RIP to the master, Ray Harryhausen. A tip of the hat to one of the men who was a huge part of my childhood. His effects enthralled me from the start and filled a young boy with a sense of wonder that has rarely been equalled. I won't even attempt to list all of his accomplishments.  His body of work in science fiction and fantasy has few equals and no superiors. He is well known at the marathon having been with us right from the start with Earth Versus the Flying Saucers. We saw First Men in the Moon, 20 Million Miles to Earth, Mysterious Island, It Came From Beneath The Sea and Valley of Gwangi. Let's not forget One Million Years B.C. His body of work in fantasy is just as impressive: Mighty Joe Young, 3 Worlds of Gulliver, Seventh Voyage of Sinbad and the sequels, Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans. He has influenced countless of directors and effects artists. A master in every respect. I happily met the man back in 1993 and I had a brief chat with him on an elevator along with Ray Bradbury and Robert Bloch. I went right to Harryhausen and thanked him for the wonderful memories his films gave me and how his art impacted on a young child. He smiled broadly and we spoke briefly but he was everything that I had hoped he would be: a consumate artist who had not forgotten the folks for whom he had crafted his special magic. This passing really hurts as one of the very few remaining links with my childhood has now passed. Godspeed good sir and thank you for the Ymir, giant octopi with six legs, Mr. Joseph Young of Africa, cyclopes and dragons, flying saucers, Talos, harpies, living skeletons, hydras, selenites, moon calves, giant bees, medusa and all of the rest. They will keep me company and always remind me of your genius and greatness.

No words can approximate the loss we in the 'thon community feel today. Would there have been a Marathon without Ray Harryhausen. Probably. But, would it have been the same? No way in hell.

As hard as it may be for some younger Marathoners to fully comprehend, Harryhausen's work truly transformed the cinema. His Honorary Oscar a few years ago was richly deserved. When one watches a modern day special effects film, the end credits roll can sometimes take 5 full minutes. Harryhausen often worked alone (or with just an assistant or two) to achieve some of the most remarkable effects in the history of cinema. Seeing JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (his finest achievement overall IMHOP) as a young kid scared the hell out of me, but in a good way in the long run!

In retrospect, Harryhausen had the good sense to retire after 1981's CLASH OF THE TITANS. He could see that computers were taking over and that his hand-crafted masterworks were already considered passe in the era of STAR WARS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS etc. It's a damn shame, however, that were cheated out of 30 more years of his wonderous creations.

On a personal note, I got to meet Ray several times over the years. He is also a member of what my Writing partner Paul Parla and I call, "The June 29th club" (Paul and I were born on that date, along with Ray AND Bernard Herrmann!). One glorious afternoon about 20 years ago, Paul and his wife arranged for a private get together at Ray's home near the beach. We four spent an entire afternoon together talking about his work, sipping tea and just enjoying the afternoon. A finer afternoon I cannot recollect.

Certainly, a tribute in some way at next year's SF/39 will be in order. But, it will still not be enough to fully thank the man for his contributions.

da_Bunnyman wrote on May 8^th, 2013 at 6:39am:

evidently you have forgotten about george pal. how on earth could you forget george pal. not to detract from mr. harryhausen.

L.A. Connection wrote on May 8^th, 2013 at 11:33am:

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=john+henry+george+pal&view=detail&mid=6BA174...

Here's a link to a live interview with the master that was re-broadcast yesterday on Fresh Air.
http://www.npr.org/2013/05/09/181947528/remembering-monster-maker-ray-harryhause...