OBITS by Harris Lentz, III

Harris Lentz, III – I was an avid reader of the original Famous Monsters of Filmland under the late great Forry Ackerman from the early 1960s. My first published work – an obituary of a horror film director – appeared in the magazine’s pages over a decade later, in the mid-1970s. Forry asked me to write a regular obit column (dubbing me “Prince Sirki”), which I did for the remainder of his tenure there. He was also instrumental in arranging the publication of my first book from McFarland & Co., “Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film and Television Credits,” a 2-volume set released in 1983. Supplements followed in 1989 and 1994, and a 3-volume revised 2nd Edition was published in 2000. McFarland published over 30 subsequent reference books of mine covering such topics as pro wrestling, western films and television, political assassinations, volcanoes, world leaders, U.S. government, Roman Catholic cardinals, and an ongoing annual series of “Obituaries in the Performing Arts” from the early 1990s. Over the years I had articles (usually obits) appear in such publications as Classic Images, Science Fiction Chronicle, Starlog, Epi-Log, Variety, and others. I’m grateful to be allowed the opportunity to participate in this exciting new version of my old favorite – Famous Monsters of Filmland.