tv Lou Dobbs Tonight FOX Business January 21, 2018 11:00pm-12:00am EST
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than to see the cloud lifted and see-to-see the pueblo back home, where she belongs, flying the stars and stripes once again. theirs is a war story that deserves to be told. i'm oliver north for "war >> a sanctuary for exotic animals... >> how's his health now? >> he's doing good. [ lion roaring ] >> call of the wild. >> yeah. >> rescued by quite an a odd duck himself. >> we use 26,000 lbs. of chicken or beef every six weeks. >> what was his reputation? >> a wild man. >> was he a guy that played by the rules? >> um... no. >> when he dies, the authorities want to shut his heir down. >> he left you with a mess. >> he did. that was when anger just hit. >> will it cost his widow her strange inheritance? >> i didn't go through everything, all those years, to just give up. ♪ [ lightning strikes ]
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[ bird calling ] ♪ >> i'm jamie colby, and today, i'm in south west florida, driving through the marshy flatwoods outside punta gorda. you know, not every strange inheritance offers unexpected riches. sometimes it can bring on a massive, screeching headache and a huge mess to clean up. >> i'm lauri caron. in 2005, i inherited an exotic zoo-type wildlife sanctuary from my husband and continues to be wild every single day. [ lion roars ] [ birds chirping ] >> hi, lauri. >> hi. >> i'm jamie. >> nice to meet you, jamie. >> great to meet you, too, at this animal retirement home? >> yes, it's pretty much like a nursing home/retirement village. >> we're not talking about kitty cats or puppies. i heard a roar already. can i take a look? >> absolutely. come on. >> as lauri gives me a behind-the-scenes tour, i catch a glimpse of the 100-plus
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creatures that currently live at the octagon wildlife sanctuary. [ lion growls ] clearly, the sound of feeding day... >> yes. >> ...in the air. >> yes, absolutely. >> lauri tells me every animal here is a rescue, at one time abused or abandoned, that would otherwise be euthanized. animals like lily, a black leopard saved from a closed-down breeding zoo, are given a second lease on life. >> look at her eyes. she's beautiful. >> isn't she beautiful? [ black leopard purring ] >> is she purring at me? >> yeah, she's purring right now. >> or growling? >> right now, that's a purr. >> and this is onyx, an abused bengal tiger lauri personally rescued five years ago. >> they used him as a photography baby. they were gonna euthanize him. >> onyx was malnourished as a cub and continues to struggle with painful swelling and digestive issues. he's now fed a special diet to help reduce the side effects. i just hope tv host isn't on today's menu.
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>> you want to be very safe. watch his mouth and watch your fingers at all times. >> note that i have 10 fingers starting, okay? >> and i still have mine after 22 years, so, you know -- >> oh, then i'm good. i'm good. >> the first one i'll do, kind of watch me here. >> sure. >> bones and all? >> bones and all. >> o-kay, my turn. aww. >> and now, if you want, just start throwing the rest in there. >> lauri assures me that her fences exceed state and federal codes, which is comforting when it's the only thing between you and a 500-pound hungry tiger. onyx.... i'm you're new best friend. >> hey, the way to an animal's heart is through their stomach. >> kind of like guys. >> yeah. >> so, you have 100 animals like this? >> yes. absolutely, and each one of these animals has a story of what they went through. >> and so does lauri. 26 years old and just divorced,
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she relocates from illinois to southwest florida in 1993. a few weeks later, she shows up at octagon as a volunteer. >> when i first walked through the gates, i never looked back. >> it's then that lauri first takes note of the sanctuary's 54-year-old, eccentric owner and founder, pete caron. kevin shirley was pete's attorney and friend for over 15 years. >> he was a unique character. people recognized him by his hat and by his gruff voice. >> we use like 26,000 lbs. of chicken or beef every six weeks. you know, that's just the chicken and beef part. that's not all the rest of it. >> he was never too busy to stop and talk about his animals. this was his life. >> right here. come right here. i need to get some love. >> like lauri, pete also migrated south in search of a fresh start. >> back in 1970, the former air force pilot and his retired father move here from new hampshire and buy 10 acres
