RobinWilliamsAutographed SaveCableCarsBenefit JeffersonStarshipSanFrancisco 1981

Description

An original concert handbill autographed by Robin Williams for the almost famous Save The Cable Cars benefit held at the Grand Ballroom in the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco on September 26th, 1981 featuring Jefferson Starship, Robin Williams, Howard Hesseman and Little Roger and The Goosebumps.
Autograph is entirely consistent with other examples and is more legible than many, especially the later career examples and this autographed item has much much more real, tangible context/content than many or most other examples 've reviewed and is early in his career just after the wild success of Mork & Mindy television show.   Although not obtained in person, I believe this is completely authentic and very likely is the only signed handbill from this event.
In
excellent condition for its age with maybe some light general wear/handling -- any shadow lower/middle right in pics is just camera lens shadow and not on poster --- please see pictures for condition and ask questions in advance if helpful.
Great history and pic in SF Chronicle story by
Peter Hartlaub
: "
When Mick Jagger joined Dianne Feinstein to save SF's cable cars"
www.sfchronicle.com/oursf/article/All-Down-the-Line-When-Mick-Jagger-pitched-in-to-13180639.php
Excellent recollection of event in article
"
BAM Remembers Robin Williams"
September 15, 2017
by
Kenny Wardell
"
It was 1978 and the alien Mork had just landed in American living rooms. There was a genuine buzz right from the beginning. This Robin Williams guy was something completely different, and whether you liked him or not, you had to watch him on the Mork and Mindy TV show. But we in the San Francisco Bay Area knew that the guy playing Mork actually lived, in real life, among us. In the mid-1970s, there were regular sightings of the soon-to-be alien at the many comedy clubs that sprang up to support the comedy explosion that had taken over San Francisco and the Bay Area.  Comedy was the new San Francisco Sound back then, and Robin Williams was really stirring things up!
He seemed to be everywhere. You’d see Robin riding his bike across the Golden Gate Bridge. He’d be in the lobby of the Miyako Hotel talking to people while waiting for his deep tissue Japanese massage. I first met Robin at the Bay Area Music Awards (fondly known as “the Bammies”) at the San Francisco Civic Auditorium (now the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium). He was real mellow as he walked through the large crowd in the hospitality room. Photographer Pat Johnson, who was the Bammies’ official photographer for many years, said simply, “Robin was a major star, but he was just one of us.” The last time I saw Robin around town was last year at the annual Sausalito Art & Music Festival. I spotted him and his wife Susan strolling around the grounds and told my wife that we shouldn’t bother them. Just then, Robin spotted us and came over to say, “Hey, I know you.”
I have had the distinct pleasure of witnessing Robin Williams in performance many times. One of the first occasions was at a “Save the Cable Cars” benefit in 1981, where he opened for Jefferson Starship at the Grand Ballroom of the Fairmont Hotel. Rick Swig (grandson of Ben Swig, the Fairmont’s owner at the time) recalled, “Robin was like a precocious leprechaun. He was a presence from the time of the sound checks and throughout the show, which featured the Jefferson Starship. It was probably the first time that anyone ever heard the word ‘penis’ uttered from any public stage at the Fairmont Hotel, but we raised a lot of money for the cable cars, and it was truly an ‘only in San Francisco’ community event.” For me, the most fun seeing Robin was always at Comedy Day in Golden Gate Park. He had a lot to do with the comedy renaissance in San Francisco, and I had the great luck of being able to photograph Robin at Comedy Day on four occasions.
BAMmagazine.com was at Comedy Day this past Sunday (Sept. 14), and we captured the remembrances of many of the people who knew Robin Williams best. We’re putting together a BAM TV feature of these recollections, and it will be available soon, exclusively at BAMmagazine.com. Click on this trailer for a sample of what is coming when “BAM Remembers Robin Williams.
”"