Joe Ackerman spent over 60 years photographing and getting autographs from over 5,000 stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood and beyond. Additionally, he took over 400 candid photos of the iconic stars and was able to come back and have them autograph the photos. Ackerman did all of this while running 3 successful businesses and raising a family of five children.

Julie Anderson, Joe’s second eldest daughter and Palos Verdes Peninsula resident for twenty-five years, self-published a glossy hard-bound 192-page coffee table book spotlighting many of these incredible photos. The book is filled with pictures of the biggest stars of the day including Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Lena Horne, Clark Gable, Rita Hayworth and Humphrey Boggart to name a few.

Joe never wanted any notoriety and expressed that it was a hobby for him. He was a very private person and didn’t share a lot about his early days of collecting. When he retired, he put together a slide show highlighting the many beautiful color slides he took of the stars. He shared stories of his interactions with many of them, showing their human side. The narration for the slide show provided many of the details of his early collecting days for the book.

Joe had many stories he shared about his brief interactions. One story that stands out was when he saw Robert Mitchum at the Lux Radio Theater. After Ackerman took Robert’s picture, Robert put his arm around Joe’s shoulder and asked, “hey, maybe you can help me. I haven’t had breakfast yet, so maybe you could tell me where the nearest bar is”. They shared a good laugh.

Many people have asked Anderson how her father was able to personally acquire so many photos and autographs from the big stars over the decades. He would go to places the stars would frequent like the Brown Derby, Hollywood Blvd for shopping, and clubs like The Cocoanut Grove. Ackerman would also attend many of the celebrity charity tournaments over the years where he got hundreds of candid, fun shots of the celebrities.

Ackerman would always ask the actors for their autograph or photo before doing anything. He was very polite and wanted them to feel at ease. He was considered the consummate gentleman and got to know several stars.

Around the time Joe had planned to retire from his hearing aid business, he saw a need for updating sound technology in the film industry. He pioneered custom ear molds of the actors for use on television and film sets, allowing directors to communicate directly with the stars through an earpiece while still filming.

During the 80s and 90s, Ackerman provided earpieces for many stars such as Bette Midler in The Rose, and Robert De Niro in New York, New York to name a few. He worked on TV shows like Seinfeld but never mixed business with pleasure. He thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the magic. Additionally, he provided earpieces for news anchors which later branched out to the music industry.

According to Anderson, she wanted readers to see how, in all these candid photos, the stars were at ease with her father. Many of them were smiling and were comfortable with him. The book is an amazing look back in time spotlighting the glamorous and naturally, beautiful stars of Old Hollywood. Images highlight the stunning fashion and style that was The Golden Age of Hollywood. Anderson hopes the readers appreciate her prospective and the uniqueness of her book. The website for the book is www.joeackermanshollywood.com

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Julie Ackerman Anderson was born and raised in Glendale, CA and attended Glendale High School where she received an Art Scholarship to Glendale College. During her studies she took a History of Film class that piqued her interest in all that was ‘Hollywood’ during the ‘Golden Age'. It was a passion that has stayed with her through a career in meeting and event planning and as a Director of Sales and Marketing in the hospitality industry.

It was not until after her father passed that Julie and her mother, Marian Ackerman, decided to memorialize her father and his collection. With Julie's knowledge of "old Hollywood" and her mother's memories and adventures with her father, they started their book writing journey, exploring, researching and categorizing Joe’s treasure trove of thousands of photos and autographs.

When Marian passed away in 2009, Julie took a break from the project to concentrate on her growing pet sitting business. Working intermittently, she completed and self-published her book in 2019. Julie currently resides in Southern California.