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of secluded, undeveloped land. as they ponder what to do with the property, fate comes knocking with big, hairy paws. >> he started it, basically, with a couple of bears. >> florida wildlife officials come across two adult brown bears in a broken-down trailer but not just any bears. these were actors left behind after filming wrapped on the hit tv series "gentle ben." the state considers euthanizing them, until pete steps in. pete, who'd worked at a wildlife sanctuary a few years before, now figures he'll start his own. he tells state officials, "i'll take those bears." within 72 hours, pete and his father have an enclosure built and lure the bears into the cage with a blueberry pie. pete is soon licensed to handle exotic animals and becomes the go-to guy in southwest florida when creatures are abandoned or
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removed from homes. lenny barshinger worked as a state fish & wildlife investigator for 27 years. over that time, he brought more than 60 animals to the sanctuary. >> why'd you pick here? >> at that time, there was no place in -- in collier county that i could take the animals to. >> what kind of reaction did you get when you'd call pete and say, "i got a lion, a tiger, an elephant?" >> it didn't matter what time of the day or night, he would be there, ready to help. >> i feel like i'm the ugliest surrogate mother in the world. >> but pete does not exactly have a business plan. he solicits donations and even resorts to scouring dumpsters for food. >> so, why did he do it? >> he just had a real, real care for the animals. if he ever had to put an animal down, he was genuinely upset. >> when you feed and care for an animal like this for six or seven years and then you lose them, you know, it's -- it's -- you can't describe the loss of a friend. >> but pete doesn't share the
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same love for the state and federal wildlife agents checking to see that the animals are okay and the public is protected. he quickly becomes known as a loud-mouthed cowboy who's difficult to control. what was his reputation? >> a wild man. >> was he a guy that played by the rules? >> um... no. [ chuckles ] >> did pete have a problem with the government? >> he thought some of their rules were silly. so he would challenge the silly rules. >> "challenge" is putting it lightly. when pete has had enough with the inspectors, he's known to tap his holstered gun and say, "i think we're done here for today." >> was he a bully? >> he wasn't a bully, but he was very forceful. it was his way or the highway, basically. >> pete's abrasive attitude results in some inspectors being particularly tough on the sanctuary. >> we would end up in court from time to time over minor events.
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a water pan in a lion's cage was dirty, or the food in the freezer was not raised off the floor. >> when you walked into court with pete, did any of the judges' faces say, "oh, here we go again"? >> well, yes. one that just shook his head and thought that the government was -- kept picking on pete. >> whether they're nitpicking or not, the sanctuary isn't without incident. >> any animals ever escape? >> back years ago, we had hippos out in our front pond, and one time, one of 'em decided to take a walk. >> after busting through the sanctuary's fencing, the hippo finds its way to a nearby swimming pool. the shocked neighbor calls authorities, claming a dinosaur had taken over her backyard. pete quickly gets the animal back home before any damage is done. but as much as pete ignored and even battled government officials, they turn to him when
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an animal's in trouble. >> it sounds like you and pete... butted heads a bit. was it worth it? >> oh, absolutely. we need places like this rather than to go ahead and to euthanize them. >> there is someone who wants to tame pete -- that passionate volunteer from illinois. >> we were actually doing a lot of rescuing together, and it seemed to work really well, and then we decided, "yeah, let's take it another step." [ laughs ] >> despite their 28-year age difference and the fact that pete is twice divorced with three adult children, lauri and pete decide to start dating. then a health crisis throws the future of this wildlife refuge into doubt. >> he says, "my kids will sell this place, and the animals will be euthanized, and that will be it." >> that is, unless pete can find another heir. was it a real marriage, or was it a marriage of convenience to save the sanctuary? >> [ sighs ]
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>> that's next. >> but first, our "strange inheritance" quiz question. is it... the answer in a moment. each year sarah climbs 58,007 steps. that's the height of mount everest. because each day she chooses to take the stairs. at work, at home... even on the escalator. that can be hard on her lower body, so now she does it with dr. scholl's orthotics. clinically proven to relieve and prevent foot, knee or lower back pain, by reducing the shock and stress that travel up her body with every step she takes. so keep on climbing, sarah. you're killing it. dr. scholl's. born to move.
