RIP Forrest J Ackerman

[gwynnega]

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Forrest J Ackerman. My dad knew him, and according to my mom, my parents visited his memorabilia-laden home many years ago. My mom can't remember how my dad and FJA met--whether perhaps it had to do with some project they were working on (my dad was a screenwriter).

When I was a monster-movie-loving kid in the mid 1970s, my dad presented me with several issues of Famous Monsters of Filmland FJA had given him, including ISSUE #2. As I recall, these issues had great photos from the 1930s Universal films I loved and the silent horror films I hadn't yet seen--but they also included lots of photos from later movies I had no interest in. Thus I, being a child and having no idea of what these items might be worth, proceeded to cut the magazines up and save my favorite pictures. ACK! It seems to me I had at least one late 1960s issue that featured Dark Shadows, however this was about thirty years before I became a Dark Shadows fan.

After my dad gave me those issues, I faithfully bought Famous Monsters from my local newsstand every month and read it cover to cover.

Comments

[nwhepcat.livejournal.com]

As a baseball card guy once said to my dad, it's the kids who wreck them and the mothers who trash 'em that make rare baseball cards as valuable as they are. So your childhood usage of the mag just helped make it the special thing it is today. :)

[gwynnega]

That's a good way to look at it!

I just looked up issue #2 on eBay. The Buy It Now price? $13,999.99.

Waaaaaah!!!

[nwhepcat.livejournal.com]

Ow, there would go my philosophical view of the whole thing....

But if you hadn't cut it up, it probably would have gone in a household purge. Um, really.

Holy shit, that's some money!

[gwynnega]

Of course, my dad clearly had no idea the issue would become so fabulously valuable either, or he wouldn't have given it to me!

[appomattoxco.livejournal.com]

Aww. Can't claim I knew him well. I was good friends with a writer who was also a guest where he was fan GoH. We spent a good two hours eating and talking together on Sunday after the convention.

[gwynnega]

Oh, that sounds nice...

[appomattoxco.livejournal.com]

It was a nice time. I can't believe it was twenty years ago. He seemed old to me then. Now I feel ancient.

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

Awww.

//sniffle

[gwynnega]

Yeah, exactly...

[sovay]

Thus I, being a child and having no idea of what these items might be worth, proceeded to cut the magazines up and save my favorite pictures.

That is, in fact, adorable. And a lot better than the fate of my father's early comics collection, which was partially destroyed by a resentful younger brother.

[gwynnega]

And a lot better than the fate of my father's early comics collection, which was partially destroyed by a resentful younger brother.

Oh no! That's awful. Whereas I cut up the magazines because I liked them so much!

I can still remember cutting out this image from The Man Who Laughs, a movie I'd never seen and still haven't, but the photo fascinated me...

[usedtobeljs]

Sorry to hear about the loss, but love to hear the memories.

[hugs]

[gwynnega]

They are very happy memories!

::hugs::

[janedavitt.livejournal.com]

It is sad; another name from the early days, the Golden Age, gone :-(

[gwynnega]

Yes, indeed...