Dear friends - those of you who remember Fritz Leiber's long friendship with Clark, may be interested in a bit of his filmography that occasionally shows up - he has the part of an older noblman in the Charles Laughton "Hunchback of Notredame" --
stars also a very young Edmund Obrian, Maureen O'Hara, Cedric Hardwick, and Thomas Mitchell -- great movie
No, sorry, that's not the famous fantasy writer, that's his father, Fritz Leiber Sr.
I have, however, myself seen Fritz Leiber Jr. in CAMILLE -- in fact, I saw the film just in order to catch his appearance. It lasted less than half a minute, but at least he had a speaking part.
In addition, Criterion has released a fine DVD edition of the film "Equinox" that featured Fritz in the role of a professor whose researches into a Necronomicon-like tome opened dimensional doorways to another world and allowed demonic entities entrance into our reality.
Best,
Scott
1979 Witches' Brew Book Author
1970 Equinox Actor
1962 Night of the Eagle Book Author
1944 Weird Woman Book Author
When I was in College my roomate and I would often visit Fritz in his Tenderloin Apt. in San Francisco. In spite of deep devotion to Vodka he could destroy my roomate at a game of chess. We both felt that with his height and cranium size, he was probably an alien or from the future.
You are right of course, and I am delighted to have generated these interesting responses - Fritz' father also appeared in the Errol Flynn version of "The Sea Hawk" as the inquisitor (Spanish). Looks like the old man had some fun parts; I recall the Fritz had a very wide acquaintance with the hollywood types of the 30's, 40's and 50's--
side bar, since hearing from my brother -- I don't recall if he has ever listed it here, but the actor whose stage name is Gregory Walcott (real name Bernard (barnyard to us) Mattox, was the "star" of the film almost universally considered the worst ever made -- Plan 9 from planet X, which has acquired consequently a substantial cult following. Noel has remained in communication with Greg more than I, and might share some anecdotes -- GW is far better known for his drill sergeant roles, Bonanza, and most of the Clint Eastwood movies - plan 9 is still really funny to watch.
It is Plan 9 from Outer Space produced and directed by Ed Wood Jr.
As an industry inside joke Gregory Walcott also had a small part in the Johnny Depp film Ed Wood. Martin Laudau received the Oscar for Supporting Actor in his role as Bela Logosi.
Greg took the role in Plan 9 as a favor to a fellow member of the Beverley Hills Babtist Church. This gentlman was talked into financing Plan 9 by Ed Wood Jr. as a way to raise the capital to make relgious films.
Greg told me the minute he arrived on the set he knew he had made a mistake. His role as the airline pilot involve sitting at the controls in front of a piece of plywood with a shower curtain for a door.
If you have not seen the film, it is a must. Flying saucers hanging from thread, styrofoam grave stones that move in the wind, etc. In one scene the police leave the station in a 53 ford and arrive at the graveyard in a 55. I guess it took a long time to make the drive. Bela Lugosi was already dead when it was filmed so Wood used some stock footage he had and in other scenes his wifes Chrioprator replaced Lugosi. Of course he is a foot taller and has to keep his face covered with his cape.
Greg appeared in over 100 films and 300 television shows. He did all of the westerns of the 50's, Bonanza several times, Gunsmoke, Maverick, etc.
As my brother mentioned he was a regular in Eastwood films as well.
Aside from the Westerns his typical role is a DI, Police officer, over protective father, or homocidal maniac.
He had a scholorship to play football for Clemson, but enlisted in the Army as most young men did in WWII. After the war he was invited back to Clemson but chose to hitch hike to CA with $100 in his pocket and take acting lessons on the GI Bill. To make a living as a character actor for 40 years is quite a feat.
I have encouraged him to write a book. I hope he does soon.
I found it a bit ironic that in the month, July,
my misc. piece that appears in Eldritch Dark
concerning the "International Clark Ashton Smith
Poetry Award", also, has some stuff about the late,
great Fritz Leiber Jr!
Fritz and I became good friends near the end
of his life. We first actually "met" in 1978
at the S-F/Fantasy convention "Fantasy Faire"
held in Southern California. The same year I
founded the CAS award, the late writer Randall
Garett(sp?) started the "Gray Mouser Award",
which also was awarded there.
