Mr. Beck was an extremely nice and accomodating person.Although I only met him that one time in person, as I said, we stayed in contact.
I did ask him about Warner Oland and he said that he
was a pleasure to work with.
As to his death, I remember calling him and they said at his apartment that he had been moved to a hospital
in Miami. I called and they would not give me any
particulars other than he was not doing too well.
Previous to that i had sent him a letter but it had never been answered; I finally did contact a lady who was looking after him and she said that his memory was
not very good at that point. I thought this was a little odd because up until just shortly before this, he seemed fine to me.
After he died I called the hospital to see if there was someone handling his estate. They said a friend had taken care of everything - so I didn't pursue it any more as they would not reveal his name.
When he was able, I wish I had talked to him more about the Chans, but I didn't want to be too insistent.
I have a nice handwritten and signed note from Mr. Beck framed with an original lobby card of Warner Oland, Steppin' Fetchit, and Thomas Beck from C.C. in
Egypt, which I cherish.
Would love to correspond more, as I have quite a few
original Chan posters and memorabilia.
Steve Crane
What a wonderful story! Thank you for sharing it with us, and I would be very interested in hearing any further tidbits regarding your friendship with Mr. Beck. I am certain that your correspondence was a treat to him in his last years.
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