I didn't watch Pawn Stars very often but I enjoyed this dude the most. Its amazing how many people ask me about this show in my travels across our magnificent country.
RIP Richard "Old Man" Harrison of Pawn Stars
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Pawn Stars was an ongoing guilty pleasure of mine for several years. The shop staff were vivid characters, one and all, Richard Harrison strong among them. He was a crusty old arbiter of disputes and debates, and could size up an item brought in for pawn in about fifteen seconds, and knew how to look into an item if necessary. It was more textured and complex than Antiques Road Show, and more nuanced, in its way. The junior staff member, a plump guy who provided some comic relief, has run afoul of the law in recent years, I can't remember just how. I especially enjoyed the old vehicles people brought in, some quite enticing, others ready for the crusher. It was an enjoyable show with fascinating people. RIP Mr. Harrison.
I always got a kick out of that show, lame and corny as it could be. When none of them were trying to act, it was great fun to watch and occasionally very informative. RIP
sable', very astute. The different ones did lapse into acting now and then, but even that was an insight on who they thought they were supposed to be versus who they were, which often showed up too. When the crusty old guy tried to be benign, he succeeded only a little, which was perfect. It was like they were putting on the dog, a little, and revealing more about themselves. It was a sort of B movie that achieved more than it meant to.
While I enjoyed "The Old Man"'s crotchety persona on the show, the thing I always liked the most was his redemption story. Apparently he was one of those people that the discipline and structure of the military worked wonders for. He went from a teenage owl-hoot that stole a car to, as far as I know, a productive member of society and small business owner. Things could have went on a much different track for him, and that's nice to see once in a while.
I think I always liked it best when he & Rick would get at odds about some vehicle he thought Rick paid too much for or wanted for himself at the expense of the shop. Neither one of them was the type to back down even half an inch.
condor, that's the style. The gang at the pawn shop would have grinned. Or in the old guy's case, refrained from the grin he felt. Ref. Harrison's misspent youth, my uncle, driving from Florida to Chicago, came through country in the South where there were a number of chain gangs working. Always a keen observer and pithy talker, he intoned: "The chain gangs looked a lot smarter than the guards."
That’s too bad. I never understood why these guys ran a pawn shop but never knew the value of anything. Every episode I happened to watch they always had to “call in an expert” to value something. Perhaps it was just to make the episodes longer but it made no sense if these guys were supposed to be experts!
Well, there's the provenance aspect of it; these guys work in a pawn shop. They're not specialists with 30-40 years in every particular field.
It made sense that they'd call in an expert. If I stumbled across a Dunhill I wouldn't just go okay I'll buy it for $400 and hope to flip it for $600-$800 and make a profit off of it. I'd take pictures and send them to someone I know in the industry who is an expert of Dunhills who could tell me more precisely the value of it and what I could get in resale value for it.
I've only been in the store once, because my dad came to town and wanted to see it. The store itself is very small. I think they tend to do more car/boat sales to make up the majority of their profits.
One guy I went to fitter school with went to high school with Chumlee. He said Chum's expertise is more in vintage videogames and sneakers where he's VERY knowledgeable. I think they put him in the show more often for the Rolex or paintings etc. that he's not really interested in for those quirky duh moments to bring a comedic aspect to the show.
I'm sure the Old Man will be missed by many.
I've only been in the store once, because my dad came to town and wanted to see it. The store itself is very small. I think they tend to do more car/boat sales to make up the majority of their profits.
One guy I went to fitter school with went to high school with Chumlee. He said Chum's expertise is more in vintage videogames and sneakers where he's VERY knowledgeable. I think they put him in the show more often for the Rolex or paintings etc. that he's not really interested in for those quirky duh moments to bring a comedic aspect to the show.
I'm sure the Old Man will be missed by many.
I think the expert consultations made perfect sense since they were dealing in a grab-bag of different items. If you're looking at a Civil War pistol, or what looks like one, you'd better consult an expert or be one. What mystified me was how they kept all these experts on call. Maybe they got first pick on the items they evaluated? I can't believe they were on payroll with that small business. Just think of the variety, everything from Chinese vases (that's a world of differences, from cheap tourist nothings to million dollar items) to Native American relics, again a vast world of anthropology and art.
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