By Toy Boy
TheGlobalCollector.com
comic books/toys blog
For those that do not know Toy Boy personally, you may not realize that — if you are a fan of films that fall toward the fantastic — you may have read an interview or two of mine in the odd genre magazine, Scarlet Street and Rue Morgue among them. And if you have read these mags (in particular my work) you would notice a distinct trend in the majority of them: The Creature from the Black Lagoon.
Today, with the heaviest of hearts, I must report that the original Gill-Man — Ben Chapman, who played the scenes of the Creature above water — has passed away. He was 79.
I first met Ben at a convention in Pittsburgh for an interview that would turn into a cover story for Rue Morgue Magazine. Having had the pleasure to inteview a few notables in my writing career, I was immediately struck how genuine Ben really was a human being, meaning, how much he enjoyed talking about his role as the Gill-Man, how happy he was to meet his fans, how warm he was as a person. There was nothing phony about Ben. He was the proverbial real deal, both as a man and a celebrity (something that deseredly came to him late in life, for years it was not readily publicized who played this titular character. Ricou Browning played the Gill-Man underwater).
It wasn’t long before Ben and I were spending time in the hotel lounge afterward, like two old school chums who hadn’t seen each other in far too long. Ben was like that. He had that connection with people.
I certainly wasn’t alone – several people would stop by his table at subsequent cons just to give him a hug and what not. Ben was a special, special human being. Even my wife loved him, especially after the ever-smooth Ben gave her a three-kiss hello upon meeting her (”This one’s for you, this one’s for me, and this one’s for us!).
Soon after, if a convention appearance was within driving distance to our home base, off we were (Toy Boy and anyone else he could gather) to places such as the forementioned Monster Bash in Pittsburgh — on a number of occassions, I might add — along with Frightvisions in Cleveland and even a Spookenanny gathering in Defiance, OH (which is a story unto itself, really).
There was Ben, usually clad in his Hawaiian shirt, always ready with a warm Aloha! for me and my troops, ready to induct and welcome a new charge to his Black Lagoon with a personalized, autographed photo. No one ever left disappointed at meeting Ben.
Dr. Mindbender and I had two special rendevous with Benny (as his friends would often call him) at both the Monster Bash Convention in Pittsburgh and the last time we both saw him, a few years back at the Fax Expo in Toronto. The time we spent with he and Caroline Munro in Pittsburgh is one of the best memories I have as a fan and writer, with the evening well-set when we walked into the bar with The Doors’ “The End” blaring in Apocalyse Now-like fashion.
Ben then spent the evening trying to teach the good Doctor how to properly speak French, given that Ben spoke a number of languages himself. We will never forget this great evening — where Ben also continually bought everyone drinks — and speak of it often. He was a blast to hang around with and — despite the age difference — was simply one-of-the-boys after-hours. He was an old-school Hollywood partier that knew how to have fun. We consider ourselves lucky to have even met him, let alone having the chance to get to know him as a person.
Every year Ben would make it a point to send me a personalized Christmas card, complete with a Gill-Man drawing stamp on the inside of the card. That’s the kind of person he was. Rest assured, these were instantly among “My Favorite Things” — and you should all know what kind of crazy collector I am. I felt blessed that he would even think to send me one of these, let alone repeatedly, year after year, up until the last few . . . when Ben’s health began to grow worse, and his appearances on the convention circuit fewer and fewer. Note — not that this stopped Ben much. Even for the Fan Expo in 2006, his health was poor, but Ben would hear nothing of doctor’s advise not to fly to Canada from his home in Hawaii. He had Canadian fans he had never met, said Ben, and if he died trying to meet them, so be it. That was Ben. He loved his fans, and they loved him right back in return.
Your suffering is now over, Ben, with nothing but good times ahead of you. Wherever you are today, I’m sure everyone around you is having a better time than they were before you arrived. You have that affect on people, and I will miss you forever. Thank-you for all the great memories. Until we meet again, my friend . . . God bless you and your family.
Visit Ben’s official page to leave your thoughts by visiting the-reelgillman.com
