Tom Hanks—Yes, Tom Hanks!—Wrote Me a Letter
First and foremost, if you don’t know, Tom Hanks is a massive typewriter guy. He has appeared in documentaries about typewriters, written books that prominently feature typewriters (multiple books including typewriters, actually), written pieces for the NY Times and the New Yorker, and even done a tutorial on how to change a typewriter ribbon for Vanity Fair. He has hundreds—yes, hundreds—of typewriters in his collection (a few visible in this video), and not only is he known for responding to fan mail from time to time (using a typewriter, of course), but he has gone on sprees of surprise mailing typewriters to repair shops around the US. He even once had a typewriter app in the Apple store!
I, myself, am also a typewriter fan (though I can’t brag about being published in the NYT or Vanity Fair).
Leanne bought me my first machine for Christmas in 2013 and I have been hooked ever since then. She followed it up 3 years later with what is still my #1 favourite typewriter that I own, but even since then the collection has grown. By all means, take a trip over to my profile of the Hennebry Typewriter Collection if you wanna see all 8 machines we own. (I’m always dreaming of more, but I have high standards for adding any others, so we’ve been at a bit of a standstill for a little while.)
While I can’t pinpoint the beginning of my typewriter obsession, I can absolutely insist that Tom Hanks has played a role in inspiring and encouraging my love of typewriters. He’s one of my favourite actors (For the curious: my #1 and #2 Tom Hanks movies) and everything I learn about him just makes him seem like an interesting guy I’d love to have dinner with. (I mean, just listen to the stories he tells about going on vacation with Oprah and the Obamas. Sounds endlessly fascinating. What a life!)
I tell you all of this to set the stage properly for how much I admire this guy and how much of a dream it would be if I would be one of the lucky recipients of a Tom Hanks original typewriter letter.
Well, my friends, as they sometimes do: that dream came true.
It’s not a super grand story of trial and triumph, but the experience is one I deeply cherish.
Among a handful of letters I needed to get in the mail for some friends a number of weeks ago, I finally took the time to write Tom a short letter letting him know how much I admired him. Knowing that the gushings of a fan arent’t likely to get a response, I was sure to ask him about a topic I am passionate about and I figured he’d have an opinion on: A particular year / make / model of typewriter that I don’t feel like gets the recognition it is worthy of.
Well, I sent the letter without broadcasting it until about 2 weeks later when I confessed to Leanne I’d done something somewhat crazy and silly and maybe mildly embarrassing. She is the best though, because she didn’t shame me for it; knowing full-well how much it would mean to me if I got a response.
See, I’ve gained a general reputation of being the “Typewriter guy” to most of my friends and family. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had people send me Kijiji links, photos of the Lego typewriter set, or asked me about the machine they found on the side of the road and took home. I’ve gifted typewriters, repaired them (minor repairs only), bought them, sold them, displayed them. I am proud that people see typewriters and think of me.
After some 6 weeks had elapsed since I sent Tom a letter, I had been checking the mail (we have a community box down the street. Small town life) nearly daily. My joke to Leanne was, “I’m expecting a correspondence from California promptly.” She laughed but never laughed at me.
Day in and day out were coupons, tax receipts, utility bills, and offers to buy our house, but no letter from California (the location of Tom Hanks’ production company HQ).
Finally, on our 9th anniversary, I came home from work and Leanne stopped me after I’d kicked off my shoes. “Now, I know that marrying me 9 years ago was the greatest thing that ever happened to you, and you can’t wait to take me out to dinner tonight, but I understand if this steals a bit of my thunder today.” She then revealed a letter hand-addressed to me that was from an address in Santa Monica, California. I knew what it was (as did she). Immediately I started laughing and my heart started racing.
Surgically, I sliced it open and scanned the letter that I knew I would now possess the rest of my life. Getting through the letter, I was delighted that it wasn’t lame or brief. In fact, it was quite thoughtful and was a very earnest response to my original letter. The best part, of course, was the authentication of a Tom Hanks signature at the bottom.
Needless to say, I lost my mind. Couldn’t believe it. Tom Hanks—the Tom Hanks—had given me a couple of minutes of his life (what an interesting life it must have been and will continue to be!). All just to respond to something he could’ve easily disregarded as yet another piece of fan mail (surely, at 66 years of age, he’s received one or two). Instead, he went out of his way just to acknowledge me. Absolutely surreal.
It’s not that Tom Hanks is some incredible, magical, king (don’t get me wrong—he is a human being just like you and I), but the special spot he holds in my life has been cemented all the more with the kindness he demonstrated in writing me back.
And, like I said, much to my deepened joy, he wrote back something insanely thoughtful that engaged with the letter I wrote in a totally unique, Hanxian way.
More than anything, Tom’s letter to me reminded me of just how magical getting a typewritten letter from someone is (whether you like them, love them, or hate them). A written and mailed letter of any kind is nice, but there is absolutely nothing like a typewritten letter.
In the past week, I’ve had 2 different friends reach out to me to thank me for a thank you letter I wrote them—just because they saw the effort I put into writing them something interesting and thoughtful. I didn’t do it for the praise, but knowing I was able to genuinely return some of the appreciation they had given me was incredible. Worth all the effort a hundred times over.
Let this be an encouragement: write letters to people. Jot down their mailing addresses (and dear Lord, Millennials: learn that a “Mailing address” is incomplete without a postal code!!). Mail people something. For bonus points (and especially if you have terrible penmanship), buy a typewriter. They can be had for $100 - $150 online and after buying a $10 ribbon, the only recurring costs you’ll have are paper, envelopes, and stamps. That typewriter will last longer than you.
And if you become like me and end up owning 8 machines, by Tom Hanks’ standards, those 8 machines rotated into use will last you 1000 years.
I’m putting my money on him being right.
It probably goes without saying, I had to frame it. Now it sits on my desk so I can stare at it all day.
And of course, the reason you’re here: to read the letter (if you haven’t already yet).
One of the most incredible letters I’ll ever receive.
Tom, should you ever stumble upon this, thank you for taking the time to write me back! It means the world. Also - if you need help whittling down that Essential Eighty, I don’t mind expanding my collection to an Essential Nine… Just putting that out there.
