Yesterday, I made a new facebook friend. He was a guy who influenced me in the 1970s, 1980s, and even today. The way I look at movies is different because of him. He gave me insights into how sci-fi and horror films (among my favorites) are made. The special effects, the actors, the writers, the make-up, the stars were brought into my house through Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine. My new facebook friend was that magazine's founder and editor, Forrest J Ackerman.
I saw his name added to my new friends and clicked on the link. I was happy and excited. To a comic book/sci-fi nerd like myself this guy was second only to Stan Lee in my childhood and adolescent years. My collection of 100,000 comic books paled when compared to the items in his personal collection. He owned Bela Lugosi's Dracula cape, props from the original King Kong, 2001, War of the Worlds, Tribbles from Star Trek and thousands of other geek toys. He created Vampirella. He invented the term "sci-fi." He owned the original "Robby the Robot" (above). He died yesterday, at age 92, a few hours after became my (and a few other people's) FB friend. He heard of me, simple by saying 'yes' to my request. I never met him, but he was a friend nonetheless. I didn't have a chance to say 'thanks' for everything he taught and showed me. I'll miss that friend I never met.