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evaluating patients remotely is where i think we have a potential to make a difference. (barry murrey) we would save a lot of lives if we could bring the doctor to the patient. verizon is racing to build the first and most powerful 5g network that will enable things like precision robotic surgery from thousands of miles away. as we get faster wireless connections, it'll be possible to be able to operate on a patient in a way that was just not possible before. when i move my hand, the robot on the other side will mimic the movement, with almost no delay. who knew a scalpel could work thousands of miles away? ♪ ♪ >> so... it's "a," tigers.
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as many as 7,000 tigers are kept as pets in the u.s. while only 3,000 are found in the wild. for decades, pete caron's octagon wildlife sanctuary is one of the top spots in florida for abused and neglected animals. along with his most trusted volunteer and girlfriend, lauri, the pair take in animals that would otherwise be euthanized, like these former performance bears. >> the previous owner that had them was actually training them with a lead pipe. >> lauri uses a gentler training tool -- doughnuts. one of my volunteers actually taught him some sign language. >> really? >> and... to the point of where, if he was hungry for a sweet, he would actually let you know when he's ready for -- >> how? >> with this little gesture of "please." >> let's see if i have the magic touch, too. >> oh, that was sign language for "doughnut, please." >> yes.
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>> i think i'm getting the hang of this. >> you are doing well. >> look, i still have 10. >> [ laughs ] >> but things aren't going so well for the sanctuary in the year 2000, when pete, now in his 60s, is diagnosed with coronary heart disease. the crisis forces pete to think about what will happen to his beloved sanctuary when he's gone. >> he says, "my kids will sell this place, and the animals will be euthanized, and that will be it." >> while pete doesn't bother with a will, he does have a plan. he wants to make lauri his legal heir and put octagon's fate in her hands. >> he just says, "hey, you want to get married? we really have a lot in common with this place, wanting to keep the place going, and i said, "absolutely." >> so, what did pete give you as an engagement gift -- an orangutan? >> [ laughs ] you would think. >> pete and lauri marry in may 2002. was it a real marriage, or was it a marriage of convenience to save the sanctuary?
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>> [ sighs ] >> i think it was more a marriage of convenience. i had the experience. i had all the licensing. there was definitely love and respect there, but we knew at that point... anybody else would come in and try to demolish his dream and mine 'cause it had become mine, too. >> in june 2003, pete's health worsens, and he undergoes triple-bypass surgery. >> he actually was in the hospital for about a total of maybe two, three months. >> lauri takes over day-to-day operations of the sanctuary. it's then that she starts to sense the challenges that lie ahead. >> i think i always knew there was gonna be a lot of trouble when he passed just 'cause of the way that he would always handle things with fish and wildlife. >> pete has earned a reputation with government officials as confrontational and hostile. wildlife inspectors will even show up with police escorts. >> they felt that their life was in danger sometimes -- the inspectors. >> and not 'cause of the
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animals. >> mnh-mnh, but of pete. >> they cite octagon time and time again. whether they're being hard on him or not, lauri tells pete he isn't helping. >> i said, "somebody else is gonna have to deal with the messes that you are deciding here, and he goes, "let it be somebody else's problem." i'm like, "hello?" [ laughs ] i'm like, "but that's gonna be me." >> on may 9, 2005, pete dies in lauri's arms. he's 66 years old. overnight, lauri becomes the leader of the octagon pack -- her strange inheritance. >> that was when the anger just hit, you know, right away. >> anger? >> just, i wasn't ready for him to go at that point. i think it was also fear because i knew... "okay, here comes the test." >> lauri is determined to carry on pete's work, but it's going to be much harder than she ever thought. >> we were one hour away from losing octagon completely.