It was mainly a Fantasy writers' award named
after one of Lieber's famous characters and,
in the tradition of Randell's famed humor with
puns, the physical award itself was a mounted
pistol known as a gray mouser (mis-spelling
here of the German gun). Fritz was a regular
at the convention and was there each year to
present it.
From that time on, Fritz and I kept meeting each
other in San Franciso (among other places). We
usually talked of poetry i.e. since it was so hard
to get "S-F poetry" published, he would "sneak" in
his poetry into his stories. He did eventually did
have two books of poems published (dedicated to his
then late wife, ...through him, I met poet Margo Skinner,
who lived above him and later became his wife.
We talked of his meeting with CAS and his plans
to put him (and our mutual friend Donald Sydney-
Fryer) into a book he planned, "Our Lady of
Darkness." I was quite honored that such a person
as Fritz liked my poetry (though, his "perferred" form
was the Sonnet). However, the biggest honor he allowed
me was when he agreed to do some work in/appear on my
radio drama series "Arkham Theater!"
Fritz Leiber was an outstanding human being who left
me with many a story to tell/memories of the time we
spend with each other. I shall deeply miss him!
Anyone here have any acquaintance with Emil Petaja, who also lived in California, and who also did some work in film/photography? I'm currently reading an old Dell paperback of his, The Time Twister, and it is really very fine: a sort of Finnish-American take on the Lovecraft/Ashton Smith aesthetic. There was once an excellent website on Petaja, called The Petaja Pages, but it doesn't seem to be up and running anymore.
I don't know if this answers your question,
but I became a friend of Emil during the latter
part of his life...at that time (late 70's and
during the 80's), he lived in San Francisco.
I often visited him...yes, he was a photography
buff! I remember one night, we were talking
about Smith and Emil revealed this drawer just
overwhelming with photos, mainly of CAS (drawer
was a heap of a mess LOL).
I learned as a young man, he had sent a poem to
H. Warner Munn that was dedicated to him (Munn
at that time lived on the East Coast). Petaja,
also, in later years, had one of his Finn myth
cycle novels published as one of the other half
of a DAWS series of such "double novels." The
other novel in it was a Munn novel!
Well, who better to have write the "Introduction"
to Munn's collected poetry anthology, THE BOOK OF
MUNN? (I was the Munn book's editor/designer).
In that Munn volume, Petaja also, allowed his
original poem to Munn be published, hence, the
reader/buyer got a whole bunch of Munn poetry and
a (then) rare Petaja poem :)...
There are four published "Finn mythos" novels by
Emil and one unpublished one (we were working
together on getting it published before he died,
but DAWS/Donald didn't think it was as good as
the other four). The book you mention, while
connected to the Finn mytho tales, was not considered
"officiallY" a part of them by Emil.
Emil loved the live theater and spent time as a
part-time usher to help him get a good place to
view/enjoy plays.
I hope these comments are along the lines you
were looking for in your above request...please,
feel free to contact me.
I have had occasion to write a few words on Petaja's poetry. It is very enjoyable, and well worth the effort of hunting up. I have a book of it here amongst my collection somewhere (can't find it right away) As Dream and Shadow. Good book. Well worth getting.
The illus. by Bok are excellent, too. Petaja's poems are written in both an Eldritch and a realistic vein. He could have given the Beats a run for their money in depicting the darker side of American life.
I just wanted to correct a slight error
in my above response concerning Petaja...
I state the double novel series which he
and Munn appeared together was published
by "DAWS"...sorry, it was "ACE"...I was
thinking of a conversation I had with
Donald W. that involved the reason why he
never published the fifth Petaja Finn
mythos series...thus, sadly, I mixed-up the
publishers because I was trying to
remember just by memory which firm Donald
was involved with at the time...I have kept
correct records on such things over the years,
however, if I answer something too "quickly"
concerning some time long passed before first
checking, well,:(...again, please forgive on
this slight error on my part. I know how I
feel when a "fact" is presented incorrectly.
P.S.
A small additional note concerning Petaja:
Since I was talking about "awards" connected
to CAS and Leiber, I'll add that there was
an award presented (maybe, it still is) by
the most respected S-F/Fantasy group/"club"
within the San Francisco/Bay Area that named
its award after one of Emil's/Finn mythos'
published tales featured items.
If you or someone else could somehow obtain the rights to Petaja's unpublished Finn novel, and perhaps print it through the auspices of www.iUniverse.com, that would be really something!