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Karl Malden, Stamp Collector

The Stamp Collecting Report, I'm Lloyd de Vries.

When Karl Malden died recently at the age of 97, you heard what a great actor he was.

On The Waterfront: "Listen, you know who the pistols are. You going to keep still 
until they cut you down, one by one?"
RUNS :06

What you probably DIDN'T hear was that he was a stamp collector, and a past member of 
the committee that advises the Postal Service on what stamps to issue.  Dave Failor is 
head of the U-S stamp program.

"He was just a great guy that was always engaged in the stamp program, took great pride 
in the fact that he helped contribute to the selection of postage stamps."
RUNS :09

Malden started collecting as a boy, saving the stamps on mail from his parents' families 
in Europe. He continued as an adult, you might say following his own advice.

American Express: "Don't leave home without them."
RUNS :02

As you might imagine, Malden was especially influential in the Legends of Hollywood 
Series, and Failor says it's no surprise so many of the subjects of those stamps had 
worked with Malden.

"He had such a broad range of talents and connections in Hollywood, serving as the 
president of the Motion Picture Academy...I mean, everybody just knew Karl. He was one 
of those Hollywood icons himself."
RUNS :11

It was also Malden's idea to honor the craftsmen BEHIND the scenes.

"He wanted to make sure that there were also postage stamps that recognized all those 
people behind the scenes that don't get the star treatment and the glory."
RUNS :08

That set was issued in Two Thousand Three, probably one of the last issues he worked 
on. Malden hadn't been an active member of the committee in recent years, but still 
kept an interest.

"Earlier this year we visited with him and showed him the stamp program and got his 
input."
RUNS :04

Failor calls Malden a great American success story.

"He was the child of immigrants, he grew up in the steel mills in Gary, Indiana, became 
one of these great American icons who everybody knows, and he did it as just a regular 
guy, just the common man."
:14

I'm Lloyd de Vries of The Virtual Stamp Club. For more on stamps and stamp collecting, 
visit virtual-stamp-club-dot-com.
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CBS Version

Download this report as an MP3 sound file.

Karl Malden, Stamp Collector

The Stamp Collecting Report, I'm Lloyd de Vries.

When Karl Malden died recently at the age of 97, you heard what a great actor he was.

On The Waterfront: "Listen, you know who the pistols are. You going to keep still until 
they cut you down, one by one?"
RUNS :06

What you probably DIDN'T hear was that he was a stamp collector, and a past member of 
the committee that advises the Postal Service on what stamps to issue.  As you might 
imagine, Malden was especially influential in the Legends of Hollywood Series, and Dave 
Failor of the Postal Service says it was also his idea to honor the craftsmen behind the 
scenes.

"He wanted to make sure that there were also postage stamps that recognized all those 
people behind the scenes that don't get the star treatment and the glory."
RUNS :08

That set was issued in Two Thousand Three, probably one of the last issues he worked on. 
Malden hadn't been an active member of the committee in recent years, but still kept an 
interest.

"Earlier this year we visited with him and showed him the stamp program and got his input."
RUNS :04
 
And that's stamp collecting this week. I'm Lloyd de Vries, CBS News.

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