Forrest J. Ackerman
On February 11th I had the opportunity
to attend a special in-person tribute to Forrest Ackerman at the
Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.
There was an early reception in the lobby
where “Uncle Forry” made his grand entrance and cut
his cake. In general, local personalities schmoozed and hovered
around the catering table, including myself and Eric Caidin of
Hollywood Book
& Poster. The press snapped photos and all was calm as
we made our way into the theatre.
Directors John Landis and Joe Dante opened
the ceremony with their heart-warming boyhood tales of reading
“Famous Monsters of Filmland,” Forry’s classic
monster magazine. Then they played tons of Forry footage: shots
of the Ackermansion, clips from many of the films he’s done,
and other miscellaneous antics of the “Ackermonster.”
Some speakers were unable to attend personally
and sent in video taped messages. Among them were Ray Bradbury
and Peter Jackson. Both had wonderful stories of their first encounters
with “4E;” Bradbury a long time ago before he was
a famous writer and artist, and Jackson spoke of growing up a
lonely horror-loving nerd (just like many of us) and turning to
Famous Monsters magazine for comfort. He also mentioned how he
first met Forry and came to use him in his own horror film, Dead
Alive. Peter Jackson is one of the most inspiring directors of
horror since Sam Raimi, but I digress. I’ll just say that
I felt personally touched by the things he said and I can’t
wait to meet him myself.
The applause was deafening as the guest
of honor rose to speak and was greeted by an enthusiastic standing
ovation. He uttered his thanks briefly to the crowd and dedicated
the evening to his late wife, Wendane.
Forrest Ackerman has contributed years
of fun and entertainment to horror and science fiction. This tribute
was well-deserved and long over due.
Also in attendance were Irwin Keyes, Scott
Spiegel, William Schallert, and James Duval.
-Aine
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