My Life with Count Dracula

I hope someday whatever problems are keeping Dustin Lance Black's deeply sympathetic but honest portrait in the can be solved and more people will see this extremely fascinating and poignant slice of Hollywood esoterica.

Circa 1976-77, I was the teenage president of The Junior Count Dracula Society, a completely forgotten organization put together by a young Pacific Palisades teacher who has since dropped off the grid, possibly on purpose. We published one issue of a fanzine, "Young Blood," which I recently was reminded had a cover penciled by Jim Starlin and inked by one of our gang, along with an interview with a then still somewhat dangerous Harlan Ellison. I co-edited this but my partner went on to become Falling James Moreland. (James is a whole other story. Look them up.)

Dr. Reed, as we called him, was a fascinating side character in my journey through this geeky demimonde and, while he did treat us in a slightly high-handed way -- and I'm pretty sure he'd decide who won awards based on who he thought he could get to show up -- I realize now that we weren't entirely fair to him. His achievements were real.

It looks like board this won't allow me to post links but if anyone wants some more detail, look up the Film Threat article about "My Life with Count Dracula" written by a guy named Bob. The main event is an interview with filmmaker Dustin Lance Black, who was then, I think, just starting to work on his Oscar-winning screenplay for "Milk." He's had quite a career since. It also includes more of my own reminiscences about Dr. Reed.

I was surprised to find this video just randomly entering Don's name in the search engine. I first heard of Donald in 1961 reading through the ads in Famous Monster Magazine. I was 11 at the time and saw his ad for The Count Dracula Society and immediately wanted to join but too young. Years past then at 18 I re found the magazine, and the ad and contacted the number not knowing if it would still be good. It was and somehow I became Don's friend, confidant, co-worker, and Senior staff secretary of both The Dracula Society and The later Academy of Sci Fi. Those years were some of the happiest of my life with Donald dragging me and 1 or 2 of my girlfriends along on almost every project. My best friend Janice was his girlfriend for quite awhile. Donald was definitely what made the organization run he had boundless energy, until after the terrible accident he as in. He and The Academy were never the same. One aspect of the problems with growth and expansion of the Academy seemed always to be that Donald was a controller. He routinely gathered with many different people to draw up plans for what the Academy would ultimately be including yours truly. But he kept everything close to the hip. His word was the word. we wanted The Academy to grow but it was hard for Don to do it himself after the accident and that had a lot to do with his decisions. Certainly he always hoped there would be a museum with his artifacts and Forries (Forry Ackerman)collection. I hope someone saved all that stuff and did just that with it all. They were very dedicated friends. But bottom line Donald did not want to lose control of the organization he created. He used to speak of it frequently once the show was televised. And it was a wonderful organization that this genre of film owes and undeniable debt to and to Donald for creating it. He gave legitimacy to films no one paid much attention to otherwise and brought the very best of them acclaim they never would have had without him. I personally will always be grateful to him for all the happiness and excitement he brought into my life, and for allowing me to be such an important part of his endeavors. Thank you Donald, and bless you, you made us love you with your enthusiasm and charm, great sense of humor, and your zeal and love of the genre. I miss Donald deeply and I am very proud to have been such a useful part of the two organizations he created. His friend, Nancy Malone-Sputhe

I met Dr. Reed in 1963 and quickly became Vice President of the Count Dracula Society; an odd amalgam of monster fans and literary sorts also frequented by the likes of Robert Bloch, Ray Bradbury, Christopher Lee and many others. These were the days before horror and science fiction entered the mainstream and Don was the genius who pulled it off. Clearly, Don had the enthusiasm and energy to maintain and operate his gaggle of social lepers and monster kids and while he had his share of detractors he in the end, had the last laugh.

On many levels he was an amazing man and yet, that which made him successful, would serve to crumble his world about him. There was his childish charm, enthusiasm and clear love of the genre, yet there was also nasty vindictiveness, inability to cope with the world around him and his own mortality coupled with an immense, all consuming ego.

On a kitchen table in his cluttered home he and I drew plans for what would become The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. It was a masterstroke that could eventually lead to great and wonderful things, yet as the Academy became more famous, more lustrous, televised, reported on and about, his ego and sense of self importance exploded and when that final moment came where he had the choice of moving the Academy to the next level, he said simply "no" to the powers that be and thus began the downfall from which the Academy never recovered.

Dustin Lance Black has done an incredible unflinching job capturing this eccentric little man and the world in which he lived, serving as proof that "Absolute power" does in fact, "corrupt absolutely". This film is a must-see on so many levels.

My sole gripe is the Universal "Dracula" footage used (I suppose) to parallel aspects of Don's life. It only serves to slow down the film and I'll wager, using this footage is why the film isn't widely available.

Seeing myself in this film shows how much water has flowed under the bridge and that for a brief moment there were wonderful things afoot that turned alas, into time lost that can never be recovered.