I’m doinga deep clean of my filing cabinet and am unearthing some things I have longsince forgotten. Among them was a copy of a chain letter that I received inJuly 1993 and actually copied and sent on to five friends.
I’mflipping through it and am utterly amazed at who preceded me dating back to May1992.
Theinstructions read: “This letter originated in the Netherlands and has beenpassed around the world at 20 times, bringing good luck to everyone who passedit on. The one who breaks the chain will have bad luck. DO NOT KEEP THISLETTER. Do not send money. You must make four additional copies and send it tofive of your friends whom you wish good luck. You must do this on your own,with no help form your secretary. You will see that something good happens toyou four days from now if the chain is not broken. This is not a joke. You willreceive good luck in four days.”
Thefirst letter included in my thread began with Richard S. Kolodny, who I believeis currently President of DriveMedical Gmbh & Co. He sent it on writing, “Maybe Steven Spielberg,Art Buchwald, et al. know something we don’t!” Clearly, this was making therounds of some high-profile people.
By thetime I received it, this thread of the chain had already included comicshistorians Bruce Hamilton and Tom Andrae and comics creators John Lustig, WilliamVan Horn, Bob Foster, Scott Shaw!, Stephen Bentley (Herb & Jamaal),Rick Kirkman (Baby Blues), Jerry Scott (Nancy), Bil Keane, BillAmend, and Barbara Dale.
Beforethem, it came from Hollywood including actress/writer Meg Kasdan, BarbaraBenedek (writer, The Big Chill), writer/producer Susan Harris, SallyField, Jane Fonda, speechwriter Pierre Salinger, director Mark Rydell, and Buffyproducer Sandy Gallin,
Andbefore them, there was socialite Bernice Korshak, clothing designer AdrienneVittadini, and Hollywood Reporter’s George Christy. There’s a gapbetween Christy, who sent his out on July 15, 1992 and the origin Kolodnyletter which went to Joel Bennett, Louis Esbin, Gregg Genn, Selwyn Herson, andCliff Schult – all people unfamiliar to me.
I sentmy five copies to then-Pocket Books editor Kevin Ryan, former DC colleague andlongtime friend Mike Flynn, Starlog’s Dave McDonnell. Writer/editor BillFawcett, and Mark Evanier. I wrote, “Okay, so maybe it’s hokey. And then again,maybe not. Whom am I to take a chance? So, if I need the luck this badly, thenI figure the rest of you do, too.” If any of them sent it on, I have no recollection.
Did Iget my good luck four days later? Nothing out of the ordinary that I recall.
#Tags: Barabara Dale, Barbara Benedek, Bil Keane, Bill Amend, Bill Fawcett, Bob Foster, Bruce Hamilton, David McDonnell, Jane Fonda, Jerry Scott, John Lustig, Mark Rydell, Markj Evanier, Meg Kasdan, Rick Kirkman, Sandy Gallin, Scott Shaw!, slider, Stephen Bentley, Susan Harris, Tom Andrae, William Van Horn
Wow.