Andy's clothes, Cher's gowns are Monets to collector

LOS ANGELES -- James Comisar is whistling a happy tune as he scrounges through a rack of clothing. From the thousands of items in his TV memorabilia collection, Comisar plucks out sheriff's costumes used in "The Andy Griffith Show" as he evokes a few bars of the show's theme song.

"I didn't realize I was whistling," Comisar says, lost in admiration of duds worn by Griffith and co-star Don Knotts. "I take great pride in knowing that these still exist."

The secure, climate-controlled facility is crammed with TV nostalgia: Lt. Columbo's shabby overcoat, Capt. Stubing's "The Love Boat" uniform, Cher's gowns, the shoe phone used by bumbling agent Maxwell Smart and the curtain from Johnny Carson's "Tonight" show set.

There are pieces as old as Buffalo Bob's outfit from "Howdy Doody," the children's show that debuted in 1947, and as new as the shirt James Gandolfini wears in the opening shots of "The Sopranos."

Plans are in the works to send 500 or so items on a tour of North American museums.

"This is a total calling," says Comisar, 37. "I was raised on TV."