Goodbye, Forrest Ackerman, collector of sci-fi

I was one of the many science fiction fans who made the pilgrimage to Forrest J Ackerman's house in Los Feliz to look at his mad wonderful overabundant collection of all things sci-fi. Ackerman told many people that he coined the term "sci-fi," and I was inclined to believe him, standing in his basement, among the crowded bookshelves, the comic books and paperbacks, the magazines and masks and posters and models and lobby cards and plastic brains. My pictures, which appear here, do not do it justice.

Ackerman, who edited Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine for many years, has died; he was 92. He had sought a home for his collection in its entirety, but recently had sold off much of it. He had also moved out of the "Ackermansion," which I visited, into a smaller home nearby.

It was 1994, I think, when I took the above picture of Ackerman, with my very tall friend Jeanette, who was the driving force behind our visit. If you spot Marlene Dietrich, it's only a cardboard stand-up. Below, some of Ackerman's many, many bookshelves, with a poster for the film "Fahrenheit 451." It was hard not to think that an errant spark might have sent his whole collection into flame.

More photos of Ackerman's collection after the jump.

Here you can see how he'd mix stuff altogether -- there was just so much of it. Books and magazines on bookshelves; movie masks, including an original from "Planet of the Apes" and a Star Wars Ewok, on flat surfaces; and behind, in a glass case, a model of the sexy female robot from "Metropolis." Below, a close-up of some of his scarier masks.

Let me apologize for the wacky angle of the next photo. Sort of sliding off the bottom of the frame is Ackerman's desk, piled with papers, including, I can see in my version, some pages of the L.A. Times. How much is that King Kong poster worth, do you think? Maybe it's a reissue. Maybe not.

The above picture is further to the left of his desk. Ackerman had an equal fondness for truly cheesy, sometimes cheesecake imagery (the posters on one wall are too racy for these pages) as well as for brilliant and adventurous science fiction. Upstairs, in his regular living space, there was a glass case with some of his more precious items, including a copy of "Dracula" that had been signed by Bram Stoker. And then by Bela Lugosi! And, I think others who played Dracula, too. Ackerman had been friends with Bela Lugosi, and told us Lugosi stories, which made me realize that Lugosi had been a pretty odd guy.

But 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.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photo credits: Carolyn Kellogg

Comments

[ian johnston]

Nice bit on Forry.

I had the great honor of visiting his mini Ackermansion in recent years ( I did a doc on him for Space TV in Canada)...great guy. He was the scifi MAN...and will be missed.

[Brady Westwater]

And I know he wanted his collection preserved for the people of Los Angeles - but the city never stepped with with a home for the collection. And while I know a lot of stuff had been sold - what is the fate of the rest of the collection?

[Barry Nackos]

I never made it to the Ackermansion (wish I did) but I did get his autograph in a Famous Monsters book while at a Sci-Fi convention in Los Angeles.

[Badtux]

Sadly, Brady, pretty much all of his collection had to be sold in 2002 when he won a lawsuit. Yes, *won* -- but the person he won the lawsuit against declared bankruptcy, the bankruptcy court voided the judgement, and Forrie was left to pay $400K in legal fees out of pocket, requiring him to auction off the majority of the collection and sell the Ackermansion. My understanding is that the few items remaining are being auctioned off by the estate to pay medical bills.

[James]

It really angers me that none of the film community couldn't sum up funds to put it all in one big collection of Hollywood history. This was movie history that has now been scattered about, while it could of remained in Los Angeles. It is so a dishonest to see that people couldn't step in and save his collection.

[Barbara]

over 30 years ago when my daughteras born with a major birth defect,i only wished that Forrest J Ackerman could have blessed and healed her. manyear later i presented elizabeth to the holy pope himself at a horror convention in Pittsburg in 1998. the yearefore my husband and i had the honor of meeting Forry at Ligonier at magnificent convention. it was truly the culmination of al ife's dream and I know that when Forry entered into heaven he was welcomed by the mighty sounds of the organ as the lord himself stepped forward to meet him. We send our families both loving and deepest condolescenes. He will be in our heart forever. Thanks