WHO IS DOC SAVAGE?
To the world at large,
the Man of Bronze is a man of mystery.
So mysterious, in fact, that he is largely forgotten.
Except to the legions of fans who have kept
Doc Savage’s legacy alive, through
their lives and passions.
There are Collectors, Characters and Creators…
this is documentary will be their story…
September 14, 2022 UPDATE…
I thank you for your support of the documentary “We Are Doc Savage: A Documentary on Fandom.”
Over 100 people backed this project on Kickstarter to the tune of $17,000! That’s a lot of people and a lot of financial support! Some of you have known me for many years, many others are new friends and fellow fans of Doc Savage.
And though we didn’t reach the goal of $25,000 that would provide the budget to enable us to produce the documentary in the fashion we had planned, our work will continue.
Thanks for your words of encouragement and your ideas on how to take this to completion. Keep the communications coming – shoot a note to ron@act3creative and we’ll make sure we reach out with the next installment in the Doc Savage saga that must be told.
Other news to report: Two weeks ago, I heard from a representative of the publisher of James Patterson’s Doc Savage novel, “The Perfect Assassin.” This title hits the streets on November 15, but I was sent an advance copy for review due to my involvement in the documentary. I’m just about finished with the book – look for my review soon!
Till next time!
Ron Hill
Director of We Are Doc Savage: A Documentary on Fandom
In a photograph by Jen DiGiacomo from 1999, we see Scott Cranford on the left receiving the original 1933 Man of Bronze painting by Walter Baumhofer from Rusty Hevelin. Rusty wanted the artwork to go to a fan who would preserve it. Today, Scott has it hanging in his home with other Doc Savage artwork by James Bama and Bob Larkin.
Director Ron Hill has been a Doc Savage fan for almost 50 years, discovering The Man of Bronze through the inspirational cover illustrations by the late James Bama, which adorned more than 60 paperback reprints in the 1960s (above). So inspirational, in fact, that Hill was driven to pursue a professional career in commercial art, illustration and cartooning while still in middle school. An armchair authority on Doc Savage and related pulp and science fiction literature, Hill was an early contributor to The Hidalgo Trading Company, now DocSavage.org, one of the first Doc Savage websites in the mid 90s. You can read one of his early contributions here.
Act 3 has been producing interactive media, design and illustration for a myriad of clients since its inception in 2016, as well as a couple of very short (1-minute) documentary features that have been screened at the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival.
Doc Savage is a pivotal figure in American pop culture, one of the first of the “hero pulps” in the 1930s and 40s, and a direct inspiration to such iconic figures in genre literature and media as Superman, James Bond, Mr. Spock and The Fantastic Four. Please check back often to learn of any further production developments.
Contact Ron to share your story and learn more.