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FORRY ACKERMAN
Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
Our affection for Forrest Ackerman is well-documented on this site, and if you don’t know who he is, I’d suggest you do a search for “Ackerman.” Remember the quotation marks. It makes all the difference in how our search engine works.
I was sent the following by several people, and it makes me very sad to publish it:
ACKERMAN COLLECTION FOR SALE
A MAJOR FIGURE in the world of Sci-Fi/Fantasy for over half a century, Forrest J Ackerman is also widely considered one of the nicest and most generous individuals on this planet. He has worked as an agent, actor, editor, lecturer, archivist, researcher, and anthologist. In 1957 Forry began editing the magazine "Famous Monsters of Filmland", a publication that changed the lives of a generation. His friends have included Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Ray Bradbury, Ray Harryhausen, Fritz Lang, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Ed Wood... and thousands of fans around the world.
Forry’s home, the "Ackermansion" (located in Horrorwood, Karloffornia), is a museum devoted to the world of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Filled with thousands of books, original paintings, and motion picture props, the Ackermansion has been open to the public since 1950. Visitors were given the opportunity to view Bela Lugosi’s Dracula cape, animation models used in "King Kong", Boris Karloff’s "Mummy" ring, Lon Chaney Sr.’s make-up kit, plus thousands of rare Sci-Fi books, posters, props, lobby cards, and photographs.
For personal reasons Forry has decided to close the Ackermansion and part with a significant portion of his collection. Many of these items will be auctioned on ebay over the next several months. Please join us in aiding and
honoring one of the great figures in the world of Sci-Fi and Fantasy. Starting this week, collectors will be able to bid on items from his collection (including props, masks, posters, lobby cards, toys, model kits, gadgets, stills, rare books, paintings etc) by entering "Ackerman Collection" or "Ackermansion" in the ebay search engine. This auction will be ongoing for next few months. Proceeds of this Auction will go to Mr. Ackerman's retirement fund.
Once re-located, Forry looks forward to welcoming friends, both old and new, to the new Ackermuseum.
The Ackermansion is one of those spots in Hollywood that every good film geek has eventually seen, and the thought of it closing its doors and that collection being scattered to the wind... well, it’s heartbreaking.
Still, if it will help Forry, then I’m all for it. So go check out the items on eBay and see what sort of magic you’re able to buy. You might be surprised.
"Moriarty" out.
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what up yo, what's this cuttin of the eyeball harry head from!? thanks for whoever helps me out
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I saw old Forry getting wheeled into the Los Feliz 3 here in L.A. to see MIIB the other day. I wonder what he thought?
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Because if I had the money I would buy that entire collection, and keep it all intact for the next generation to see, shit like that needs to be seen and kept in the public's eye. Spielberg wastes money on buying Academy Awards, when we have real film lore sitting right here. My bank account is modest, but I will be checking Ebay everyday seeing what they've put up. Hopefully people like Moriarty and Harry can get their hands on some of this stuff.
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Why any film school graduate (or Pixies fan [ever wonder what the song "Debaser" was about?]) will tell you it's from the Luis Bu
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Jul 23, 2002 3:38:55 AM CDT
Bollocks! Just get Joe Dante, Robert Rodriguez and QT to buy it
by cash bailey
Then have them open up a huge museum in LA and display this stuff .
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The "personal reasons" cited for Forry selling off most of his collection are no doubt related to his failing health. At last report, he was in the hospital, and doctors had not determined if Forry had suffered a mild stroke or a heart attack. Locus Magazine has some details on its Web site: http://www.locusmag.com/2002/Features/Letters05a.html#glazer
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Lugosi is burried in *a* Dracula cape, the one he wore in the movie. But Ackerman owns the cape Lugosi wore in the stage production of "Dracula" and in the film footage Ed Wood used for "Plan 9."
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As an east coast geek (Pennsylvania) who never got all the way west, I'm saddened to think that one of the points on my eventual trip (The Ackermansion) won't be there when I do get out there in the next two years or so...
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If the real reason Forry has to now sell off a chunk of his beloved collection is to cover ever-growing medical bills, then I wish him all the best. I've had the pleasure of meeting him twice in my life. First when I was a very young kid and he siged a copy of PERRY RODAN #1 for me at the Famous Monsters Convention in NYC...and just recently for my birthday, when a friend took me over to the mansion where Forry signed the SAME Perry Rodan book -- yes, 30 years later and right under his earlier signature. Talk about a deja vu sense of time passing! And for anyone who's never met him, let me assure you that regardless of that 30-year difference in time, Forry was still the most entertaining, enthusiastic and genuinely good-hearted "fan geek" you could ever hope to meet. He's everything the stories say he is, and I sincerely wish him well on the auction...even more so on recovering his health. That said, let me add that strolling through the mansion and seeing things like the original Willis O'Brien armatures for the KING KONG dinosaurs -- some of which are still very much intact and in good condition -- is a mind blowing moment for any true film fan. I don't know "which" items Forry will ultimately decide to sell from his collection, but when it comes to things like the KONG armatures I agree with an earlier poster who noted it's insane that someone as rich as Spielberg would buy an old Oscar but NOT scoop up these treasures at top dollar to first help Forry out, and then DONATE them to a proper musuem for kids of all ages to see for years to come.
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they had just tried a "donation" website, maybe something to keep the museum open, before selling the stuff. he might not like charity, but id donate to keep the smithsonian open, same thing.
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Forry may be selling part of his collection to pay medical bills, but I doubt he would keep his home open to the public in any event. It simply doesn't look like his health will permit him to play tour guide anymore.
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I was speaking of keeping his current home open to the public, of course. If Forry is talking about relocating, he may find a place he can maneuver about in sufficiently enought to play host. But is is sure to be smaller than his current home (which isn't the original Ackermansion, BTW; he's moved before, and he sold off some items then, too, if I rightly recall).
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the new "Harrody", that is :D
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Harry and Moriarty engaged in a 69. Check out the pink slippers if you don't believe me. How utterly vile. I think I'm going to start checking Corona's Coming Attractions more often......
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