Thanks to "Uncle Forry," I was one of those kids who had lined up to see Dracula VS. FRANKENSTEIN when it first saw theatrical release: the co-stars of this one had turned up on the cover of FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND (which had featured an article on the movie without advising those of us who cared about such things that it might be something less than entertaining- on any level). Mr. Ackerman acquited himself well enough, all things considered, but his appearance proved all too brief. And now he's gone. There won't be any more cameos; no more FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND. It was Forrest J. Ackerman who helped me get a script I'd written into the hands of filmmaker George A. Romero. (The letter "Uncle Forry" sent me has apparently been lost in the three-decade shuffle since, but it was one of my most prized possessions for years.) I found out that FJA was among the Missing when I happened upon the final minute or so of a year-end Farewell to the Lost on Turner Classic Movies. He Left on December 4th, and I hadn't heard word one about it until I stumbled across that TCM tribute. Ackerman's love of all things Fantastic brought us together (he as editor, myself as reader and fan) and, although I did write back to him and thank him for his help in getting my script to Romero... it just doesn't seem like thanks enough. Not now. (I dedicated THE NIGHT RIDERS, my xlibris book, in part, to FJA.) There weren't a whole lot of things a kid could count on when I was growing up, but there was- and always will be, for as long as life endures- the memories I have of a black and white magazine whose editor shared my love of the Fantastic; an editor who always seemed to me to be a kid at heart. With love, this one's for Forrest J. Ackerman.
Review of Dracula vs. Frankenstein
