Local movie collector shares classic memories with community

Presque Isle resident Gary Smith shows off two autographed photos of actresses Betsy Palmer (left) and Penny Edwards. Smith met Palmer at a Friends of Old-Time Radio convention in Newark, New Jersey, eight of which he attended from 1998 to 2012. (Melissa Lizotte)

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — When Gary Smith of Presque Isle was growing up in the 1950s, he enjoyed watching TV shows that many viewers and critics now consider “classics” such as “Life of Riley,” “I Love Lucy” and “Leave It To Beaver.”

But he never guessed that his love of old-time movies, TV and radio shows would lead to him becoming an avid collector of all three genres who has met many former actors of that era.

Smith now owns around 6,000 classic radio shows, 3,000 movies and 500 TV shows. In the early 1990s he began collecting radio shows while he was travelling as a field investigator for the Maine Department of Labor’s unemployment office. Tired of only listening to music while on the road, he went to a drug store one day and discovered a display of old-time radio programs on tape.

“I bought two episodes of ‘Life of Riley’ because I remembered the TV version and two episodes of a show called ‘Suspense,’” Smith said. “I kept collecting over the years and that’s how I found out about the group, Friends of Old-Time Radio, which held conventions in Newark, New Jersey, every year until 2012.”

From 1998 to 2012, Smith attended eight Friends of Old-Time Radio conventions and met many actors who performed in radio, TV and movies, including Betsy Palmer, of the game show, “I’ve Got a Secret,” and the original “Friday the 13th” movie; Will Hutchins, of the western “Sugarfoot;” and Jimmy Lydon, of NBC’s “The Aldrich Family.”

One of Smith’s most memorable experiences at a radio convention was meeting Joan Benny, the daughter of famous radio, TV and movie star Jack Benny. Smith has all 735 shows from Jack Benny’s radio program, which ran from 1932 to 1948 on NBC and from 1948 to 1955 on CBS. Smith also is a member of the International Jack Benny Fan Club. At a dedication of a Jack Benny statue in Benny’s hometown of Waukegan, Illinois, in 2002, he met the late showman’s grandchildren.

“I got to have dinner with them and they told me lots of stories about what Benny was like,” Smith said. “His daughter Joan wrote a biography of him called, ‘Sunday Nights at Seven,’ because that’s when his show aired. She was great to talk with.”

Smith also got to meet Jerry Mathers, who played Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver on “Leave It To Beaver” when the actor was in Bangor as a guest speaker for an American Diabetes Association event.

“I was living in Bangor then and my brother and I found out that Jerry was going to be eating at one of my favorite restaurants, Nicky’s Diner. So we went there and ended up having a nice chat with him,” said Smith, who also has autographed pictures of Mathers and many of the other actors he has met. “I was always impressed with how genuinely nice all these actors were and how happy they were to meet everyone.”

His love of classic movies, TV and radio has always gone hand-in-hand with Smith’s passion for cultural arts. A 1968 graduate of the University of Maine’s theater program, Smith taught communications at Cony High School in Augusta before working for the Maine Department of Labor. Throughout his career, he acted in and directed community productions in Augusta and Kennebec County.

In 2010, Smith moved to Presque Isle after he began dating his future wife, Danielle, whom he had met during visits to Aroostook County for his job as field investigator for the state unemployment office. He missed the movie theater and performance venues that are more common in southern Maine, but has found his niche as a film and TV teacher for the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Seniors Achieving Greater Education program. This spring, he will teach two classes: “Let’s Go to the Movies” and “Television: The Exciting Early Years.”

“It’s very rewarding to hear comments from people who have an interest in film and TV but never knew much about them before,” Smith said. “My main purpose is to bring them happiness. If I show a movie and they leave the room feeling good, then I’ve done my job.”

Susanne Sandusk, a fellow member of the SAGE board of directors member, said recently that she has nothing but praise for Smith’s “Let’s Go to the Movies” class.

“Gary’s knowledge about the films added so much to the class and he’s very enthusiastic,” Sandusky said. “We older people love to watch films that we saw when we were younger. They bring us back to a time that was much more simple and nostalgic.”

Smith noted that although he enjoys watching modern movies, his first love will always be the classic films that he says are full of wonderful comedy, drama and great storylines.

“I like all types of movies, but I think the newer films are too focused on seeing how many car chases you can fit in and how many times an actor can jump from one building to another. They’ve overdone the entertainment and forgotten about story,” Smith said.

Some of Smith’s favorite classic and modern actors include Cary Grant, James Stewart, Peter Sellers, Meryl Streep and Daniel Day Lewis. He admits that living in northern Maine does not always give him the chance to see the year’s Oscar-nominated films, though he did see Best Picture nominee, “Get Out,” after its DVD release.

“It wasn’t totally my cup of tea, but it was still good,” Smith said, about the Jordan Peele-directed horror film, nominated for four awards at the upcoming March 4 Oscars ceremony.

These days, Smith has his classic movies and TV shows on display in his living room while the radio shows are stored in numerous boxes in his basement, along with eight cases of modern movies. For him, the thrill of seeing movies and shows he loves never gets old.

“I think that if you can entertain people and involve them emotionally and intellectually, then there will always be stories to be told,” Smith said.