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>> that's next. >> here's another quiz question for you. the answer in a moment. [ birds calling ] if you're 65 or older, you may be at increased risk for pneumococcal pneumonia that can take you out of the game for weeks, even if you're healthy. pneumococcal pneumonia is a potentially serious bacterial lung disease that in severe cases can lead to hospitalization. it may hit quickly, without warning, causing you to miss out on the things you enjoy most. prevnar 13® is not a treatment for pneumococcal pneumonia... it's a vaccine you can get to help protect against it. prevnar 13® is approved for adults to help prevent infections from 13 strains of the bacteria that cause pneumococcal pneumonia. you should not receive prevnar 13® if you have had a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine or its ingredients. if you have a weakened immune system, you may have a lower response to the vaccine. the most common side effects were pain,
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♪ [ birds calling ] so... it's "c," hippopotamus. they appear to be gentle grazers, but hippos are highly aggressive and have been known to attack humans without provocation. >> after her husband pete's death in 2005, lauri caron is struggling to run the florida wildlife sanctuary, with more than 200 animals, that he left behind. money is tight, and relationships with state and
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federal inspectors strained. pete didn't always make friends doing this. >> no, he burned a lot of bridges. >> within days of pete's funeral, lauri is already feeling the heat. octagon is hit with a surprise visit from the u.s. department of agriculture, which enforces standards of care and treatment for animals exhibited to the public. the authorities say that lauri must fix conditions that put the public and the animals in danger. she thinks they're just are out for blood after years of butting heads with pete. one inspector, he's like, "if you don't get your fence fixed, i'm closing you now." it's a fence that they had been okay-ing for 30 years. >> lauri frantically seeks out donations so she can build a new fence. but her problems only get worse when she digs through octagon's paperwork. lauri comes across four year's worth of property tax bills
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unpaid. he left you with a mess. >> he did. yeah, he did. >> the amount due is $7,400 -- money lauri doesn't have in the bank. >> i'm thinking, "what do we do?" i didn't go through everything all those years prior to that to just give up. >> with lauri unable to cover the taxes, octagon board member sherry pate and her husband graciously offer to cover the debt. when they arrive at the courthouse... we laid down the property taxes, and the woman said, "well, that's funny. we just sent this over to the lawyer yesterday." >> county officials are about to put the property up for auction. but finally, a stroke of luck. they hadn't yet gotten to octagon's paperwork. >> she just kind of shook her head and said, "you realize if you would have waited another day, this property would have been gone. >> that would have been the end right there. we would've lost the whole sanctuary. >> lauri also beats the clock with the fencing, thanks to some
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timely donations from local businesses. but even with the eleventh-hour bailouts, lauri faces one more crisis when a would-be whistle-blower drops a dime on octagon. >> at times, i would shake my head, and i'd be in tears, thinking, "what am i doing? can i do this?" thinking, "what am i doing? can ithe great emperor penguin migration. trekking a hundred miles inland to their breeding grounds. except for these two fellows. this time next year, we're gonna be sitting on an egg. i think we're getting close! make a u-turn... u-turn? recalculating... man, we are never gonna breed. just give it a second. you will arrive in 92 days. nah, nuh-uh. nope, nope, nope. you know who i'm gonna follow? my instincts. as long as gps can still get you lost, you can count on geico saving folks money. i'm breeding, man. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.
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>> now back to "strange inheritance." >> in 2005, lauri caron's husband, pete, dies and leaves her his octagon wildlife sanctuary, along with a parade of problems for her to resolve. she's already been tested by florida wildlife officials and delinquent property taxes, but the headaches of pete's past just keep coming. the irs also came knocking. >> yeah, they showed up and said, "well, we're here to do an audit." apparently, somebody called and said that, even being a nonprofit, we weren't doing anything with our nonprofit,
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that we absolutely had zero animals here. >> lauri assumes the call came from an adversary of pete, looking to cause trouble for the sanctuary, but the irs finds no misuse of funds. since then, lauri has made it her mission to do all the repairs needed at octagon, including to the relationships pete damaged. >> i really strive to show that we are trying to do the best we can and get out of that shadow. she also has to keep the wolves from octagon's doorstep and her own. the animals need 700 pounds of food every day, and operating costs average $7,000 a month. and it's all on lauri's shoulders to bring in donations and grants, as well as entrance fees, from 30,000 annual visitors. none of the 40 sanctuary workers takes a salary, including lauri, who lives in a small trailer right on the property.
