "Fever and that the tunnel community had been willing to throw the treasure away to maintain their unity. Vincent had stopped them and reminded them not to let the greed beat them- that the treasure could do a lot of good. Just like the money made from the sale of that costume. Almost immediately, everyone reconciled. The costume was eventually sold to fandom at large to be kept in trust by Perlman for a price of $3,685.00 [Ed: plus sales tax that brought the total over $4,000!].

The entire episode made me think very seriously about our fandom. I know there were hurt feelings over that costume, and I'm sorry about that. But overall, I consider the outcome to be a triumph of what we believe in. As wonderful and exciting as the 'idea of the costume is, it is still only cloth and leather. It's not Vincent. Vincent we hold in our hearts. Along with the love we hold for one another. It is that

unity and love...that sense of family, that is important. And like the people we love in our series, it would have been better to have tossed the treasure in the abyss before we let it divide us. And better yet to cement the unity by helping someone else. Thank you, Terrylene, for reminding us of what Vincent would expect of us. In addition, consider this: Perlman gave us a gift when he gave us Vincent. Perhaps he didn't mean to: after all, he was doing what he does best. But nonetheless, the gift was given. Had he been there to bid on the costume, I'm sure he would have wanted it. The outcome was appropriate. [Ed: David Schwartz undertook to convey the costume to Ron Perlman to hold in trust for the fandom.)

And what can you say about Edward's contributions to this convention that will sufficiently describe how he made us all feel when he jumped into the auctioneer position with such flair, enthusiasm and style.

[...]

The man modeled Vincent's clothes, allowed a fan to take the shirt off his back, cut his pants in pieces to add to the bidding process, jumped around the stage with a sore back, joked, kidded and damn near promised anything to raise money for our charity. Pediatric AIDS League (PAL). Here, my friends, is the best slice of the pie - generous B&B fans raised about $15,000 for this worthy cause. According to Teri Johnson, there will be an official check presentation on Saturday, August 28th by the con committee to the Pediatric AIDS League. PAL hopes to purchase a van, with this donation, to transport children as needed for different services.

Hope the auction brought in lots of money. And the fact that that beautiful outfit that Vincent wore is going to stay in fandom is the best thing on earth!! Sorry, Eddie, but you just didn't fill out those pants the way Ron did. Bulk up, okay?

What will really live on in my memory, is what happened at the Charity Auction. And I thought I'd write so that those of you who were not there, will understand what possessed those of us who were.

Earliest estimates indicated that more that $11,000 was raised for Pediatric AIDS. And the highlight of the Charity Auction was, of course, Ron Perlman's costume, which alone brought $3,865. (One of my coworkers is a big Elvis fan, and makes yearly pilgrimages to Graceland. When I told him the Vincent costume went for almost $4,000, he looked stunned. "You know," he said, "Elvis' costumes only get $2,000!")

You've probably heard too that, rather than allowing the Auction to proceed in the normal way (i.e., a shark feeding frenzy), all the fans got together and made a bid/contribution en masse. But what I want everyone to understand is that all the fans I spoke with agreed; even had the fandom been outbid, all our collective money would still have gone to Pediatric AIDS. Nobody wanted it back. Win or lose, the charity would still win.

I want to tell you how we all came to do what we did. The Charity Auction began late, after the banquet Saturday night, with over 170 donated items. Edward Albert took turns as auctioneer with tunnel-extra K.C. Clark and David Schwartz; and while they were both delightful, Edward was better that a Broadway show — exhorting us to greater spending, never repeating his rapid-fire patter, offering to cut pieces off his clothing (and we made him do it, too, rowdy crowd that we are!)... There was no way to get through it all that night, though. Before stopping midway (at about one a.m.), one final surprise item was brought out - Vincent's costume! Edward Albert came out "modeling" it. (Swimming in it.)

A collective gasp went through the crowd. We had no idea Witt-Thomas had donated such a thing. The bidding opened at $600.00. Some people jumped in right away, of course. But for many of us, it was like seeing pieces of an old friend auctioned off. (Yes, I'm quite sure there are other costumes. But still.) And of course, most of us couldn't even pretend to be able to bid. Also, this con wasn't taking checks or credit cards — only cash and traveler's checks — and there was a fear that the s u i t would go for peanuts because no one had enough cash on them. It was agreed, then, to suspend the bidding at $750, and to adjourn until Sunday morning. (This would give everyone time to go out and raid the all-night teller machines!

Our Virginia group went back to our rooms feeling uneasy about the idea of anyone fan owning Vincent's clothes. And apparently that idea was widespread, because that night two different groups (Bob Kerwin's from Germany and Sally Newman's) simultaneously had the same idea, that instead of a handful of the more affluent fans bidding against each other, maybe a l l of us could contribute. It could, somehow, become something we could share. One group thought the costume should be sent to Ron Perlman for safekeeping, to be returned (or brought by him) to the con every year. The other group suggested that it become the first item in a "B&B" exhibit, to be passed (like the Olympic flame) each year to the next year's convention committees. (And that can still be an option, if Mr. Perlman decides against accepting this rather inconvenient responsibility).

