A Brief History Of Fandom

[Matt Gemmell]

An earlier post about " your first time " seeing a Christopher Lee film got me thinking .
Although Curse Of Frankenstein was my first exposure to this great actor , I'm pretty sure I would'nt have identified him at the time ............ I was only seven .
What that film did for me was get me hooked on Hammer movies .
I had already been a fan , even at that tender age , of the Universal monsters but this was something altogether different .
I eagerly scoured the tv guide searching for any British horror movies .
I made a point of seeing as many as I could and , gradually I became aware of the two greatest actors to grace Hammer productions ........ Christopher Lee & Peter Cushing . I collected magazines such as House Of Hammer and Monster Mag . I have fond memories of rushing to the store to buy the latest issue .
By the time I was ten my bedroom walls were covered in posters of Lee & Cushing in all of their incarnations .
As the years grew my fondness for these films and , in particular , those two actors grew with me .
Into my early teens and , thankfully a cinema manager who was less than vigilant . Sunday night was a double bill horror night at my local cinema and I was there like clockwork .
I was very lucky to see many Hammer films on the big screen at this time .
Then I heard that my hero was going to be the bad guy in the next Bond movie .......... how cool is that .
The 70's grew on and I became aware of a certain Clint Eastwood . I must confess that throughout the 70's I worshiped the man with no name . Not to the exclusion of messrs Lee & Cushing but here was someone I could see regularly at the cinema . It might sound corny but he's the reason why I became a cop ........... not that I'm anything like Dirty Harry but my values are the same .
Video had arrived and I was happily collecting as many Christopher Lee films as I could . Little did I know then that I would have to start all over again years later with dvd , but that's another story .
It had always been my dream to meet one of my idols but I never really believed it . The West coast of Scotland is'nt a hotbed of celebs ( I think The Wicker Man scared them off ;) ) .
Then in 1991 Clint Eastwood was giving a talk at the Edinburgh film festival .
I went and met the big guy . I won't harp on too much about it here but to say it " made my day " would be the understatement of the year .
So , the 90's hurried by and suddenly I was in a position that I was able to travel to film conventions ,book signings , previews and the like .
Through these I met as many of my childhood heros as I could ever have dreamed............... as well as many a boyhood crush ( Munro , Carlson etc. ) Sadly Peter Cushing departed this world meaning I would never have the pleasure of such a meeting but , would I ever actually meet Christopher Lee ?
To see Mr Lee have such successes in his golden years has been a delight .
Sleepy Hollow , Star Wars & Lord Of The Rings have brought him to a whole new generation . I can't help but think " I told you so " Although I'm not sure who I'm telling . maybe all those critics and producers who could'nt see past Dracula , I'm not sure . all I know is , I've grown up with Christopher Lee . He almost feels like a part of the family . It's hard to say what star quality is but whatever it is he's got it .
When Juan kindly invited me to his home to meet my idol I was overwhelmed .
He knows how much it meant to me but I'm going to repeat it here .
Most people never get the kind of chances I've had .To spend time with Christopher Lee in the company of his family was something beyond dreams .
Then to be able to meet him on two other occassions ............. well , words fail me .
Peter Cushing said that through the films that he and Christopher Lee have starred in they've achieved a kind of immortality .I think that's very true .
My admiration for Mr lee has certainly rubbed of on my children .
There are'nt many 15 year old girls that will cite their favourite " horror " movie as " The Mummy " but my daughter does . Similarly my son is besoted with Lord Of The Rings .When he met " Saruman " he grinned for about a week .
Anyway , I hope I have'nt rambled on too much . I just thought I'd give people a little insight on my favourite hobby .

[Helen Dyer]

Matt, That was great, it is nice to hear others share their experiences and thoughts on someone they admire. The memories of such times can never be lost or stolen, which makes them even more special. Thank you for sharing.

[Andrés Verdú]

Hello everyone,

I really enjoyed reading your post Matt. As starfire has already said, it is lovely to read people's fond memories on meeting someone they admire. I think it's pretty wonderful that, as well as Mr Lee, you've been lucky enough to meet several other famous people.

As far as Clint Eastwood is concerned, I think he's one of my dad's favourites. Not only is he a huge fan of Westerns, "spaghetti" or otherwise, he also enjoys watching the "Dirty Harry" movies whenever they are on television (and not to mention Every Which Way But Loose with that orangutan). I remember seeing a television programme where it was recalled that, as was the case with Mr Lee, someone had said of Mr Eastwood that he would never make it as an actor because he was "too tall." They also had reservations because of his "chipped tooth" and his noticeably large Adam's apple. It just goes to show how ridiculously fatuous these kinds of comments are. Actors, like people, come in all shapes and sizes, and it has been proven time and again that you do not need to have "perfect looks" in order to succeed in the business (who is perfect anyway?)