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do you ever have a day where you think, "i'm not gonna have enough food to feed these animals?" >> absolutely. >> what's that like? >> it's horrifying. >> you think you're gonna be able to pull it off? >> yeah. [ voice breaking ] you know, it's, um... >> for you, for pete, or for the animals? >> the animals. you know, i'm not one to give up easy. [ chuckles ] >> it's a good thing that lauri is a fighter because there will always be animals like onyx, who was once near death, that need octagon. how's his health now? >> he's doing good and very vocal. [ lion roaring ] >> call of the wild. >> yeah. [ laughs ] >> wow, i'm so glad that he made it. what do you think pete's saying right now? >> you know, i'm hoping he's proud. i never expected that pete would have passed as soon as he did, but i didn't go through everything to give up and give up on pete's dream and these animals. ♪
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>> lauri and pete worked side by side for years here at octagon before they started dating, but is it possible the wild beasts were on to them before they were even on to themselves? several years before lauri came on the scene, pete had taken in a baboon named max from a circus. max instantly formed a bond with pete, then young lauri shows up, and every time max sees her working with pete, the poor guy starts acting out badly. in his jealous rage, max begins to toss, um, his droppings at lauri with impeccable aim. and lauri says that gave her pause, so to speak, to wonder if something just might be going on between pete and herself. i'm jamie colby for "strange inheritance." thanks so much for watching, and remember, you can't take it with you. do you have a strange inheritance story you'd like to
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share with us? we'd love to hear it! send me an e-mail or go to our website, strangeinheritance.com. ♪ >> the heyday of hollywood. >> it was exciting. bette davis, marilyn monroe, joan crawford. >> a star-struck teen bit by the bug. >> before there were paparazzi, there was jack kuster. >> this autograph hound takes names like no other... >> elvis and, oh my gosh, robert redford. >> you name it, all of them. >> it's probably the best collection in the world. >> ...and leaves his stunned heir a lot to sort out. >> what, in your wildest dreams, is this collection worth? [ theme music plays ] ♪
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i'm jamie colby, and today i'm in tampa, florida, to meet a man whose strange inheritance, a massive autograph collection, began with a chance encounter. one thing led to another and then, well, i'll let him tell you. >> my name is juan carlos saucedo-campos, and in 2012, my dear friend jack kuster left me his estate, including a collection that nobody has ever seen. come in. >> hi, juan carlos. >> hi, jamie. how are you doing today? >> thank you for inviting me to your home. >> it's my pleasure. thank you for coming. >> it looks like you've been busy. >> i've been working on putting everything together. elvis presley, james dean. >> wow. >> marilyn monroe. >> vivien leigh, paul newman even. >> paul newman. >> most of these photos are original pictures that juan carlos's friend jack kuster snapped with his own camera, then collected an autograph for each one of them.
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>> oh, look at jane fonda! >> when she was just a teenager. >> so he took all these pictures and on top of it got the autographs? >> yes. >> how did this all get started? well, according to juan carlos, jack kuster acquires his first autograph in 1943 at the age of 14, when broadway and hollywood star carmen miranda pays a visit to his hometown, rochester, new york, for a uso show. the teenager musters the courage to approach the flamboyant singer for her swirling signature. from that moment forward, jack knows who he is -- an autograph hound. it takes a lot of guts for a 14-year-old kid. >> for jack, collecting signatures was his calling. soon afterwards, jack and his mother move to new york, where film and stage stars abound. jack secures a day job as a graphic artist. at night, the stage door exits
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of manhattan's legendary theaters are his favorite stomping grounds. today i'm making a quick side trip to times square to meet bob levine, one of jack's fellow autograph hounds. >> hi, jamie! >> bob, how are you? >> how are you? nice to meet you! >> like jack, he began dogging the stars in the golden age of motion pictures. what is the thrill of autograph collecting? >> i don't know, but i get a thrill out of it. i started in '46. then i met jack, and we were friends all through the years. >> i'm wearing my hollywood glamour red lip, to represent the era of autograph signing. >> yes, ha ha ha! >> what was hollywood like back then? >> hollywood was so glamorous, and when the movie stars came to new york, like lana turner or bette davis, it was a different era, and they treated the fans
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with respect. >> and now? >> the glamour is gone. today they have bodyguards. these young kids, they all sign initials now. the autographs that we got then, you could still read them. jack was so fussy, if he didn't like it, he'd ask them to sign it again. >> was he obsessive about collecting? >> yes, yes. he was. that's what his main purpose in life was, to take care of that collection. >> to save money and pursue more autographs, jack rents a tiny apartment on the city's upper west side. >> jack told me many times, "juan carlos, this is my profession. it's hard work, but somebody has to do it." >> a profession that requires coast-to-coast travel. in the 1950s, jack hits the road to the back lots of hollywood studios. >> clint eastwood was found by jack in 1954 outside hollywood studios in california.
