Ackerman auction set: massive amounts of memorabilia on the block

Following up this February story about the auction of Forrest J Ackerman’s collection of sf and movie memorabilia, auction house Profiles in History has announced that the dates of the auction will be 30 April (starting at 12N) and 1 May 2009 (starting at 11AM). The online version of the catalog, featuring 1,170 lots, is currently available from this page.
There are entirely too many items to describe, other than to point any fan of the history of science fiction or movies at the catalog for many hours of browsing. A few lots, however, did catch this reporter’s eye, including:
Lot 671: “Fritz Lang’s Metropolis monocle. This monocle was worn by director Fritz Lang during the making of Metropolis (1926). The monocle is housed in a unique mechanical frame designed by Thomas Kuntz with a vintage photograph of Lang mounted beneath giving the illusion he is wearing the monocle. Lang wore a monocle throughout his life, generally for effect, but in later years when his sight actually began to fail, Lang gave the Metropolis monocle to FJA. A fantastic signature relic from this visionary film maker.” Estimated price: $2,000-$3,000.
Lot 674: “Forry’s Metropolis ‘Maria’ Robot: Throughout his career as a collector and archivist FJA always believed the ultimate collectible would be the ‘Maria’ Robotrix costume worn by Brigitte Helm in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, but the original was destroyed in a fire. In 1976 an accurate and detailed full-size replica of the ‘Maria’ Robotrix was created by effects artist Bill Malone, who later became a highly successful director of films including House on Haunted Hill and Fear.com, and Robert Short, Academy Award-winning make-up and visual effects artist. Created from fiberglass, ‘Maria’ stands 83 inches tall (when mounted on the 12-inch base) and was on display at the Glendower Ackermansion and later at the Acker-Minimansion for a total of over thirty years and was considered the single most iconic piece in the Ackerman collection. Accompanying ‘Maria’ is a toy monkey originally owned and adored by Metropolis‘ director Fritz Lang. The monkey was one of a pair—one monkey was buried with Lang, the second was given to Forry by Elly Bloch, the wife of Robert Bloch and a friend of Lang’s widow.” Estimated price: $8,000 -$12,000.
Lot 700: “Group of awards presented to Forry J Ackerman including: Hugo Award which incorporates the rocket ship from the very first Hugo Award presented to Forry Ackerman in 1946, Pulpcon Award, skull with fez (unknown attribution), Fantastic Arts, Evans Retrospective 1946, Rondo Monsterkid Award, Moxie Smiff L.A.W. Award.” Estimated price: $600-$800. This is one of several lots of awards, and the Hugo in this one is actually the Retro Hugo awarded in 1996 for best fanzine (see photo).
Lot 767: Witch Doctor scepter from King Kong (RKO, 1933): “Scepter with wooden handle and adorned with various hand-applied multi-colored plumes, and secured at the base with twine. Marked lightly in black ink at the center of the handle ‘RKO D1038’. This impressive piece was carried by one of the witch doctors during the tribute to Kong, just before Fay Wray is offered up to the beast as a sacrifice. The feathers are slightly worn from age, but the piece remains in remarkable condition considering it was made over 70 years ago. Original screen-used props from this important film are very rare, and this highly-visible piece is one of the finest King Kong props we’ve ever encountered. An incredible relic of Hollywood history.” Estimated price: $4,000-$6,000.
Lot 801: Original Creature from the Black Lagoon hero “Gill Man” mask from Revenge of the Creature (Universal, 1955): “This is the highly detailed ‘Gill Man’ mask from Revenge of the Creature. The Gill Man required an elaborate costume that would be fabricated by the talented make-up effects department at Universal under the direction of Bud Westmore. Jack Arnold, the director of both Creature from the Black Lagoon and Revenge of the Creature, came up with the basic look for the Creature. He later recalled his struggle in conjuring up the basic design: ‘…what the hell was the this guy going to look like? I had this little plaque from when I was nominated for the Academy Award—it had this little Oscar on it. I began to imagine what he would look like with a fish head and fins…’ So, based on the Academy’s revered statuette and Arnold’s creative vision, the costume was sketched out on paper by Millicent Patrick, and fabricated under the direction of Bud Westmore. For the sequel, it was decided that the Universal make-up effects department would re-sculpt the Gill Man mask, reportedly to improve upon the very poor visibility characteristics. This mask is constructed of latex over a semi rigid hood with fabric backing. The eyes are covered with convex lenses with hand-painted blood vessel detailing. The left eye has a small cut out in the center of the lens for visibility. The latex is painted green with red accents around the lips. Air bladders manipulate the gills when pressurized adding to the organic realism of arguably the most iconic monster from 1950s horror cinema. The mask exhibits some deterioration which can be expected from the 50+ ensuing years, yet overall remains in remarkable condition and has been professionally stabilized for longevity. This mask has remained in the Westmore family since the production and is accompanied by a letter of provenance by Mark Westmore, Bud’s grand nephew, who was given the mask by Bud around 1970.” Estimated price: $60,000-$80,000.
There are hundreds of lots of photos and posters in the collection, as well as magazines and signed books. If we have any readers who will be attending the auction, SFScope would love to have an on-site review or recap of the proceedings. E-mail us with the “Contact Us” link at the top of the page.