Jim's William Conrad Pipe.

[JimInks]

Here's the pics of the new-to-me pipe that was once owned by one of my favorite actors, William Conrad. Ever since I read about his Charatan collection in Richard Carleton Hacker's book back in 1988, I have coveted the idea of owning one of them. This is a Charatan Executive Extra Large Stretch Apple from the Lane era. If anybody is able to help me get an approximate date of the pipe, I sure would appreciate it.
Many grateful thanks to Sablebrush for this rare opportunity.

 

[JimInks]

 

[ashdigger]

That's super cool. He's definitely one of my favorite actors. I loved his style.

 

[weezell]

Great Score Jim!!!...

 

[JimInks]

I thought he was a better Matt Dillon than James Arness. Most episodes of the radio version of Gunsmoke exist and I have heard them all. He narrated The Fugitive, and my favorite cartoon, Rocky and Bullwinkle. Conrad was durn near everywhere on radio in the mid-40s until the end of radio series in 1962. I remember him smoking a pipe when he was on Hollywood Squares in the 1970s (sometimes, he smoked a cigar, too)

 

[pagan]

Very nice, love to heard the back story on that one

 

[theloniousmonkfish]

Nice Executive, good on you both.

 

[JimInks]

Pagan, I'm sure Sablebrush will join in soon to tell you how he got it.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

That is so cool! Congratulations and enjoy the heck out of it! :D I'd like to hear the story on how Sablebrush acquired that pipe too. For me, it would be one of Robert Jordan's pipes. I'm a big fan of his Wheel of Time series of books, and I hear his pipes were all sold off after he passed away.

 

[jkrug]

Very cool that you were able to acquire one of the pipes you've always hope to own.

This one seems like a rare opportunity for sure. Congratulations. ::

 

[sablebrush52]

Jim, glad you like the pipe! Enjoy it in the best of health!
One of my great joys in life is having Jim as a friend. Besides his deep knowledge of tobaccos, Jim is a living encyclopedia on baseball, American history, the history of comics, and old time radio. He doesn't toot his horn, but I'm aware of a few of the many kindnesses he has done for others.
So when, in the course of talking about William Conrad, Jim let slip that he had been wishing he had one of Conrad's pipes for 30 years, since he had read about Conrad's Charatan collection, I decided to give him one of the two Conrad pipes that I own. Seemed like the right thing to do.
As for the backstory, there's really not much to it. I was a regular customer of Gus' Smoke Shop in Sherman Oaks, one of the best tobacconists in LA. I walked into the shop one morning to find the counter covered with rows of Charatans. Naturally I was curious so I asked Jimmy about them. They had bought them from Conrad's estate and were going over them to evaluate the condition. Jimmy asked me if I was interested in buying any and I jumped at the chance. Hell, owning one of Conrad's pipes was too good an opportunity to pass up. So I bought two, and now JimInks has one of them.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

What a story, and well done, Sablebrush.

 

[dottiewarden]

Congratulations to the both of you. This type of gesture demonstrates the camaraderie enjoyed in this community.

 

[daveinlax]

I remember there was a collection of Mr.Conrad's pipes that floated around the hobby years ago. I believe Rich Lewis cut new $$tems on some of the "war clubs". P&T did a cover story on him that I really enjoyed. 8O

 

[JimInks]

Thank you very much for the kinds words, Jesse. You know the feeling is mutual. You gave me a very precious gift that I'll always treasure. And don't let the man fool you guys. Jesse's an expert on many subjects, and has also demonstrated great acts of generosity in and out of the pipe forums. I'm very lucky to have him as my friend, and we are lucky to have him in the pipe world.

 

[newbroom]

This is what makes this forum so enlightening and enjoyable.

Jesse's gift to Jim is as if he gave his brother a 'pipe kidney', although it was not a life threatening disorder that motivated it, but rather life affirming for both of them, and now for those of us who have read this thread.

Looks like a heckava pipe too!

 

[JimInks]

It's a great smoker in great shape, Newbroom. Conrad took care of his pipes as did Jesse. And now, I have a very special pipe for the rest of my life to enjoy.

 

[voorhees]

What a great gesture and with the connection to Conrad even better. I was only aware of Conrad from "Jack and The Fatman" and "Rocky and Bullwinkle" from my early years before his death.

 

[weezell]

You the MAN Sablebrush. Very nice thing to do for a guy I have a lot of respect for. Both of ya the salt of the earth and stand up guys. So rare any more...