[78-L] Music Man Murray: Actor?

[soundthink at aol.com]

Murray Gershenz, a/k/a "Music Man Murray" opened his used record shop on Santa Monica Blvd. near Western Ave. in 1962. Now, at the age of 87, Gershenz is interested in selling his estimated 400,000 records in his collection. The reason? He wants to be a character actor. "I'm in demand," he told the L.A. Times Thursday. "They like old character actors." Gershenz got his start on the "Will and Grace" sitcom when he was 75. He has since done numerous TV shows, films, and commercials. He can currently be seen in a national Wal-Mart commercial that has been running for the past several years. Murray is balding with wisps of hair remaining around his ears and a bushy mustache. Murray's shop now takes up two floors on Exposition Blvd. in the West Adams district, where he moved his store in 1986. He estimates the value of his collection to be $3 million. That comes to $7.50 per record. Having been in his shop, that sounds like a tall order. But Murray was never known for providing discounts.

Here's a link to the story, with a photo of a delightfully happy Murray gripping a copy of the soundtrack LP for "A Hard Day's Night."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-murray26-2009jun26,0,905967.story

Cary Ginell