Interview - Fred Fredericks - by Jostein Hansen, 2007
Email sent from Jostein Hansen to Fred Fredericks March 12, 2007
Reply March 18, 2007
Hello again Mr. Fredericks, thanks for your e-mail!
Very glad to speak to you in the phone also, I guess you not so often get calls from Norway.
My name is Jostein Hansen and I work in the Health Care Department. I also help with information for the Norwegian Phantom-magazine, which sometimes publish Mandrake-stories.
The Mandrake strip has a long and faithful following here in Scandinavia and Norway
Hopefully you will find these questions interesting. Take your time since you are busy each day with new Mandrake strips, both script and art.
Here we go:
You still spend some time on Cape Cod (where also Lee Falk lived)? You don't live there regular?
YES ... WE MOVED UP HERE TO CAPE COD FULLTIME IN 1972
Can you tell with a few words about the start in 1965: Which other artists did you have to "compete" with to get the assignment for the Mandrake daily and Sundays?
I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM KING FEATURES IN APRIL, 1965 ... THEY HAD SEEN MY WORK IN GOLD KEY COMIC BOOKS ...
Phil Davis had died in December 1964, and it is said that his wife Martha Davis finished the stories before you took over, is that true, or was it another ghost-artist?
IT'S TRUE! MRS. DAVIS DID THE DAILY AND SUNDAY PENCILS AND THE INKING WAS DONE BY A LOCAL ST. LOUIS ARTIST
Which other artist have you worked with on the Mandrake-strip: Frank Thorne, Bob Fujitani, Andre LeBlanc and George Olesen?
I WAS KNOCKED OUT BY THE FLU IN ’68 OR ’6... BOB FUJITANI HELPED OUT ONE WEEK, FRANK THORNE DID THE OTHER
You worked with the adventure master Lee Falk for four decades, did you ever meet him and knew that his real name was Leon Harrison Gross??
WE MET MANY TIMES THROUGH THE WEARS, I NEVER KNEW HIS REAL NAME.
What was the script like, that Lee Falk sent you, not the whole story? All the scripts came from Lee Falk or perhaps his son did some plot?
LEE WROTE ALL THE SCRIPTS, DAILY & SUNDAY FOR MANDRAKE AND THE PHANTOM! HIS SCRIPTS LOOKED LIKE MOVIE SCRIPTS, "DIALOGUE AND DIRECTIONS FOR THE "ACTION"
Was you involved in the development of the strip or stories from the beginning, or was this only Falk’s department? From 1965 onward the stripe changes a bit in the mood, more concentrating about the conflict the good against the evil. We have Mandrake, Inter Intel, The College of Magic on one side and Octon and Cobra on the other side. Also the fight against the evil twin brother of Mandrake, Derek. And the very strange Mirror World!
JAMES BOND - 007 WAS SO POPULAR, LEE BROUGHT IN JED AND INTER-INTEL AT THAT TIME I ... HE FELT IT WAS ALSO TIME TO INTRODUCE NEW VILAINS, ALTHOUGH HE LIKED TO BRING BACK THE OLD FOES FROM TIME TO TIME
A lot of characters were from the Phil Davis-era; The Cobra, Derek, Aleena, The Clay Camel, Magnon, Theron and The Mirror People. Was that only Lee Falk’s choice or did you have something to say?
NO, THAT WAS LEE'S DEPARTMENT - ALL THE WRITING!
Did Lee ever told you who was hiding as the leader behind "8" - and the Octon-gang?
I NEVER KNEW WHO IT WAS ... HE KEPT IT A SECRET FOR A LONG TIME!
Lee was busy in the Army in the Second World War 2, and it is said that Alfred Bester and/or Rod Reed wrote some stories for him (1942-44?), both Mandrake and the Phantom? And later on, when he concentrated on Theatre and Mandrake, in the 50's, Wilson McCoy is said the have written some Phantom-stories. What is told to you about these concerns?
LEE TOLD ME THE ONLY TIME HE BOUGHT ANY STORIES FROM OTHER WRITERS WAS WHEN HE LEARNED HE WAS GOING INTO THE ARMY I'VE NEVER HEARD THAT WILSON WROT SOME STORIES. I WOULD TEND TO DOUBT IT!
Have you used Lee Falk or other famous persons in the strip? In the Phantom story "The Floradon Mystery" from 1998-99, drawn by Fredericks and Olesen, there is a character at the end of the story (actually the last one Lee Falk wrote) that reminds me very much about the author himself? And in the last Mandrake Sunday from 2002, "Shadows on Devil Road", there is some names that looks familiar to the family of Lee Falk and Mandrake.
REMEMBER ... GEORGE OLESEN PENCILED THE PHANTOM - I INKED THE SUNDAY PAGE ... BUT I REMEMBER THE CHARACTER ... IT DID LOOK A BIT LIKE LEE ... I DID THE ART AND WROTE THE STORY ON THAT FINAL SUNDAY MANDRAKE ADVENTURE ... THE FIRST MANDRAKE - PHANTOM TEAM-UP... BUT WITH NEW VILLAINS
Did you follow Mandrake or other adventure strips in your childhood (and in recent years?). You must have read most of the classic Phil Davis stories?!
MANDRAKE AND PHANTOM WERE FAVORITES - ALONG WITH DICK TRACY AND TERRY AND THE PIRATES
As mentioned you also worked with the Phantom-strip, with George Olesen, in the period 1994-2000. How was it possible to keep the deadlines for that strip besides the workload for Mandrake daily and Sundays, both pencils and ink?!
IT WAS A HEAVY WORKLOAD, BUT WHEN YOU ENJOY THE WORK, IT’S NOT SO TOUGH.
Which Phantom-artist (s) is you favorite? You possibly had some contact with Ray Moore, Wilson McCoy or Sy Barry? What happened to Ray Moore after he left the Phantom-strip; he just disappeared? Both Wilson McCoy and Sy Barry have visited Norway, have you ever been here?
I LIKED RAY MOORE AND SY BARRY - WILSON MCCOY WOULD HAVE BEEN PERFECT FOR TODAY'S SMALLER SIZE, DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO RAY MOORE ... NEVER BEEN TO NORWAY - YET
Was you involved in the scripting for the Paramount Phantom-movie from 1996? Did you enjoy it?
IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST FILMS EVER BASED ON A COMIC STRIP! THERE IS STILL TALK OF A MANDRAKE FILM ... ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN!
Which other series have you enjoyed working with. Remember Ian Flemings Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?
THAT WAS A BOOK I DID FOR GOLD KEY ... NEVER MET IAN, SAD TO SAY ... DID MANY OHER VERSIONS OF MOVIES: “FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE”, “FIRST MEN IN THE MOON”, ETC
What inspires your stories, which has unusual plots full of exciting ideas, and can we find some "messages" in the scripts?
ENJOY COMING UP WITH PLOTS, CLIFF-HANGERS, ACTION ... TRY TO HAVE HIM DO NEW TRICKS IN ADDITION TO THE OLD FAVORITES!
Some of your last Mandrake-stories are very long, how does KFS react to that?
THEY’D PROBABLY LIKE THEM A BIT SHORTER, BUT LEE LIKED LONG STORIES A GREAT DEAL!
And do you know the ending of a new story when you start to draw it?
OFTEN, I DON’T EVEN NOW HOW IT’S GOING TO END! WHEN IN DOUBT, THROW IN A FEW HYPNOTIC GESTURES!
That should be all. Hopefully the English is ok. Take much care, and best wishes from Jostein and a friend om mine, Peder Bjørkmann (who runs the Xanadu website).
Sincerely, Jostein Hansen