MEARS Goes Underground To Meet a Real Life Mole Man … by Troy R. Kinunen
Going direct to the source for authentic & unique autographs, MEARS recently conducted a private signing with stuntman and actor Bob Herron, the last living Mole Man. Born on September 23rd, 1924 in Los Angeles, CA, the 5’10” stuntman had a lengthy career and doubled for Hollywood legends Tony Curtis, Pernell Roberts, Robert Conrad, Ross Martin, and Ernest Borgnine.
A Navy boxing champ, the rough and tough Herron began his career in Hollywood by wrangling horses that were rented to the studios. Searching for a pay increase, Bob made the transition to stuntman in 1950. His first movie was “Rocky Mountain” which starred Erroll Flynn. He played both an Indian and a Calvary man and was shot off his horse many times during the filming in Gallup, NM.
Unlike today, Herron worked with no safety equipment or modern air bags. His falls were broken by empty boxes covered by a canvas sheet.
The 1950s were the Golden Age of Science Fiction movies, and “The Mole People (1956)” is a cult classic. The Mole People was directed by Virgil W. Vogel and written by Laszlo Gorog and starred John Agar, Cynthia Patrick, and Hugh Beaumont who played a party of archaeologists who discover the remnants of a mutant five-millennia-old Sumerian civilization living beneath a glacier atop a mountain in Mesopotamia. Although actors Agar, Patrick, and Beaumont (Ward from Leave It To Beaver Fame) received top billing, the real stars for the film were the Mole People, the race of enslaved Molemen that were controlled by the Sumerians priests.
On December 16th, 2014, MEARS contracted with legendary actor / stuntman for a very limited private autograph signing. Bob Herron had the distinction of playing one of the Mole men in the film. Per our research, he is the last surviving Mole Man to star in the film. For the signing, Mr. Herron signed two different custom 16×20 photos and a limited edition trading card sized image. Each item was signed in near mint blue sharpie marker. As an added bonus, Bob Herron stamped the movie style photo with his official Mole man stamp. After completing the signing, Mr. Herron asked for us to double check each autograph. Much like the perfection needed to complete the perfect fall, Mr. Herron insisted that each signature was perfect, and he volunteered to resign any items that were not to our satisfaction. None were needed to be replaced.
The Mole People is a really good movie that captures the essence of the era. We thank Mr. Herron for sharing his time and to provide all of his fans with authentic autographs from this classic film. Questions and comments may be direct to troy@mearsonline.com . To check out our site, please go to www.mearsonlineauctions.com