For a moment I thought we were going to get bogged down in that disagreement... but no. Suddenly, hundreds of "B&B" fans were in agreement, and working together for the first time since the furor caused by 3rd season. Single bidders were still welcome, of course (the aim was still to raise as much money as possible for Pediatric AIDS) — but shouldn't four hundred people be able to raise more than any single individual? It was like watching a miracle happen — or like being part of one. I've never seen such a thing happen at an auction —and it couldn't have happened anywhere, but in this fandom. Everyone put away their competitiveness, and their acquisitiveness, and any hope they had of buying the costume for themselves. They crowded round the collective- contributions table, and they poured themselves out for something they couldn't even take home. It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. One "silent bidder" challenged us. We went up to $3,865 —and then it was ours. But it was a giving thing... not just a save-the-suit thing. And it wasn't a "gift to Ron Perlman" —it was a gift to fandom. And later, when it was realized we'd forgotten about the Texas state sales tax, Sally Newman said people just kept coming up and throwing money into the box.

David Schwartz then volunteered to carry the costume back to Ron, and explain it to him. (He also promised to videotape it, or take) pictures or something.) So far, though, the news is that he hasn't been able to carry out his mission because Ron's been out filming. But... even if somehow Mr. Perlman doesn't see the gift (or custodianship) of the costume as the marvelous tribute it is... it can't change what we did for Pediatric AIDS, and for each other, that morning. I was so proud of this fandom!

On the money raised selling Vincent's costume worn by Ron Perlman compared to what a costume worn by Elvis sold for. It just goes to show you what we are willing to pay to get into Ron/Vincent's pants. I can understand one person wanting to own such a treasure, but as a fan who would really have no place to put the costume, nor the money to buy it, all I could do is watch the bidding.

1994

Vincent's Togs:

As Beth Blighton revealed in her last Lionheart, THE COSTUME (the one fans bought at Great Expectations) was indeed duly presented to Ron Perlman this past spring by David Schwartz. It was modeled at the convention by Mike Maloney of the Carousels and Caverns Community (and very nice he looked in it, too). So the story of the Vincent costume has a happy ending, and it will surely show up at conventions to come.

See the following article for details.

The Costume Presented (excerpted and slightly adapted from Lionheart by permission)

Beth Blighton interviewed David Schwartz.

BB: When were you able to give Ron the costume?

DS: The presentation of this wonderful gift to Ron was made at my going away party. Friends of ours had an evening, a going away party for me because I was leaving Los Angeles. It was in the back room of some friends' restaurant, and part of the party was spent with Ron. He was on his way out of town to go to work, but he stopped by for an hour or so. And while he was there, I said, "Look, I'm going to pin you down now.... I've got this present that I have wanted to give to you for God knows how long...." Maybe nine months or whatever, and so that's when it [the presentation] was made, there at the party.

BB: And what was Ron's first reaction?

DS: He was truly amazed because, at first, he couldn't really understand what he was looking at. He was, "Where did you get it? Where did they [meaning the fans] get it?" And then, when I sort of whispered the amount of money that was raised by it, he was very flabbergasted and incredibly delighted that in the name of work that he did for Beauty and the Beast, such a charitable and giving experience could have come from it...that 300 or 350 people in a hotel ballroom on a Saturday night last July in Texas would do this.... I think "shocked" or "delighted" were certainly two of the adjectives that I would use to describe his reaction.

1995

Tales of the costume, and damage control, was still occurring in 1995.

From the Carousels & Caverns Community newsletter, The Mirror Pool #7:

A highlight of the 1993 convention in Texas was the $3400 bid at the

charity auction by the entire assemblage for a Vincent costume from the show. The fans then presented the costume to David Schwartz for him to present in turn to his friend, Ron Perlman.

Beth Blighton recently interviewed David Schwartz for an account of the presentation to Ron Perlman. David reported to Beth that the event took place in early 1994 on the occasion of a going-away party for David as he was moving from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. The party was at a restaurant, with many other friends present.

David related that Ron, upon being told how much money the costume raised, was “very flabbergasted and incredibly delighted that in the name of the work he did for Beauty and the Beast, such a charitable and giving experience could have come from it.”

David continued, “A lot of people were drinking wine and we were at this big table that my friends had set up. And when they saw [Ron holding the costume], they said, ‘What’s that?’ and ‘Is that...?’ and then they sort of understood what was going on... The commitment that fandom has, not only during the making of the show, but the subsequent 4 or 5 years after it...really sort of amazed a lot of people who weren’t really connected to the show.” “I know that Ron has it at home.

[He] has it in safekeeping, and I’m pretty sure it is hung in his closet. He has a very interesting closet of memorabilia.

David went on to say, “He was totally touched by the fact that money was raised to support such a unique and needed cause as Pediatric AIDS in Austin, for people who are certainly in greater need than he."