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Le Zombie, v. 5, issue 3, whole no. 50, November-December 1942
Page 8
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*(8)* FAN "FAME" --- AN ESSAY OF SORTS When two fans get together and one of them happens to mention a "fan poll", the other immediately thinks of one of four things: Fred Pohl the pro editor, Art Widner the Poll Taker, Jack Speer and his mad dash up a telephone poll (with auto), or the latest poll taken by some fanzine or other to find if you read Amazing in the bathtub or under the covers at night, with the aid of a flashlight. A very few -- their number can be counted on two hands - will remember Jack Speer in another capacity: Lord High Poll Taker. Speer was the Widner of his day, a bare four for five years ago. He conducted the IPO -- Institute of Public Opinion, and reported his findings in practically every issue of Olon Wiggins' Science Fiction Fan. Today Wiggins is reported in the armed services and the SFF but a memory. For a good session of tongue-clacking, let's take a look at his list of "famous fans" as reported in July, 1938. In first place there is to be found Wollheim; Ackerman is second; Johnny Baltadonis third; Wiggins is the fourth; Sam Moskowitz fifth; Bob Madle in sixth; Johnny B. Michel sevents; James Taurasi eighth; Ted Carnell of England ninth; & "WHG" tenth --- Walter Gillings of England, probably. Runners-up come in this fashion: 11-Louis Kuslan, 12-Julius Schwartz, 13-Morris S. Dollens, 14-Douglas W.F. Mayer (England), 15-Fred Pohl, 16-Allen Glasser, 17- Jack Darrow, and 18- H. (The Kernal) Koenig. So there is your "fame" of 1938. The boys worked hard for the big spots, undoubtedly. About as hard as would-be "top-fanners" are working today to grab off "the glory" of being the number one fan face. We can but point to 1938 and hope the social-climbers take the hint. The five leading fanzines of the same period were: Science Fiction Fan, Science Fiction Collector, Science Fiction Critic, Cosmic Tales, and Nova Terrae. Who made that crack about the snows of yesteryear---? The circulation of the leading fanzine was (hold your breath!) slightly above 40. The news sheet then was Dick Wilson's Science Fiction News-Letter, promptly dubbed "Nell". Taurasi and others disliked the particular odor of the publication and began issuing Fantasy News late in June, 1938. The Big Noise of that year was the Los Angeles publication Imagination! It remained a big noise until October (same year) and exploded with a small 'boom', becoming, in January 1939, the present-day Voice of ditto. Walter Marconette and his Scienti-Snaps loomed on the horizon and loomed right out again. A fella named William Sykora was forming and disbanding science fiction film clubs. with astounding regularity. The "evil" cloak of 'Michelism' hovered over fandom and the righteous brothers were up in arms, crying "Communist" and "Reds" at the leftists. Fandom was rather strictly divided into two camps: "those deluded poor fools" and "we thinkers who see the true light". A club called "New Fandom" was flapping its flag in the breeze, making a great noise. And the first "national" science fiction convention took place in Newark, New Jersey. All in all, it was a gaseous year. So where are they today and what did it get them? That, dear aspirant, is an object lesson well worth taking to heart. The guys still around today are the guys who, yesterday, did not say, 'I'm gonna be the number-one fan or bust'. Fan "fame" is an illusion. - BT
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*(8)* FAN "FAME" --- AN ESSAY OF SORTS When two fans get together and one of them happens to mention a "fan poll", the other immediately thinks of one of four things: Fred Pohl the pro editor, Art Widner the Poll Taker, Jack Speer and his mad dash up a telephone poll (with auto), or the latest poll taken by some fanzine or other to find if you read Amazing in the bathtub or under the covers at night, with the aid of a flashlight. A very few -- their number can be counted on two hands - will remember Jack Speer in another capacity: Lord High Poll Taker. Speer was the Widner of his day, a bare four for five years ago. He conducted the IPO -- Institute of Public Opinion, and reported his findings in practically every issue of Olon Wiggins' Science Fiction Fan. Today Wiggins is reported in the armed services and the SFF but a memory. For a good session of tongue-clacking, let's take a look at his list of "famous fans" as reported in July, 1938. In first place there is to be found Wollheim; Ackerman is second; Johnny Baltadonis third; Wiggins is the fourth; Sam Moskowitz fifth; Bob Madle in sixth; Johnny B. Michel sevents; James Taurasi eighth; Ted Carnell of England ninth; & "WHG" tenth --- Walter Gillings of England, probably. Runners-up come in this fashion: 11-Louis Kuslan, 12-Julius Schwartz, 13-Morris S. Dollens, 14-Douglas W.F. Mayer (England), 15-Fred Pohl, 16-Allen Glasser, 17- Jack Darrow, and 18- H. (The Kernal) Koenig. So there is your "fame" of 1938. The boys worked hard for the big spots, undoubtedly. About as hard as would-be "top-fanners" are working today to grab off "the glory" of being the number one fan face. We can but point to 1938 and hope the social-climbers take the hint. The five leading fanzines of the same period were: Science Fiction Fan, Science Fiction Collector, Science Fiction Critic, Cosmic Tales, and Nova Terrae. Who made that crack about the snows of yesteryear---? The circulation of the leading fanzine was (hold your breath!) slightly above 40. The news sheet then was Dick Wilson's Science Fiction News-Letter, promptly dubbed "Nell". Taurasi and others disliked the particular odor of the publication and began issuing Fantasy News late in June, 1938. The Big Noise of that year was the Los Angeles publication Imagination! It remained a big noise until October (same year) and exploded with a small 'boom', becoming, in January 1939, the present-day Voice of ditto. Walter Marconette and his Scienti-Snaps loomed on the horizon and loomed right out again. A fella named William Sykora was forming and disbanding science fiction film clubs. with astounding regularity. The "evil" cloak of 'Michelism' hovered over fandom and the righteous brothers were up in arms, crying "Communist" and "Reds" at the leftists. Fandom was rather strictly divided into two camps: "those deluded poor fools" and "we thinkers who see the true light". A club called "New Fandom" was flapping its flag in the breeze, making a great noise. And the first "national" science fiction convention took place in Newark, New Jersey. All in all, it was a gaseous year. So where are they today and what did it get them? That, dear aspirant, is an object lesson well worth taking to heart. The guys still around today are the guys who, yesterday, did not say, 'I'm gonna be the number-one fan or bust'. Fan "fame" is an illusion. - BT
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