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he was nobody at that time. he was so surprised to be asked for an autograph. jack believes that that signature was the very first autograph ever given to anybody by clint eastwood. he got james dean, elvis presley, and many more before they were big stars. ♪ >> was there anyone that was particularly nasty? >> many. i remember the story of katharine hepburn. she would never sign. she would always go, "no, never, never, never on the street." very determined and difficult. >> did he ever get her? >> he had to earn it, but she's right there. >> i see she doesn't look very pleased. jack's persistence pays off in a big way. he shares a taxi with rock hudson and takes this photo. he captures this image of a typically deadpan alfred hitchcock. this one of joe namath in 1969,
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the year he won the super bowl. and sharon tate before her shocking murder. in time, he even begins traveling the world in pursuit of celebrity signatures. throughout the 1960s, '70s, and '80s, he snaps up sports figures, bollywood stars, politicians, and one of his favorites -- mexican telenovela actors. it's on a trip to mexico city in 1993 that jack -- now 64 years old -- approaches a struggling young mexican soap actor for an autograph. now, the young guy in that picture looks a little bit familiar. who is that? >> [ laughs ] you're funny. i was an actor. it was the end of winter in 1993 that i met jack in mexico city. i see jack coming up in the distance. i just know he was somebody different, and he says, "are you an actor?"
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i was ever so flattered. when i met jack, this is the card that i signed for him, and this is the picture he took of myself. >> oh, my, juan carlos, look at you. was this a love at first sight? >> well, it's one of those things that when you know you've found your soul mate. call it what you want it, our chemistry was very compatible, how about that? >> how about that? was it wonderful? >> it was amazing. juan carlos and jack keep in touch over the years. in 1996 juan carlos moves to new york to pursue acting in the states, and jack offers him a place to live. >> that was the turning point. jack made it possible for me to be american citizen. >> one of juan carlos's oldest friends is spiro verras. he got to know jack as well. >> juan carlos is an incredibly caring person. jack needed someone in his life to care for him. >> in 2006, juan carlos decides
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to give up show business and become a certified skin care specialist. he leaves new york and moves to tampa, florida, to open his own spa business. >> i had already been trained as an aesthetician. and a medical company made me an offer that i could not resist to start my own practice, my own business. >> and jack's reaction? >> jack was not very happy. however, he knew i needed to do something for my future and i needed to have a real profession. >> ultimately, jack is the one who told him, "you need to do this." >> wow. >> "you have to move on with your life." >> back in new york, jack continues to add to his collection daily. how many autographs does he have? seems only jack knows. >> did you think it was 10,000? 30,000? >> i would even say, "do you have about 2,000," thinking that that was a lot. and he would just laugh. >> would he part with any of them? >> absolutely not.
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he would never sell. >> but juan carlos worries about his friend jack, who is now 81 years old and living alone. he checks on him every day by phone. and as jack kuster grows more frail, it becomes a favorite topic among his competitors -- what will happen to his famous collection? >> i wrote to a lot of the auction houses. the largest ones knew who jack kuster was before i wrote to them. >> that's next. >> but first, our "strange inheritance" quiz question -- what pestered personality called autograph seekers "mosquitoes"? "sleepy hollow" author washington irving? supermodel kate upton? or pro wrestler andré the giant? the answer in a moment. it's easy to think that all money managers are pretty much the same. but while some push high commission investment products, fisher investments avoids them. some advisers have hidden and layered fees. fisher investments never does.
