It's alive! Horror screenings celebrate return of Famous Monsters of Filmland

Susan King is back with another report about an L.A. event, this time it's a mini-festival of horror films this weekend to mark the resurrection of one of the most beloved brand names in geekdom. -G.B.

The American Cinematheque is celebrating the return of the movie magazine “Famous Monsters of Filmland” with a two-day feast of classic Universal horror films.

The late Forrest J. Ackerman began “Famous Monsters” with publisher James Warren 51 years ago and gave the world 191 issues of the magazine before it gave up the ghost in 1983. There was a revival in 1993 but that turned into an ugly dispute when Ackerman and the new regime parted ways. After numerous legal issues, Famous Monsters is shambling out of the crypt once again (although this time it's online only) but without Forry's presence the venture will have to prove itself before old-school fans embrace it as anything more than just another namesake. 

Still, the brand is being honored with a cinematic monster mash at the Egyptian Theatre that begins Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with a back-from-the-dead double feature: 1939’s “Son of Frankenstein” and 1942’s “Ghost of Frankenstein.”

Neither of the films is on par with the 1931 landmark “Frankenstein” and its superior 1935 sequel “Bride of Frankenstein," both directed by British filmmaker James Whale (who, coincidentally, died in Hollywood 52 years ago today) but   “Son of Frankenstein,” directed by Rowland V. Lee, is still crackling good fun. Basil Rathbone plays Henry Frankenstein’s son, Wolf, who returns to his family’s estate with his wife and son. Faster than you can say “It’s alive!,”  he discovers the ailing monster (Boris Karloff in his last turn as the neck-bolted patchwork man) who is being looked after by a gallows’ survivor named Ygor (Bela Lugosi). Henry comes up with the bright idea of rehabilitating the monster in order to redeem his father’s reputation. (Good luck with that.) Lionel Atwill plays a one-armed police chief who, decades later, would be memorably spoofed by Kenneth Mars in Mel Brooks’ 1974 classic “Young Frankenstein.” On Saturday, "Son of Frankenstein" will be introduced by Sarah Karloff, daughter of the screen icon.

 

The budget was definitely lower on “Ghost of Frankenstein,” which finds Lon Chaney Jr. taking over the role of the monster. This time around, Ygor forces Henry Frankenstein’s other son, Ludwig (Cedric Hardwicke), to keep the monster alive. Ludwig wants to replace the monster’s criminal brain with one of his murdered colleague, but the insane Ygor has other ideas. Janet Ann Gallows, who was a child performer in the film, will provide the introduction.

Carla Laemmle, the 99-year-old niece of Universal mogul Carl Laemmle, will be on hand Sunday to introduce Tod Browning’s 1931 horror classic “Dracula” starring Lugosi in his signature role as the blood-thirsty Count from Transylvania. A bit of trivia: Carla Laemmle has a small part in the carriage sequence in the beginning of the film. Dwight Frye plays Renfield, David Manners is Jonathan Harker, Helen Chandler is Mina and Edward Van Sloan is Professor Van Helsing.

The second Sunday feature is "House of Dracula," which will be introduced by Jane Adams, who plays the hunchbacked nurse in the 1945 chiller. This time around, Lon Chaney Jr. reprises his role as the cursed Larry Talbot, who under a full moon becomes the ferocious Wolf Man, and John Carradine dons the cape as Count Dracula. The aptly named Glenn Strange walks in Karloff's legendary (and lumbering) footsteps as Frankenstein’s monster.

-- Susan King

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Forrest J. Ackerman's scary treasures part of Hollywood auction

The late Forrest J. Ackerman dedicated his life to amassing what many consider to have been the world’s largest personal collection of science fiction, fantasy and horror memorabilia. On Thursday, about 500 remnants of his prized cache will go on the block as part of a larger auction of Hollywood collectibles. (The auction has plenty of other historic Hollywood totems, among them this mask from classic 1954 monster tale "The Creature from the Black Lagoon.")

