There's a wonderful reward that one derives from operating a site like this. It's hearing from (a) old friends you haven't heard from in years and (b) people you always admired. I've had plenty in both categories but a biggie in the latter came the other day with a lovely e-mail from Peter and Alice Gowland. At various times earlier in my ongoing childhood, I wanted to be Rob Petrie, Stan Freberg, Bob Clampett, Al Feldstein and Peter Gowland. The last of these was not merely because Mr. Gowland got paid for taking pictures of beautiful women in little or no clothing (although that would have been quite sufficient) but because, of all the folks who did that, he actually seemed to do a lot more than just hire gorgeous women and light them correctly.
I appreciated the work of other glamour photographers but Gowland consistently worked a magic that others could only occasionally touch upon. You wanna see what I'm babbling about? Go to his site — it's, as you've probably guessed, www.petergowland.com — and browse a few of his galleries. Note how he (and his partner/spouse, Alice) always caught something about their subjects' faces that was strikingly human. Even the ladies with the most spectacular, undraped physiques were sexiest from the neck up. And while you're there, tear yourself away from the pages of bikini babes and look at the shots of Hollywood celebs and such. Isn't that the best picture of Alfred Hitchcock you ever saw?
Mr. Gowland was mentioned in an article I posted here about the store where I used to buy my comic books, Pico Drugs. It was near the corner of Pico and Overland in West L.A. and I was astounded one day to discover Gowland's studio right around the corner on Overland. (He has some pictures of that building on his site, on this page.) The mention seems to have drawn the Gowlands to this site, which is great…because they sent me a fan letter and I got to send them an even gushier fan letter and, boy, I think I've now "connected" with every one of my childhood heroes who lived into my alleged adulthood. Wheeee!
Another nice "connect" via website: My obit on Billy Barty caught the eye of some folks who are assembling an authorized biography. They asked if they could include my piece in the book and, yes, of course they can. I'll announce here when it's published and where you can snag a copy.