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[ theme music plays ] >> so, what pestered personality called autograph seekers "mosquitoes"? it's washington irving, annoyed by autograph seekers who showed up on his doorstep. >> by 2010, jack kuster, an aging new york autograph hound, has accumulated a jaw-dropping collection -- thousands of celebrity signatures from all over the world and matching photos he took himself. jack tells his friend juan carlos saucedo-campos that he plans to leave it all to him. one condition -- jack wants to keep his intentions a secret. >> he wanted to sound like the
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eccentric little man that he was and trying to keep it as a mystery. >> he liked the intrigue. >> he loved that, yes. >> juan carlos now lives in tampa, florida, but every single day, he calls jack on the phone, and jack always answers. on july 24, 2012, jack doesn't pick up. >> i called 911. they went to his apartment right away. they found him dead on the floor by the door. he had a massive heart attack. >> as promised, juan carlos is named the executor of jack's estate and the heir to his entire collection. did you really know how big it was going to be? >> i just did not know the magnitude of everything. >> in addition to screen stars like grace kelly and pop icons like michael jackson, jack
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has hundreds of international figures whom juan carlos has never heard of. how many signatures are we talking about? >> we're talking about over 35,000 signatures. >> wait, 35,000? >> thousand. >> plus 1,700 original photos and hundreds more signed promotional stills. juan carlos carts the whole kit and caboodle back to tampa and locks them inside a fire- and waterproof safe. then, he calls his friend and attorney, spiro verras, for help. >> initially, i handled this as i would handle any probate in my practice. i wrote to a lot of the auction houses, and they were all extremely interested. the largest ones knew who jack kuster was before i wrote to them. >> what, in your wildest dreams, juan carlos, what is this collection worth? >> it's hard to put a price on it. >> well, what would an appraiser say? what kind of numbers are we talking about? give me a ballpark.
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that's next. >> here's another quiz question for you. according to autograph magazine, which one of these celebrities is most unwilling to give autographs? beyoncé, angelina jolie, or tobey maguire? the answer when we return. and the wolf huffed and puffed... like you do sometimes, grandpa? well, when you have copd, it can be hard to breathe. it can be hard to get air out, which can make it hard to get air in. so i talked to my doctor. she said... symbicort could help you breathe better, starting within 5 minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. symbicort helps provide significant improvement of your lung function. symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol increase the risk of death from asthma problems. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections,
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[ theme music plays ] >> so, which of these celebrities is known as the least likely to sign an autograph? it's tobey maguire. according to autograph magazine, the "spider-man" star ranks among the most unwilling signers. >> in 2012, juan carlos saucedo-campos inherits over 35,000 celebrity signatures and more than 1,700
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photographs from his dear friend jack kuster. among a tight circle of new york city autograph hounds, jack was a legend. juan carlos recruits his friend and lawyer, spiro verras, to shop the collection around to auction houses and see what it's worth. >> we would get a reasonable market value for the items. juan carlos was struggling to grapple with the vastness of it. >> to get the ball rolling, let's bring in tim luke, who owns treasure quest appraisal group in south florida. before that, he was a director of collectibles at the famed christie's auction house in new york. 35,000 autographs in a collection, is that a stalker or an autograph hound? >> well, it borders on hoarder almost, but it actually is a passion, and like insanity is on the edge of genius, it's that kind of same thing with a collection this large. the other thing that i love about this is that jack got all
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of these signatures. the provenance is so important because there are a lot of fakes that are in the marketplace. >> now, this blew my mind, alfred hitchcock, the photo, but also that he would draw his profile! >> also adds to the value because the doodle is something. it's his profile. that became very iconic to alfred hitchcock. >> so, james dean, this is a very early, early photograph, isn't it? >> this is great, and this becomes a whole nother category when you look at james dean and also bruce lee because they both died unexpectedly early. so you have limited number of these signatures out there. the rarer is bruce lee because we also have a doodle from his character from the films. >> ah, norma jean. >> [ chuckles ] >> tell me about these early pictures of marilyn monroe. >> the early photos, this is really great. very desirable to any monroe collector. >> tim figures the james dean autograph could fetch up to
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$4,000 at auction. bruce lee, $5,000. and the marilyn monroe, $6,000. if these are some of the gold nuggets, what's the whole collection worth? what kind of numbers are we talking about? give me a ballpark. >> i would say for insurance purposes, this is a million-dollar collection, easily, because of the condition. >> in tim's opinion, it might have been worth even more. >> there's a lot of variables that go into this. let's take a look at the elvis photograph, for example. you see it says "to jack"? >> yes. >> well, because it says "to jack," that's limiting the market because is jamie going to be interested in something that says "to jack"? i'd rather just have a regular signature. so, with the "to jack" on it, you're looking at the $800 to $1,200 price range. >> i contacted several of the largest auction houses that deal in autographs. one suggested they will put together a book to honor jack kuster and market the