Among the Ackerman-owned items for sale are the ring worn by actor Bela Lugosi in the 1931 film “Dracula,” Lugosi’s vampire cape from “Plan 9 From Outer Space” and other movies and his robe from “The Raven.”

“Forry died a pretty broke guy,” said Joe Maddalena, president of the auction house Profiles in History, who’s staging the event at its Calabasas Hills headquarters and online at www.liveauctioneers.com. “He didn’t do this for money. He did it for love.”

During his lifetime, Ackerman put the items on display at his house, and he was approached by a litany of people, including former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, with hopes of transforming his collection of 300,000 items into a museum. But the plans always fell through, and Ackerman eventually had to sell his trove piecemeal amid mounting bills for health problems and a legal fight surrounding the magazine he edited and wrote for, Famous Monsters of Filmland.

When Ackerman died in December  at age 92, he left behind thousands of pieces in his modest Los Feliz home. The house was dubbed the Acker Mini-Mansion, an allusion to his original 18-room home, the Ackermansion, which was sold in 2002 along with the majority of his collection.

"What he had left were the most sentimental, intimate things that he treasured,” Maddalena said. He estimates that Ackerman’s portion of the auction is expected to bring in $500,000, to be distributed among the 17 beneficiaries stipulated in his will.

Though his inner circle included sci-fi royalty — he was Ray Bradbury’s first agent, and Famous Monsters influenced Stephen King, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas — the beneficiaries aren’t famous. Among them is a waitress from his favorite restaurant, House of Pies in Los Feliz, said friend and estate trustee Kevin Burns.

“It’s because they weren’t expecting to be in his will that they are in his will,” he said. “We’re expecting that everyone will get something.”

Auction items include a signed first edition  of Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein,” priced at $2,000 to $3,000; a first edition  of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” signed by the author, Lugosi and Boris Karloff, at $6,000 to $8,000; and a copy of “Triton,” signed by Ackerman and bearing the property label of L. Ron Hubbard, at $600 to $800.

The most expensive items are those Ackerman cherished above all others. Lugosi’s black cape is priced at $15,000 to $20,000; his ring, at $20,000 to $30,000, and it is expected to go for much higher, Maddalena said. Lugosi kept the ring until he died; a friend of his gave it to Ackerman because of his admiration for Lugosi.

“Having the ‘Dracula’ ring was something he could wear on his hand, and once he started wearing it, he became known as the man who had Lugosi’s ring,” Burns said. “It has a certain mystery and magic having been worn by Lugosi and then by Ackerman. He would never take it off.”

Another favorite possession is a copy of the robot from Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis.” Ackerman reportedly watched the 1927 movie more than 100 times and spent years trying to track down the original prop. But he could never locate it, because the robot was burned at the end of the movie. Never willing to give up, Ackerman got hold of the design and gave it to filmmaker Bill Malone, who built a replica. The robot comes with a stuffed monkey doll that once belonged to Lang. Only two were made, and one of them was buried with the Austrian director in 1976. The estimated price for the lot: $12,000.

Other items are not as pricey: Autographed photos of Marlene Dietrich, Karloff and countless other actors, writers and filmmakers start at $200. The goal was to make the auction accessible to fans and collectors, Burns said, and preserve Ackerman’s legacy.

“At the end of the day, the one that made the museum was him,” he  said. “He was the greatest item in his collection.”

-- Alicia Lozano

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Auction items photos courtesy of Profiles in History. Forrest J Ackerman at his home in 1969. Credit: Jack Carrick / Los Angeles Times.

Forrest J. Ackerman remembered

It's pretty telling that since the death of Forrest K. Ackerman last week, there has been a steady flow of memorial essays singing his praises. The man was clearly beloved.

