We've spoken of our admiration, and affection, for Forrest J Ackerman, a man who was so unique that his middle initial didn't even have a period. But beyond that small and memorable idiosyncracy, what Uncle Forry brought to his fans was nearly immeasurable. He was the visionary behind Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, he supported a young Ray Bradbury in his literary efforts (may we just say !!!), and he collected thousands and thousands of movie props and stills and lobby cards, many of them very important.
Did we mention he also cameo'd in lots of B movies? He did, to great comic acclaim.
And, for many, many Saturdays, he would open the doors to his Los Feliz home and invite the fans to view his extensive, spooky, funny, and magical collection for free. And when Mr. Ackerman passed away last fall at the age of 92, his supporters around the globe pondered what would happen to his cornucopia of whimsical, and quite valuable, movie artifacts.
Those artifacts are going up for auction on April 30 and May 1. The headliner items include a gorgeous gothic ring flashed by Bela Lugosi in "Dracula" -- a major "get" in horror circles -- as well as other Lugosi-worn pieces. We like the cheesecake-y photos of young '50s-era starlets like Ann-Margret.
Hero Complex is reporting that one of the beneficiaries of the auction will be a waitress in Los Feliz who often waited on Forry. Does that make your heart soar? It makes ours happy. And even though we likely won't score any of these amazing artifacts, the memories of a very nice man, his wondrous house and the horror-happy joy he brought to movie fans will live on for us.
Hollywood, we put it to you: can you come up with more real-life characters, full of oomph and panache, like Mr. Forrest J?
