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

[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!