Myrtle Rebecca Smith Gray Nolan(néeDouglas; June 20, 1904 – November 30, 1964), known to science fiction history asMorojoor sometimesMyrtle R Douglas,was ascience fiction fan,fanzinepublisher, andcosplaypioneer from Los Angeles.
Morojo | |
|---|---|
 Morojo in 1939, wearing the "futuricostume" she made for the 1st World Science Fiction Convention | |
| Born | Myrtle Rebecca Douglas June 20, 1904 Phoenix,Arizona Territory,U.S. |
| Died | November 30, 1964(aged 60) Patton, California,U.S. |
Fandom and fanzines
editMorojo, along withForrest J Ackerman,was heavily involved in the production ofVoice of the Imagi-Nation[1][2](which in 1996 would be awarded theRetro Hugo for Best Fanzine of 1946;and has also been nominated for the 1939, 1941 and 1943 Best Fanzine Retro Hugos) andNovacious(nominated for the 1941 Retro Hugo), as well asJack Speer'sFancyclopedia.She contributed to fanzines by Ackerman and others, and published her own fanzineGutetofrom 1941 until 1958 for theFantasy Amateur Press Association(of which she was a founding member).
Her niece and fellow fan, Patti Gray, known by the Esperanto nickname of "Pogo", in 1940 edited what is credited as "what appears to be the first all-female zine (or femmefan zine),Pogo's STF-ETTE",whose contributors included Morojo and (in its second issue)Leigh Brackett.[3]Morojo served as treasurer and in other roles for theLos Angeles Science Fantasy Societyfor many years. Like Ackerman, Morojo was an avidEsperantist(they met through the Esperanto movement), and the name by which she was known in fandom is a variation of her initials as spelled out in Esperanto, plus Ackerman's middle initial "J".[4][5][6]
She and Ackerman broke up in the early 1940s (originally over her continuing to smoke, though that spat was quickly settled)[7]and remained estranged until her death.
Costuming
editTogether with then-boyfriend Ackerman, she attended the 19391st World Science Fiction Convention(Nycon or 1stWorldcon) in New York City dressed in "futuristicostumes", including green cape and breeches, based on thepulp magazineartwork ofFrank R. Pauland the 1936 filmThings to Come,which were designed, created and sewn by Douglas.[8][9]Ackerman later stated that he thought everyone was supposed to wear a costume at a science fiction convention, although only he and Douglas did.[10](At the convention she also distributed copies of her own fanzineStephan the STFan,created especially for the Nycon.)
Fans liked the concept, and the2nd Worldcon,in Chicago in 1940, had both an unofficial masquerade held in Morojo's room and an official masquerade as part of the program,[11][12]with participants (besides Ackerman and Morojo, who performed a brief skit in the costumes they had premiered the year before) includingE. E. Smith,Cyril M. Kornbluth,Jack Speer,Wilson Tucker,Robert LowndesandDavid Kyle.In 1941, at theDenvention(3rd WorldCon) she wore a frog-faced mask devised for her by a young costume maker namedRay Harryhausen.[13]
In 2016, theInternational Costumers' Guild(ICG) recognized Morojo as the “Mother of Convention Costuming” with a video award presentation at MidAmeriCon II, the74th Worldcon. [14] [15]
Personal life
editDouglas was born June 20, 1904, inPhoenix, Arizonato Robert Douglas and Lillie Dell (Kilpatrick) Schutz.
She was married three times: to Virgil Van Buren Smith, Henry Willis Gray, and, lastly, to John Arthur Nolan. She had a son, Virgil Roger Douglas (néSmith). She died November 30, 1964, aged 60, inPatton, California,from undisclosed causes, and was buried at Twentynine Palms Cemetery.[16]
References
edit- ^Warner, Jr., Harry.All Our YesterdaysChicago: Advent:Publishers, 1969; pg. 36
- ^Moskowitz, Sam.The Immortal StormWestport, CT: Hyperion Press, 1954; pg. 228
- ^Merrick, Helen.The Secret Feminist Cabal: A Cultural History of Science Fiction FeminismsSeattle: Aqueduct Press, 2009; pg. 79
- ^Warner,Yesterdays;pg. 248
- ^Cheng, John (2013).Astounding Wonder: Imagining Science and Science Fiction in Interwar America.University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 244.ISBN9780812222937.
- ^Ackerman, Forrest J"I Remember Morojo",Los Angeles, privately printed, February 11, 1965.
- ^Unger, Julius. "Ramblings".Fantasy Fiction FieldVol. 9 #18 (whole #159) February 7, 1944; pg. 6
- ^Kyle, David(December 2002)."Caravan to the Stars".Mimosa(29).
- ^Culp, Jennifer (May 9, 2016)."Meet the Woman Who Invented Cosplay".Racked.RetrievedMay 11,2016.
- ^Painter, Deborah (2010).Forry: The Life of Forrest J Ackerman.McFarland. pp. 37–39.ISBN9780786448845.
- ^Rich, Mark (2009).C.M. Kornbluth: The Life and Works of a Science Fiction Visionary.McFarland. p. 69.ISBN9780786457113.
- ^Resnick, Mike (2015). "Worldcon Masquerades".Always a Fan.Wildside Press. pp. 106–110.ISBN9781434448149.
- ^Ackerman, Forrest J "I Remember Morojo" Los Angeles, privately printed, February 11, 1965
- ^"Myrtle R Douglas: Mother of Convention Costuming"(video).youtube.com.International Costumers’ Guild (ICG). August 19, 2016.
- ^Gust, Philip (September–October 2016)."Myrtle R Douglas: Mother of Convention Costuming".The International Costumer, Volume XV Issue 5.International Costumers’ Guild (ICG). pp. 7–8.RetrievedAugust 28,2018.
- ^"Services Set For Resident of Morongo Valley".Hi-Desert Star.December 3, 1964. p. 6.RetrievedFebruary 12,2023– via Newspapers.com.