My very first post back in November, 2004, said pretty much everything about how great is was meeting Mr Lee, and his son-in-law, Mr Juan Aneiros, and Matt was among the first to welcome me to CLW and give me some kind words of encouragement (see: http://christopherleeweb.com/forums/...ad.php?t=61448). But, if you read down through the posts, you find that it was not my first time meeting Mr Lee

[littleb]

Ahh, the early days of fandom...I wax nostalgic to recall rushing down to the local newsstand to get the latest issue of Famous Monsters of Filmland (little suspecting how much they'd be worth in the coming decades--thanks, mom, for throwing out the earliest issues! ), staying up till the wee hours to catch "Curse of Frankenstein" in black and white on a ten inch TV screen...
With age came wisdom, and the realization that macabre movies were but a small slice of my favorite actor's output. Gems like The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes inspired an interest in Conan Doyle. The Bloody Judge sparked an enthusiasm for English history, and from that came the discovery that my family tree's roots were planted firmly in British soil. After seeing Rasputin, I wanted to know more, and so began to read and collect volumes on Russian history. Alas, none of this came in handy during my early working career, but it did fill up my off-hours. Seeking others with similar interests, I subscribed to many fanzines, and met lots of wonderful friends. One whom I particularly enjoyed corresponding with suddenly dropped out of the picture while I was dealing with my father's death. Over the years I wondered what became of him, figuring he'd gone off to college and forgot all about his old penpal. Then one fine day twenty-five plus years later our paths crossed again, and we re-connected thanks to the CLW. Of course, he is now married with a nice wife and daughter, but still finds the time to chat with me every now and then. I speak of Dave Hutchens, who has been away settling into a new home. One of the nicest people I've had the pleasure to know.
Now, I can look back on my formative years and say that the fandom that began with Mr. Lee's "graveyard period" branched off into a fascination and delight with movies and books of all kinds, and an eventual stint in the health-care field, where my videos of The Three and Four Musketeers and The Man With The Golden Gun brightened the afternoons for some ill people.

It's great to hear that those of you who were lucky enough to have children are introducing them to the wonders contained in Mr. Lee's CV. Another generation of delighted admirers, a still-smokin' career...not many actors can claim those. Thanks, Mr. Lee, for contributing in so many ways to so many lives. :)

[Dave Hutchens]

Originally Posted by littleb

Seeking others with similar interests, I subscribed to many fanzines, and met lots of wonderful friends. One whom I particularly enjoyed corresponding with suddenly dropped out of the picture while I was dealing with my father's death. Over the years I wondered what became of him, figuring he'd gone off to college and forgot all about his old penpal. Then one fine day twenty-five plus years later our paths crossed again, and we re-connected thanks to the CLW. Of course, he is now married with a nice wife and daughter, but still finds the time to chat with me every now and then. I speak of Dave Hutchens, who has been away settling into a new home. One of the nicest people I've had the pleasure to know.

Thanks, Patty, and I hope you know how much it means to me to have found you again. Though my personal time seems to grow shorter and shorter with each passing year, I'll always find a few minutes here and there to share with you, and all of the wonderful people I've met through this site, and through my lifelong devotion to the screen's greatest actor.

[Pam Stockbarger]

One of the great benefits of fandom is finding good friends. To go to a convention and see smiling faces of recognition. To have Christopher go to Germany and have a young girl run up to him in a candy store saying "Oh, Mr. Lee, hello! I've seen all your films. Can I have your autograph? How's Pam?" (We had several German fans in the CLIC in the 70s, and one just happened to be in the store; I did not plant her there, honest!)

I drove with my folks all the way from California to New York in 1980 and met the president of the Peter Cushing fan club and about 9 other CL fans for a four-day visit, had an incredibly interesting time with them. Luckily we have lots of conventions in Los Angeles so I've had the great pleasure of getting to know many people who love Christopher Lee and his films. Of course, the majority of his fans are incredibly intelligent, warm, welcoming folk that I instantly bonded with after meeting them. I've even met a few Klingons that have told me how much they like CL. At least, I think that is what they were saying; a lot of them sounded like they are just enthusiastically clearing their throats (ok, no reprimands; I have never been a "mundane" myself at a convention, so I honor all alien lifeforms.)

Ok, it's raining again here in sunny Southern California, and I have to go back to work, m'dears. Take care. It was a great pleasure meeting a Christian copper....er, uh....CL fans! :D