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Venus, v. 1, issue 1, June 1944
Page 14
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-14- So I stayed incognito in the background while others interrogated The Great Man. he told how "M" came to be made: That at a time when he wished to retire from filmdom and become a chemist, people kept pestering him to make them a picture; Finally he was offered a blank contract and a free hand in anything he might wish to direct, so he produced his pet idea about the child-murderer--which set Europe shrieking in terror, shot Lorre to stardom overnite and is still making money at revivals. Scientifilms, he said, are generally too costly for the returns they garner. Yet he is sincerely interested in them. He conducted an investigation on the subject of scientifiction sales, so he could present his findings to possible producers of good scientifilms; but didn't have the heart when at his most optimistic estimate, he determined there were no more than 500,000 stf readers....a meaningless molecule to filmakers who think in terms of audiences of millions. The idea of 2-reel fantafilms was also advanced but deemed unsaleable by Lang. At Lang Last--Fritz Krieg! FINALLY...Lang and the lovely lady wended their way alone down a darkened Hollywood Blvd. Or so they thot--that they were alone. Actually, a lurking figure slunk along behind, ready to waylay them. Directly they hit a well-lit shop-window, Forry tapped Lang on the shoulder, thrust the 1931 photo before him and asked "Does this recall anything to you?" The lady laughed explosively when she saw it and slapped Lang on the back. Lang expostulated "You're Ackerman!" and began an animated resume to the Marlene-like one, of years and miles and letters that had passed between the two. "And look at these!" Lang wondered, as he fingered the copies of "Metropolis" and "By Rocket". Then: "What's this?" as he noticed the advance Astounding. "Why haven't I got this yet? I'm going to New York and--" and this is where you came in! Lang answered numerous questions. About Thea von Harbou's "Isle of the Immortals", he explained this was not a science fiction novel, but a story about a boy and girl, t.b. sufferers, who ran away together to an isolated island and made a life of their own. In "Frau im Mond" he had pictured a lunar civilization long dead and crumbling away, vague remnants visible of the works of a winged people--who, in a sequence he never got to develop, he had wished to show as earth-worshippers. About "Spaceship Number One Starts", Bavarian film announced for production in '37, he knew nothing. He inscribed 4e's copy of "The Rocket to the Moon": "To remember the day when we finally met! Fritz Lang Hollywood Sept 10th 1943." The hour lacked but a few minutes of midnite. "Do you have any stills from 'Rocket'?" asked Lang. Forry thot: "Maybe he doesn't have any himself! Wait'll I answer 'Yes, i have about 10.'" But Fritz was not flabbergasted. "Good! he replied; "I have about 400! I will show them to you!" And at that they firmly clasped hands, lang impressed upon Ackerman to get in touch with him 2 months hence when he would be back, "because," he said, "we have so much in common to talk about, you and I." So Forry urges, "fly, time, fly!" [image of hourglass with wings]
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-14- So I stayed incognito in the background while others interrogated The Great Man. he told how "M" came to be made: That at a time when he wished to retire from filmdom and become a chemist, people kept pestering him to make them a picture; Finally he was offered a blank contract and a free hand in anything he might wish to direct, so he produced his pet idea about the child-murderer--which set Europe shrieking in terror, shot Lorre to stardom overnite and is still making money at revivals. Scientifilms, he said, are generally too costly for the returns they garner. Yet he is sincerely interested in them. He conducted an investigation on the subject of scientifiction sales, so he could present his findings to possible producers of good scientifilms; but didn't have the heart when at his most optimistic estimate, he determined there were no more than 500,000 stf readers....a meaningless molecule to filmakers who think in terms of audiences of millions. The idea of 2-reel fantafilms was also advanced but deemed unsaleable by Lang. At Lang Last--Fritz Krieg! FINALLY...Lang and the lovely lady wended their way alone down a darkened Hollywood Blvd. Or so they thot--that they were alone. Actually, a lurking figure slunk along behind, ready to waylay them. Directly they hit a well-lit shop-window, Forry tapped Lang on the shoulder, thrust the 1931 photo before him and asked "Does this recall anything to you?" The lady laughed explosively when she saw it and slapped Lang on the back. Lang expostulated "You're Ackerman!" and began an animated resume to the Marlene-like one, of years and miles and letters that had passed between the two. "And look at these!" Lang wondered, as he fingered the copies of "Metropolis" and "By Rocket". Then: "What's this?" as he noticed the advance Astounding. "Why haven't I got this yet? I'm going to New York and--" and this is where you came in! Lang answered numerous questions. About Thea von Harbou's "Isle of the Immortals", he explained this was not a science fiction novel, but a story about a boy and girl, t.b. sufferers, who ran away together to an isolated island and made a life of their own. In "Frau im Mond" he had pictured a lunar civilization long dead and crumbling away, vague remnants visible of the works of a winged people--who, in a sequence he never got to develop, he had wished to show as earth-worshippers. About "Spaceship Number One Starts", Bavarian film announced for production in '37, he knew nothing. He inscribed 4e's copy of "The Rocket to the Moon": "To remember the day when we finally met! Fritz Lang Hollywood Sept 10th 1943." The hour lacked but a few minutes of midnite. "Do you have any stills from 'Rocket'?" asked Lang. Forry thot: "Maybe he doesn't have any himself! Wait'll I answer 'Yes, i have about 10.'" But Fritz was not flabbergasted. "Good! he replied; "I have about 400! I will show them to you!" And at that they firmly clasped hands, lang impressed upon Ackerman to get in touch with him 2 months hence when he would be back, "because," he said, "we have so much in common to talk about, you and I." So Forry urges, "fly, time, fly!" [image of hourglass with wings]
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