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product as the jack kuster collection. juan carlos asked me, does this mean that people would be able to buy particular items out of the collection from this catalog? i said yes. >> the heir will have to think about that. so, you have full control over all this. >> a hundred percent. aren't i lucky? >> you are, but what's next? juan carlos's big decision. >> jamie, this is what i want to show you. would you do the honors? that's next. [ gasps ] what's your strange inheritance story? we'd love to tell it. send me an e-mail, or go to our website, strangeinheritance.com. ♪ (whispering) with the capital one venture card, you'll earn unlimited double miles on every purchase, every day. not just airline purchases. think about all the double miles you could be earning. (yelling) holy moly,
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coming at you with my brand-new vlog. just making some ice in my freezer here. so check back for that follow-up vid. this is my cashew guy bruno. holler at 'em, brun. kicking it live and direct here at the fountain. should i go habanero or maui onion? should i buy a chinchilla? comment below. did i mention i save people $620 for switching? chinchilla update -- got that chinchilla after all. say what up, rocco. ♪ >> now back to "strange inheritance." >> it's 2015 in tampa, florida. juan carlos saucedo-campos has inherited a collection of photos and autographs from his beloved
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friend, jack kuster. it turns out that they could be worth a million dollars -- but to get the highest price at auction, he'd have to split them up. as the offers come in, juan carlos thinks it over -- thinks about the money and about dearly departed jack. his decision? >> i'm in no position to destroy this phenomenal legacy that my dear friend jack left to me. i want to keep it intact. >> but if he won't sell, will the money be there tomorrow? or will it fade away like those golden-era screen stars jack adored? you know, ten years from now, some of these autographs won't be as relevant as they are right now. timing is really an issue. will he ever feel like he missed an opportunity? >> i don't know. it's something that i've actually thought about quite a bit. >> i'm gonna keep it safe and in great condition, as it was
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left to me. maybe in the future, i might change my mind. i don't know, but for the time being, i like to keep it close and admire it. every time i see one signature, i think about jack. >> it seems like you put in a lot of hours to try to make some opportunity happen for him. did you feel disappointed? >> not at all. not at all. it's a rare person who chooses sentiment over money. >> so, instead of collecting a check, juan carlos immerses himself in the painstaking task of archiving the autographs and transferring -- by hand -- the hundreds more photos from film slides to digital archive. >> jamie, this is what i want to show you. would you do the honors? >> today, juan carlos has invited tim luke and me to see the culmination of that effort... what? ...the crown jewels of jack kuster's collection, on display for the very first time.
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i cannot believe this. hollywood glamour everywhere? hello! >> i have categorized by the vintage actors on this wall and the vintage actress on this wall over here. >> wow, hotties over here and babes over here. i like it. jack met all of these people face-to-face? >> he saw them face-to-face, and they all handed their signature to jack. on this part of the gallery, i have all these boxes full of signatures. >> latin tv hosts, mexican stars, soaps. >> british actresses, ballet and dance. >> the forties, the fifties, the sixties, you name it, i have them all. >> oh, my god. >> what do you think that jack would say if he saw this room? >> i can almost see his face right now. he will be absolutely thrilled to see what i've done with his
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collection, exactly what he wanted me to. >> it's beautiful. >> well, my collection would not be complete if i don't have -- >> exactly. >> what's a jamie colby going for nowadays? >> especially with this provenance, it's priceless. >> it's not every day that someone asks for my autograph. i feel like you felt the first time jack asked you for yours. >> oh, well, it's a pleasure. >> a collection that took a lifetime to acquire, now preserved for another lifetime, perhaps, thanks to juan carlos's admiration for his cherished friend. pop star taylor swift recently observed that with the advent of smartphones and front-facing cameras, no one even asks for her autograph anymore. all these kids today want is a selfie. oh, hey. >> hi, are you jamie colby? >> yes. what's your name? >> taylor. would you mind taking a selfie with me? >> i would love to take a
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selfie with you, taylor. i'm jamie colby for "strange inheritance." and remember, you can't take it with you. ♪ (announcer) the following is a paid advertisement for time life presents the '60s. ♪ ♪ come on, people now ♪ smile on your brother ♪ everybody get together ♪ try to love one another right now ♪ (announcer) the '60s was an era marked by an explosion of a counter culture that shaped an entire generation. ♪ i wanna take you higher (energetic music) ♪ i want to take you higher ♪ it's the time of the season for loving ♪ ♪ to everything, turn, turn, turn ♪
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