Forrest J. Ackerman; 1916-2008

Phil's Bubble
Forrest J. Ackerman; 1916-2008
By Philip Schweier
Dec 12, 2008 - 7:09

If anyone could lay claim to being the first science fiction fan, nobody has a stronger case than Forrest J. Ackerman, who passed away Dec. 4 at the age of 92.

Longtime DC Comics editor Julie Schwartz presents Ackerman with his "Julie" award at Dragon*Con in 2004.

Truly, we’ve lost a legend among legends. In his career, Forry, as he was known to friends and well-wishers, a writer, an agent, an editor, and actor. But first and foremost, he was a fan of science fiction – actually he was THE fan, having coined the term “sci-fi” – and horror and genre entertainment. And he loved sharing his enthusiasm with anyone who was interested.

Ackerman was born and raised in 1920s Hollywood, and was there at the birth of genre films as the movie industry foisted an assortment of vampires, werewolves and extraterrestrial creatures upon the unsuspecting movie going public.

Young Forry Ackerman, before he discovered Amazing Stories

At a 2003 science fiction convention in Atlanta, Ackerman claimed it all began October, 1926, “I was nine years old and standing in front of a newsstand and the Hugo Gernsback magazine Amazing Stories jumped off the newsstand and said ‘Take me home little boy. You will love me!’ ”

Ackerman once explained that inthose days, before television and home video, every taste of fantasy became like a drop of water in a desert wasteland. The pulp magazines were a steady source, but quality was arguable. Films such as Metropolis and Frankenstein were like manna from heaven.

Science fiction author Ray Bradbury credits Ackerman with jumpstarting his career. Ackerman was Bradbury’s first literary agent, having loaned him $100 to enable him to attend the very first World Science Fiction Convention in 1939 in New York City and served as the budding author’s agent.

With the death of pulp magazines in the late 1940s and early ‘50s, the science fiction market began to contract. In 1958, Ackerman launched Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, of which he was editor for more than 190 issues. The magazine featured tales from Hollywood’s horror community, all with a tongue-in-cheek flavor designed to amuse young horror fans. In its heyday in the 1960s, Famous Monsters was incredibly popular and counted many modern filmmakers such as Stephen Spielberg and Tim Burton among its fans.

A fan himself, Ackerman made his greatest mark amassing an astounding collection of books, movie posters toys and Hollywood memorabilia – everything from Bela Lugosi’s ring and cape from Dracula to the golden idol from Raiders of the Lost Ark – which he housed in his 18-room home in the Hollywood hills. On Saturday mornings beginning in 1951, the public was invited to tour his collection free of charge, during which he would regale his guest with tales of Hollywood greats such as Vincent Price and Boris Karloff.

More than 400,000 fans have toured his archive, and in 2003 he relocated to a smaller “mini-Ackermansion.” Part of the collection was sold of to pay for legal and medical fees. In the wake of his passing, the final disposition of the “Ackermuseum” remains in doubt. The reknowned collector hoped to see his treasures would find a suitable home, to be shared after he was gone.

Forrest J. Ackerman wasn’t one of a kind, he was the first if his kind – a science fiction fan. If space were the new frontier as some have said, Ackerman’s passion for the genre made him a pioneer in an unexplored wilderness, and he was only too happy to lead the way, whether anyone followed him or not.

Such spirit should not be mourned, but celebrated. Were it not for him, science fiction fandom and all its affilaites might not even exist.