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World of Westfahl |
Encyclopedia Introduction |
All Entries |
Acknowledgements
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(1916–1908). American science fiction fan and actor.
Appeared in
documentaries: The History of the SF Film (Thys Ockersen 1982); Lugosi:
The Forgotten King (Mark S. Gilman, Jr., and Dave Stuckey 1985); Fangoria's
Weekend of Horrors (Mike Hadley and Kerry O'Quinn 1986); Drive-In
Madness (Tim Ferrante 1987); Hollywood Dinosaur Chronicles (1987);
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: A Family Portrait (Brad Shellady 1988); Mr.
Science Fiction's Fantastic Universe (1988); The Horror Hall of Fame
(Ron de Moraes 1990); Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Fantasy
(and hosted and co-wrote) (Ray Ferry 1991); Shock Cinema Volume 2
(1991); Flying Saucers at the Movies: The Plan 9 Companion
(Mark Patrick
Carducci 1992); Heartstoppers; Horror at the Movies (Steve Purcell and
Neil Steinberg 1992); Dinosaur Movies (and provided original models)
(Donald F. Glut 1993); Hollywood Goes Ape
(Glut 1994); Hollywood Rated "R" (Dominique
Cazenave and Doug Headline 1997); Hollywood Aliens and Monsters (Kevin
Burns 1997); Secret Lives: L. Ron Hubbard (Jill Robinson 1997); Universal
Horror (Kevin Brownlow 1998); Attack of the 50 Foot Monster Mania
(1999); Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces (Brownlow 2000); "Lon Chaney Sr.
and Jr." (2001), episode of E! Mysteries and Scandals; Polish
Vampire: Behind the Fangs (short) (Pirro 2001); "The King of Badi Movies"
(2001), episode of Chiller Cinema; Big, Fat, and Tacky: A Trip to
Karloffornia (short) (Fred Anderson 2003); Frazetta: Painting with
Fire (Lance Laspina 2003); Jules Verne and Walt Disney: Two Explorers
of the Imagination (short) David J. Skal 2003); My Life with Count
Dracula (Dustin Lance Black 2003); Monserama: Basil Gogos (Daniel
Roebuck 2004); Monsterama: The Ackermonster (Roebuck 2004); The
Making of the Double-D Avenger (Winckler 2004); Finding the Future: A
Science Fiction Conversation (Casey Moore 2004); interview included in Ray
Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection (2005); Ringers: Lord of the
Fans (Carlene Cordova 2005); H. G. Wells: The Father of Science
Fiction (short) (2005); Visions from the Edge: The Art of Science
Fiction (Michael MacDonald 2006); The Witch's Dungeon: Forty Years of
Thrills (Dennis Vincent 2006); Sci-Fi Boys (Paul Davids 2006); Look,
Up in the Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman (Burns 2006); Working
with a Master: John Landis (short) (Frank H. Woodward 2006); American
Scary (John E. Hudgens 2006); Goolians (short) (Roebuck, Deverill
Weekes, and Wally Wingert 2006); Vampira; The Movie (Kevin Sean
Michaels 2006); Spine Tingler: The William Castle Story (Jeffrey
Schwarz 2007); Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman (MacDonald 2007).
Also: spaceship
string puller, The Beast with a Million Eyes (David Kramarsky, Lou
Place, and Roger CORMAN, uncredited 1955); technical advisor, The Wizard
of Mars (David Hewitt 1964); contributed to script, Mad Monster Party?
(animated) (Jules Bass 1966); co-wrote with Ken Dixon, Filmgore (documentary)
(Dixon 1983); creative consultant, CreepTales (video) (Tim Boxell,
Stephen Hegyes, Steve Hegyi, Ken Mandel, Greg Middleton, Roger Nygard, James
Salisbury, and Rod Slane 2004).
At a time when their creators regarded horror
and science fiction movies as ephemeral junk to be rushed to theaters for a
quick profit and then thrown away, Forrest J Ackerman loved all of those
movies; and, since other science fiction fans of his time were mostly devoted
to the written literature, Ackerman made the celebration of those films his
special mission. His activities on their behalf took many forms: he collected
science fiction film props and memorabilia that might otherwise have been
discarded; he sought out and talked to the actors, directors, and technicians
who made those films, obtaining invaluable information and insights; he
launched a magazine, Famous Monsters of Filmland, featuring articles
about old and new genre films; and he wrote and edited books about those films,
including an evocative tribute to Boris
KARLOFF, The Frankenscience
Monster (1969). Having become a regular and well-received visitor to film
sets, Ackerman was often invited to play the aforementioned small roles in
science fiction films; but his public activities on behalf of the genre were
more influential, as his proselytizing encouraged many other people to
acknowledge, or discover, that they loved those films too.
Witness, therefore, the curious rewriting of
film history that has now occurred in the public imagination. The cheap old
films with Karloff and Bela LUGOSI,
the movies about mad scientists and zombies and giant dinosaurs, are the ones
that are regularly shown on television, rented or sold as videos, and remade by
modern directors who vainly attempt with bigger budgets and better special
effects to recapture their charm and energy; while the expensive old films
which had lavish budgets, big stars, and Oscar nominations are, with a few
conspicuous exceptions, ignored and forgotten. To a large extent, then, the world
has come to see film history the way that Ackerman saw it; and it surely
provided consolation to Ackerman in his declining years to witness the world
adapting his point of view and seeking him out more than ever to make cameo
appearances in nostalgic films and to provide documentaries with expert
testimony about the early years of science fiction film. Indeed, with
involvement in some 30 films and documentaries during the last five years of
his life, making it the most active phase of his film career, it is possible to
speculate that all of this attention had a draining effect on this elderly man,
contributing to his death at the advanced age of 92. True, there were a few
controversies involving some of his decisions in later years that led to some
criticism of the man, but none of this really diminished the affection that
everyone in the science fiction community felt for him; as one piece of
evidence, I was present at the 2006 World Science Fiction Convention where its
coveted "Big Heart Award" was officially renamed in his honor.
In The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film,
Michael Weldon asks, "Aren't you tired of movie books beginning with Abbott
and Costello?" Yes, which is exactly why I omit them to begin with
Ackerman, a lesser-known but more significant contributor to science fiction
film. The fact that I am writing this book with a reasonable expectation of
reaching a wide audience is due in large part to Ackerman's herculean efforts
on behalf of this field, so it is only appropriate that he will always enjoy
the honor of being its very first entry.
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