Penny Dreadful in Scary Monsters

[Uncle Roger]

The forum's very own Penny Dreadful appears in the current issue of Scary Monsters Magazine. Penny has a very astute letter of comment printed in the Scare Mail section. There's also a very nice photo of Ms. Dreadful to accompany it. The magazine, issue #131, should be available at your local Barnes and Noble.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Oh gee - I was in B&N just the other day but I didn't check out the latest issue of Scary Monsters. 

[Uncle Roger]

MB, it appears that the magazine is now a quarterly publication, so it should be there for awhile.

[Bob_the_Bartender]

I’ve never read an issue of “Scary Monsters Magazine.” Does it compare favorably to the late, great Forrest J. Ackerman’s legendary magazine, “Famous Monsters of Filmland,” which, I suspect, many young fans of DS read religiously back during the 1960s? I always remember when Jonathan Frid was featured on the cover of one of FMOF’s issues.

[PennyDreadful]

Thanks, Uncle Roger! I was compelled to write a followup in support of Lance Brick's great article from the previous issue. We both disagreed with Mark Voger's seemingly random claim (in his 'Monster Mash' book) that the "monster craze" ended in 1972. That might have been his own personal feeling, but classic monsters were plentiful and popular through the 70s and into the early 80s. The depictions of the classics were, perhaps, a little more lurid in the 70's but they were still all over the place. Lance asserts that the proper "ending" to the late-50s, 60s, and 70s monster mania probably lands closer to '83.

Bob_the_Bartender - 'Scary Monsters Magazine' is a lot of fun. I'd say it's a spiritual descendant of 'Famous Monsters', with dashes of 'Monsters of the Movies' and 'Castle of Frankenstein' and other classic monster magazines in the mix. It has a kind of fanzine quality to it as many of the contributors are adult monster kids. Dark Shadows is featured, or at least referenced, fairly often in Scary Monsters. The original run of the magazine was much more vintage-feeling, but needed substantial copy editing. The new publishers have upped the technical quality, but the content has started spilling over into things that aren't always classic horror, sci-fi, fantasy (although that is still very much the focus). It's worth a look! I pick it up when I can.

[Uncle Roger]

Bob, Forrest J. Ackerman was at the first DS event that I attended, Shadowcon way back in 1983. He was there as an attendee, not as a celebrity guest. Unfortunately, my travel schedule did not give me enough time to visit the legendary Ackermansion.

[Bob_the_Bartender]

Bob, Forrest J. Ackerman was at the first DS event that I attended, Shadowcon way back in 1983. He was there as an attendee, not as a celebrity guest. Unfortunately, my travel schedule did not give me enough time to visit the legendary Ackermansion.

Uncle Roger,

Yes, Mr. Ackerman was truly a legend in both the publishing and horror film worlds. I remember when Mr. Ackerman appeared on the “Tomorrow Show” with the late Tom Snyder.

Mr. Ackerman wore one of Bela Lugosi’s Dracula capes on the show. (The late Bela Lugosi wore his original Dracula cape in his own coffin.) Mr. Ackerman displayed other horror/sci-fi paraphernalia, such as James
Arness’s alien arm from Howard Hawks’ classic 1951 sci-fi thriller, “The Thing from Another World.” Tom Snyder remarked how shocking it was to see the massive Mr. Arness fling that thorny arm at fellow actor Ken Tobey (a regular in 1950s science fiction films) in that flick. In addition, Mr. Ackerman had the head of the monster from one of the Gill-man’s costumes from “The Creature from the Black Lagoon.”

A highlight of Mr. Ackerman’s appearance was his display of several of the pieces of the equipment from Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory in director James Whale’s 1931 horror film, “Frankenstein.” It’s interesting to compare Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory and equipment to the makeshift laboratory and equipment Dr. Julia Hoffman and Barnabas used in the basement of the Old House to creat Eve, the object of the lovelorn Adam’s affection. By the way, I wished we had found out just who decided to clothe Eve in that stylish, black evening dress on the show. Eve hardly “blended in,” with the other women at Collinwood or in Collinsport, walking around in that get-up.

I only wished that Dan Curtis had decided to show a scene, where the voluptuous Eve saunters into the Blue Whale on a Saturday night, decked out in that alluring cocktail dress. Can you imagine the reactions of
bartender Bob Rooney, Sheriff George Paterson, Joe Haskell and Ezra Braithwaite when Eve strutted into the
joint?  I bet that Bob would completely chomp  through that trademark cigar of his after laying eyes on the sultry Eve! 

Oh, well, just another scene, I wished we all could have seen on DS and fondly reminisced about over the past 55 years! 

[dom]

I remember (now, lol) Forest Ackerman on TOMORROW! Definitely the episode in which he wore the cape. That may be the only time I remember seeing him 'live'.

I wonder if the Ackermansion is still visitable? I would definitely go.

[Midnite]

It's now privately owned, Dom.

You might enjoy this tour, led by Ackerman, with a local celebrity (now also passed away) from 2000... Visiting With Huell Howser: Ackermansion

[dom]

Thanks, Midnite!!

I think I would have wanted to go thru all the FM magazines. I'm surprised we didn't see any, more prominently displayed or talked about.

[PennyDreadful]

I met the legendary Forrest J. Ackerman at the Monster Bash convention back in 2006. He looked very frail at that time, BUT when he got on stage, he gave a wonderful and informative lecture about the lost film, London After Midnight. Forry actually saw the film in the movie theater when it first came out!

When I went over to his table later on that day, I told him that I really enjoyed his lecture. His eyes widened, he took on a very dramatic expression, and intoned: "Lon DONE 'Midnight'" (punning about Chaney starring in the film).

I very much wish that I'd gone to the Ackermansion in 2001-2003 when I was living in California, or "Karloffornia" as FJA would say.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

he gave a wonderful and informative lecture about the lost film, London After Midnight. Forry actually saw the film in the movie theater when it first came out!

It's funny that you bring up that movie because just earlier today I was reading about it because it's the last movie in this article:

12 Lost Movies We Really Wish We Could Watch
As Hollywood developed over time, many interesting and unique movies were created that now are lost to time and circumstances.

How wild that FJA got to see it in 1927 when he was only 11...

[PennyDreadful]

he gave a wonderful and informative lecture about the lost film, London After Midnight. Forry actually saw the film in the movie theater when it first came out!

It's funny that you bring up that movie because just earlier today I was reading about it because it's the last movie in this article:

12 Lost Movies We Really Wish We Could Watch
As Hollywood developed over time, many interesting and unique movies were created that now are lost to time and circumstances.

How wild that FJA got to see it in 1927 when he was only 11...

That's a cool list of films, MB! Much as I'd love to see many of those, especially London After Midnight, the lost film at the very top of my "wishlist" is Der Januskopf ('The Head of Janus'), a 1920 German silent film adaptation of Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, directed by F.W. Murnau (Nosferatu), with cinematography by Karl Freund (Dracula, The Mummy (dir), Mad Love (dir)), starring Conrad Veidt in the Jekyll/Hyde roles, and with Bela Lugosi in an early role as Jekyll's butler!