Carolyn Kellogg, one of my colleagues here at The Times, took the photo above during a 1994 visit to the famed Ackermansion. She's written a nice piece on her visit that day, and I especially liked her appraisal of her host's demeanor:

The really wonderful thing Forrest Ackerman shared with us that day was glee. I mean, seriously, he was gleeful. He loved all his stuff, he loved showing it to people. We could have stayed longer, much longer than we did. If there is a heaven for each of us, I hope Forrest Ackerman's is filled with heavenly versions of his entire collection, and an endless line of people eager for tours.

There are plenty of tributes around the Internet but, the I one I found to be the most earnest and emotional was the piece that Harry Knowles wrote at Ain't It Cool News:

His influence can not even closely be put into perspective. That so many of us know so much about classic horror, fantasy and sci-fi is due to a large degree to Ackerman. Whether you directly read "Famous Monsters" is irrelevant, that everyone that you have read has read it is true. Be it Starlog, Fangoria, Scarlet Street or any geek publication -- the fountain that we have all sipped from sprang from Karloffornia and the home of Forrest Ackerman. Many of the the technicians, special effects masters and filmmakers that work in the realms that Forry loved ... do so in no small part based on the childhood passion that Forry gave them. The same can be said of the toy-makers and animators. Ackerman gave us permission to openly love these things and to share our passion of them. I can easily say ... without Forrest J Ackerman -- you would not be reading Aint It Cool News.

Knowles writes that AICN will be taking some archival steps to preserve some of the great treasures of Ackerman, which is good news indeed.

Did you ever get to hear the Uncle Forry speak? After the jump you can find some video of the late icon that's quite entertaining, including a montage of his film appearances through the years and his narrated tour of his home from 1986.

-- Geoff Boucher

Forrest J Ackerman dead at 92

Sad (but not shocking) news today that Forrest J Ackerman has died. Dennis McLellan, one of the fine obituary writers in the country, writes about this true original:

Forrest J Ackerman, who influenced a generation of young horror movie fans with Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine and spent a lifetime amassing what has been called the world's largest personal collection of science fiction and fantasy memorabilia, has died. He was 92.

Ackerman, a writer, editor and literary agent who has been credited with coining the term "sci-fi" in the 1950s, died Thursday of heart failure at his home in Los Angeles, Kevin Burns, head of Prometheus Entertainment and a trustee of Ackerman's estate, told the Associated Press.

As editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland, Ackerman wrote most of the articles in the photo-laden magazine launched in 1958 as a forum for past and present horror films.

"It was the first movie monster magazine," Tony Timpone, editor of Fangoria, a horror movie magazine founded in 1979, told The Times in 2002.

Timpone, who began reading Famous Monsters as a young boy in the early '70s, remembers it as "a black-and-white magazine with cheap paper but great painted [color] covers. It really turned people on to the magic of horror movies."

Primarily targeted to late pre-adolescents and young teenagers, Famous Monsters of Filmland featured synopses of horror films, interviews with actors such as Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and Vincent Price, and articles on makeup and special effects.

Famous Monsters reflected Ackerman's penchant for puns, with features such as "The Printed Weird" and "Fang Mail." Ackerman referred to himself as Dr. Acula.

"He put a lot of his personality into the magazine," said Timpone, who later became friends with Ackerman. "It was a pretty juvenile approach to genre journalism, but as kids, that's all we had."

Again, you can read the entire obit right here.   

One of our sister blogs, The Daily Mirror, has dug up a 2002 profile by Hilary E. MacGregor, one of my former colleagues here in the featrues sections of the Los Angeles Times. An excerpt:

Even here amid his diminished collection, it becomes apparent that the greatest part of Ackerman's collection is the man himself. He is full of tales of the birth of horror in Hollywood. He saw movies that have been lost forever. He attended Bela Lugosi's funeral. He attended not just the first World Science Fiction Convention in New York City in 1939, but nearly every convention since. As a teenager, he corresponded with the president of Universal Studios, Carl Laemmle, 62 times, until Laemmle wrote on his president's stationery, "Give this kid anything he wants." Fifteen-year-old Forrie Ackerman chose the sound discs to some of the greats of early cinema like "Murders in the Rue Morgue" and "Frankenstein."