Forry: The Life of Forrest J Ackerman [Kindle Edition]

Forrest J Ackerman was a gargantuan personality. A one-of-a-kind eccentric with a humor and generosity of spirit that inspired legions. He was beloved by those in the most powerful, modern, creative communities ever! The genre communities of SciFi, Fantasy and Horror movies, literature and art. In this book, "The Life of Forry", you will encounter a story as disparate and whimsical as the man's life itself. And fairly loaded with personal pictures of his family, friends and notorious exploits.You can't look at American pop-culture today without seeing Forrest Ackerman's fingerprints everywhere. Here those fingerprints are held up to the light of day. Debbie Painter's book is a very personal portrait of a man she admired and came to know very well over his long lifetime.

Much in the spirit of Forry himself, this book is a "kitchen sink" bio that mixes historical information with anecdotal snippets from Debbie and others who knew Forry best. Anyone who is looking to take themselves, the subject matter or Forry himself too seriously should look elsewhere for entertainment. Better yet, just lighten up and come visit your quirky, sweet, brilliant Uncle in these affectionate pages. Forrest J Ackerman was well-known for his mentorship of many and his judgement of few. He believed in a Utopian future where there was room for everyone. There's definitely room on your shelf for this book.

Let me start off by saying that I met Forrest J. Ackerman at several Si-Fi and Horror conventions starting around early to mid 90s.! Before that I used to call him on the phone back in the 70s and 80s. Anyhow when the author Debbie Painter talks in her book about Forrest's kindness, I know it to be true. Back in the 70s I had met a famous Horror film star, but when meeting him I forgot to ask him for his mailing address! Later I called, Uncle Forry and ask him if he could get my Birthday card to this great actor, I knew Forry was good friends with him. And Forry made sure that the actor got my card and because of Forry's kindness the actor started writing back to me to my surprize! Later I wanted to send a letter to another famous actor that I grew up watching at the movies and on television. I could not find his address no where, again I asked Uncle Forry and again he made sure that the letter was delivered at his address! This actor too started to correspond back with me! Forry was a very kind man and he never wanted anything back in return! When I later met him at the movie convention shows again I found only kindness and humor from him! To millions of baby-boomer fans, Forrest has been affectionately titled, "Uncle Forry"!

Now Uncle Forry was one of the first main inspirations for my love of Si-Fi! His wonderful magazine, Famous Monsters came out in the late 50s, and I got it and it made me more interested in the Science-Fiction and Horror films! I loved going through the pages and seeing all those cool 40s and 50s monsters photos! And of course, I also enjoyed all the interesting stories and photos about Chaney Senior and Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney Jr. and Vincent Price! And all those great covers! I could not wait until it came out to buy the newest issue! One of the first Sci-Fi movies I remember seeing on the big screen was, Beginning Of The End and The Unearthly. And just a little later "Shock Theater" came out on television WCAU with its great host "Roland" - John Zacherle, then not too long after next Famous Monsters magazine came out and hit the newstands and stores! Bert I. Gordon, Forrest Ackerman and John Zacherle, definitely I can owe it to these three wonderful icons, for starting me off on my incredible road to the Science-fiction and Horror genre! And now here is a wonderfully written book on Uncle Forry! Debbie Painter has wrote this excellent book with much affection and love for Forrest J. Ackerman! I have learned alot more about Uncle Forry then I knew before! I never knew that Forry met the famous author Edgar Rice Burroughs! There are many more interesting stories like that in here! Since I am very interested in the paranormal, another story that I found very interesting was the story about Forry's grandfather, George. George and his wife held a seance at their home, they asked a lady over who began the process, "automatic writing". A planchette was used which had an opening through which a pencil was placed. The automatic writing wrote, "Mark Wyman take the Bradbury Building and you will be successful." They recognized the name "Mark" as that of George's deceased younger brother. At first they were puzzled over the last word it looked like gibberish until a friend told them that they were looking at it upside down. When they turned it rightside up it said the word, "successful"! After this, George took the assignment at the Bradbury Building and became world renowned as the architect of the Bradbury Building!

And there are the more enjoyable humorous stories like the time Forry set up a double date with him and his wife and actress Florence Marly and Fritz Lang. Apparently the date did not go so well with Marly and Lang. And at the end of the evening Lang took Marly's hand, Forry thought that Lang was going give her a "continental" kiss on the hand, instead he BIT it! I also got a kick out of the story about Forry as a very young boy chewing the corner of the piano leg! And then there are stories that can make your eyes tear up, like the circumstances of Forrest's wife Wendayne's death, after she was attacked when they were visiting Italy. And the story about writer Catherine Moore when Forry would go to see her when she was ill and Forry would read her a passage from a story she had written. And Verne Langon's account of being at Forry's bedside towards the end! I also thoroughly enjoyed the excellent foreword to this book by Joe Moe, Joe was one of Forry's closest friends he took care of Forry in his last years. I met Joe too and he is also a very kind person like Forry was. Before I stop here I like to say that I have met and talked to alot of actors and directors, who worked or knew Forry and ALL of them NEVER had a bad word for him, they all had nothing but GOOD comments to say about him and they all liked him! People like Jonathan Haze, Gary Kent, Sam Sherman, David L. Hewitt, Bert I. Gordon, Ib Melchior, John Zacherle, Ray Harryhausen, Charles Griffith, and many more. My hat is off to the highly talented writer, Debbie Painter for this FANTASTIC book on our Uncle Forry! She should be proud of this book! If you are a Forrest J. Ackerman fan then buy this book! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!!!

Forrest J Ackerman -- aka Uncle Forry -- was a much beloved figure to us monster kids and sci-fi fans for several decades. As longtime editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine and owner of an amazingly huge collection of science fiction, fantasy and horror memorabilia housed in his Ackermansion -- which he freely opened to anybody who cared to come and visit -- he was arguably the greatest public relations agent for the genre. Although I never had the pleasure of visiting his home and seeing his collection firsthand, I was fortunate enough to have met him a few times at conventions and found him to be a very pleasant and kind-hearted man.

Forry's longtime friend Debbie Painter has written a loving tribute to our favorite adopted uncle. This book is a look at Forry's life and times -- from his childhood, when he was first exposed to science fiction pulp magazines, the films of Lon Chaney, Sr., the classic Fritz Lang film, Metropolis, the origin of organized science fiction fandom and his considerable role in it -- through his rise as a writer, editor, agent and sometimes actor, his marriage to his beloved wife, Wendayne -- to his final days, when he was surrounded by loving friends and receiving mail from fans all over the world.

This book is packed not only with anecdotes both amusing and poignant, but also with some wonderful photos of Forry, his family and friends, spanning the 92 years he lived on this Earth. If he could come back and read this book, I think he would be very pleased.