The Poster Memorabilia blog

Raiding Through Conventions to Meet Indiana Jones

Two Comic-Cons, one Pensacon, and a Raiders poster worthy of a museum — or at least his wall.

By an anonymous Hollywood insider

Hounding celebrities for their autograph is an adventure in itself. I've been a fan of Indiana Jones since I first watched Raiders of the Lost Ark as a kid. So when I grew up to have my own adventures, I made it my mission to get the cast's autographs.

Call me corny if you want, but I don't think my hunt for the movie's cast members is all that different from Indiana Jones' archeological pursuits. We're both looking for treasures, and while mine aren't exactly historical artifacts, they're the closest thing to one for an Indiana Jones fan like me.

“We're both looking for treasures.”

Fortunately, many from the cast were fixtures in conventions and fan expos. I didn't have to travel around the world to get my treasures. They mostly appeared in events here in the good ol' US of A. In fact, I only went to two of them to get these autographs.

The first is the San Diego Comic-Con, which always draws film nerds like me with their movie panels and anniversary reunions. Sadly though, the event has yet to hold an official Raiders of the Lost Ark cast reunion, which would've made my life much easier.

Instead, both Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg have appeared at the convention in different years. I first met Ford when he surprised fans at the Star Wars: The Force Awakens panel in 2015. The moment was famous as the first time the actor was seen in public after he was caught up in a plane crash a few months earlier.

You should've seen and heard the crowd when he stepped out that night. We really didn't know how he was after the crash, much less expected him to be at Comic-Con. Not only was it cool to see him alive and kicking, but it was awesome to see him reunite with Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. And of course, the best part for me was getting him to sign my movie poster.

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Two years later, I met Steven Spielberg. He attended the 2017 Comic-Con to preview his latest movie at the time, Ready Player One. I always loved seeing people of his caliber going to these sorts of events. It reminds me that they still care about what we lowly fans want and are excited for. And for people like me, it's a great opportunity to get their autographs.

I finally got his that night. And maybe it was just me, but I think he smiled the most when he signed my poster. I like to think that seeing memorabilia of one of his earlier beloved works touched his heart in some way.

My luck wasn't 100% with me when I went to Pensacon in 2019, where the other cast members reunited for the first time in years. They included Paul Freeman, Karen Allen, John Rhys-Davies, and Wolf Kahler. I'm not gonna detail what happened to me that night, but I'll just share that I only got two of them to sign my poster: Freeman and Rhys-Davies.

It was such a waste not to have gotten the other two, but it is what it is. I'm still grateful for what I got since those three—Ford, Freeman, and Rhys-Davies—played my three favorite characters. And of course, getting Spielberg's autograph is always a massive win.

Would I raid more conventions if it meant meeting this wonderful cast again and again? Yes, I would. I'm sure other Indiana Jones fans would do the same if they had as much free time and resources as I do.

Some things you watch. This one you keep.

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