Forrest J. Ackerman and Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine
Uncle Forry Left a Monstrous Legacy to Monster Kids Everywhere
May 6, 2009
Famous Monsters was the magazine that set the imagination reeling, giving a look at still after still of this fantastic imagery from a different era.
Famous Monsters of Filmland
Lon Chaney, unmasked for the first time in Phantom of the Opera; his son Creighton (known as "Lon Jr.") prowling the Universal Studios backlot sets as a lupine in The Wolfman; Glenn Strange as the Frankenstein Monster sizing up Lou Costello as Lou and Bud Abbott met the monsters. Page after page of this gothic symbolism leapt out in glorious black and white and played on the fancy of many young minds.
Forrest Ackerman and his Monster Kids
What made the magazine exceptionally memorable, however, was the wonderful pun filled writing of FM's legendary editor. His name was Forrest J. Ackerman.
Every issue found "Uncle Forry" having a "fangtastic" time, recalling the moments from the monster movies that mattered. He was a whirlwind of pun slinging goodness with an encyclopedic knowledge of "imagi-movies", and he loved the fantasy, horror, and science fiction flicks so much that his passion and admiration won over an uncountable number of "Monster Kids" with the decades and new generations. He wrote about his huge collection of monster memorabilia and invited anyone interested to peruse the "Ackermansion" and give those priceless goodies a look for themselves. Uncle Forry, "The Ackermonster", 4SJ, Dr. Ackula...whatever moniker he went by, Forrest J. Ackerman was a sincere and kind individual and a giant of the horror industry. All in all, NO ONE did more to promote the genre than good ol' Uncle Forry.
Uncle Forry's Industry Impact
Besides Famous Monsters, Forry was also a book author, a literary agent, a producer, and even named the comic book character "Vampirella". He was an important figure in the development of many greats, including his good friends Ray Bradbury and Ray Harryhausen, two of the absolute most important figures of the horror and sci-fi community.
Of the many articles and pieces that appeared in each fun filled issue of FM, I remember the mainstay tributes to Lon Chaney and Boris Karloff as being particularly noteworthy. "LON CHANEY SHALL NOT DIE" and "BORIS KARLOFF LIVES ETERNAL" said the headlines, and with every issue Uncle Forry made sure of it.
He was a friend to Boris and Bela (he even wore the ring that graced Lugosi's hand in Dracula, given to him by the Count himself), and the inspiration to a countless number of current successful genre creators such as Stephen King, John Landis, and Tim Burton.
On December 4th 2008, Forrest J. Ackerman passed away. As a Monster Kid (or Grandkid, as the case may be), there was no way to not feel a twinge of sadness at the news, despite Forry's colorful and selfless 92 years. He was a wonderful representative of the fantasy genres and a worthy keeper of the legacies of so many classic films, filmmakers, and actors. In a tribute to his verve, he held visits to his home/museum (now scaled down to "Ackermini-mansion" size) as recently as 2008, and visited his myspace as recently as March 2008.
His own legacy is in no danger. His influence is felt virtually everywhere within the horror/sci-fi genre of pop culture, from the master works of Steven Spielberg to the heady films of Rob Zombie. Most importantly, he resides in the hearts and minds of his hundreds of thousands of Monster Kids, Grandkids, even Greatgrandkids.
"FORREST ACKERMAN SHALL NOT DIE!"
