Another great in the world of sci-fi and horror has passed away, the wonderful and genial gentleman encyclopedia of genre entertainment Forrest J Ackerman. Forrest died this week (Thursday) at the ripe old age of 92 of heart failure.
Forrest, who was a guest on our show, (Slice of SciFi #78), was one of the kindest and gentlest people you would ever want to meet and one of the most influential men in Hollywood who would forever make an indelible mark on several generations of horror movie fans thanks mainly to his world renowned Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine and endless collection of horror, fantasy and sci-fi memorabilia and collectibles.
Forrest also was a writer, editor and literary agent who was one of the first to see the untapped potential of sci-fi (a term he coined) for the motion picture industry in the early 1950’s and helped, almost single-handedly, revive the horror movie in that same era. He also realized that the future of the industry lay in the hands of the young baby boomers of the 1950’s & 60’s and geared his magazine for them, a very young audience of teens and pre-teens at the time, ensuring an entire generation of loyal followers that would initiate the birth of such classics as Star Trek, Star Wars, the revival of Dracula, werewolves and vampires for the next 50 years.
Forrest has been the inspiration for many successful writers and innovators in the world of horror and sci-fi, including such giants as Gene Roddenberry, Stephen King, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and John Landis – just to name a few. If it hadn’t been for Ackerman then such classic monsters as Boris Karloff’s Frankenstein and Bela Lugosi’s Dracula would have been left decaying somewhere on some studio backlot storage facility. However, thanks to Forrest’s love for the genre and his enthusiasm sparked in his magazine, those characters will forever remain in the consciousness of humanity.
To see how much this one man was responsible for current trends in motion pictures and television one need to look no further than the current list of movies and TV shows on the docket…a return of Star Trek, Lucas still creating and talking more Star Wars, vampires more popular than ever with such film franchises as Underworld and Twilight, and a new Wolfman feature film coming soon starring Benicio Del Toro.
Forrest J. Ackerman, a giant, a legend and the last of his kind, is gone and leaves a gaping hole that can never be filled.
Syracuse University Special Collections Research Center: Forrest J Ackerman Papers: An inventory of his papers at Syracuse University
Online Archive of California: Forrest J Ackerman collection on Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
Orbis Cascade Alliance (Archives West): Forrest J. Ackerman papers, 1920-1987
I once met him at a con in Atlanta in 1984. He was very patient with me and answered my questions about about all the great talent(Karloff,Lang,Bradbury) he has met during his lifetime. I will greatly miss him.
He was s sweet man with an amazing gift for storytelling. I had the pleasure of meeting him a few times over the last 25 years and visiting his “mini-mansion” a few years ago. I cannot tell you the excitement I came home to my answering machine to hear his voice inviting me. That was very enjoyable experience. He was a liaison for Sci -Fi and horror to many. And a a hell of a nice guy. I will miss you 4E.
Uncle Forry was also a great pioneer for Esperanto, the global language.
Dankon al vi pere de http://www.lernu.net
There will never be another ‘diamond’ like Forrest J Ackerman ! my life (and a LOT of other peoples too) was changed forever by his seminal,spectacular magazine ‘Famous Monsters Of Filmland !’ this magazine changed forever, my life and the direction it was going to take.
The Beatles had their ‘guru’,the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi …mine, was Forrest J Ackerman ! i suppose since about age 8 i wished i could do what he was doing for a living….a helluva lotta good,and bringing the great Universal Films of the 1930s and 1940s back into vogue with his great magazine as the ‘organ’ and our forum.
The magazine was ‘reader friendly’ decades before the term came into widespread use. Forry helped the ‘greats’ become even more revered and great by introducing young kids to films that (without him ) they would never have heard of ! he elevated the Screen Giants to an ever ‘loftier’ perch….the greats….Karloff,Lugosi,Lon Chaney Sr.and Jr.,Fritz Lang,Willis O’brien,Vincent Price, and Christopher Lee,and scores more…
Rest Easy, my good friend. you are an American Treasure and will forever be missed !
Lifelong Fan of FM and one of the worlds biggest collectors of the magazine BRADFORD SAVAGE —