Charles Beaumont
Encyclopedia
Charles Beaumont was a prolific American
author
of speculative fiction
, including short stories
in the horror
and science fiction
subgenres. He is remembered as a writer of classic Twilight Zone
episodes, such as "The Howling Man", "Miniature", and "Printer's Devil", but also penned the screenplays for several films, among them 7 Faces of Dr. Lao
, The Intruder
and The Masque of the Red Death
. Novelist Dean R. Koontz has said, "Charles Beaumont was one of the seminal influences on writers of the fantastic and macabre." Beaumont is also the subject of a documentary, Charles Beaumont: The Life of Twilight Zone's Magic Man, by Jason V Brock
.
, to Charles H. and Letty Nutt. His mother is known to have dressed him in girls' clothes, and once threatened to kill his dog to punish him. These early experiences inspired the celebrated short story "Miss Gentilbelle", but according to Beaumont, "Football, baseball and dimestore cookie thefts filled my early world." School did not hold his attention, and his last name exposed him to ridicule, so he found solace as a teenager in science fiction. He dropped out of high school in tenth grade to join the army. He also worked as a cartoonist, illustrator, disc jockey, usher and dishwasher before selling his first story to Amazing Stories
in 1950.
In 1954, Playboy
magazine selected his story "Black Country" to be the first work of short fiction to appear in its pages. It was also at about this time that Beaumont started writing for television and film.
Beaumont was energetic and spontaneous, and was known to take trips (sometimes out of the country) at a moment's notice. An avid racing
fan, he often enjoyed participating in or watching area speedway races, with other authors tagging along.
His cautionary fables include "The Beautiful People" (1952), a futuristic short story about a rebellious adolescent girl who lives in a largely conformist society in which people obligatorily alter their physical appearance (adapted as an episode of The Twilight Zone
: "Number 12 Looks Just Like You
"), and "Free Dirt" (1955), about a frugally gluttonous man who gorges on his entire vegetable harvest, but instead dies from having consumed the magical soil he used to grow it.
His short story "The Crooked Man" (also published by Playboy
, in 1955) presented a dystopian future scenario wherein heterosexuality is stigmatized in the same way that homosexuality then was, and depicts heterosexuals living as furtively as pre-Stonewall
gays and lesbians. In the story, a man meets the woman he loves in a gay orgy bar. They try to make love in a curtained booth (she dressed in male drag), and are caught.
Beaumont wrote many scripts for the Twilight Zone, including an adaptation of his own short story, "The Howling Man
", starring John Carradine
, and the hour-long "The Valley of the Shadow
," in which a newspaper reporter stumbles upon a cloistered technological Utopia, disguised as an ordinary small town in the middle of nowhere, which refuses to allow its startingly-advanced science discoveries to be given to the outside world, citing humanity's previous misusue of another scientific formula E=mc2 as their cautious rationale. Beaumont famously scripted the film Queen of Outer Space
from an outline by Ben Hecht
, deliberately writing the screenplay as a parody
. According to Beaumont, the directorial style is not informed by this satiric intent.
He did pen one episode of Steve Canyon; "Operation B-52"; a story where Canyon and his crew attempt to set a new around the world non-stop speed record in a B-52 with a newsman aboard who hates Air Force pilots. The newsman later learns that flyboys aren't so bad after all.
Beaumont was much admired by the well-known colleagues who outlived him (Ray Bradbury
, Harlan Ellison
, Richard Matheson
, Robert Bloch
, Roger Corman
), and his work is currently in the process of being rediscovered. Many of his stories have been re-released in posthumous volumes (Best of Beaumont (Bantam, 1982) and The Howling Man (Tom Doherty, 1992)), and a set of previously unpublished tales, A Touch of the Creature (Subterranean Press, 1999), is now available. In 2004, Gauntlet Press released the first of what is to be two volumes collecting Beaumont's Twilight Zone
scripts.
"He was rarely well," his friend and colleague William F. Nolan
(who went on to co-write the science fiction novel Logan's Run
) would later recall. "He was almost always thin, and with a headache. He used Bromo-Seltzer
like most people use water. He had a big Bromo bottle with him all the time." The disease also affected his work. "He could barely sell stories, much less write. He would go unshaven to meetings with producers, which would end in disaster. [A script writer has] got to be able to think on your feet, which Chuck couldn't do anymore; and so the producers would just go, 'We're sorry, Mr. Beaumont, but we don't like the script.'"
The condition might have been related to the spinal meningitis
he suffered as a child. On the other hand, his friend and early agent Forrest J Ackerman
has asserted that Beaumont suffered simultaneously from Alzheimer's
and Pick's
diseases. The former diagnosis was echoed by he UCLA Medical Staff, who subjected Beaumont to a battery of tests in the mid-1960s, indicated that it might be either Alzheimer's or Pick's. Nolan recalls that the UCLA doctors sent Beaumont home: "There's absolutely no treatment for this disease. It's permanent and it's terminal. He'll probably live from six months to three years with it. He'll decline and get to where he can't stand up. He won't feel any pain. In fact, he won't even know this is happening." Nolan summed up what happened: "Like his character 'Walter Jameson,' Chuck just dusted away."
Several fellow writers, including Nolan and friend Jerry Sohl
, began ghostwriting for Beaumont in his final years, so that he could meet his many writing obligations. Privately, he insisted on splitting these fees.
Charles Beaumont died in Woodland Hills, California at the age of 38. But at that time, said his son Christopher later, "he looked ninety-five and was, in fact, ninety-five by every calendar except the one on your watch." Beaumont's last residence was in nearby Valley Village, California. He left behind his devoted wife Helen, and two sons and two daughters. One son died in 2004 of eerily similar circumstances. The other, Christopher, is a successful writer in his own right.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of speculative fiction
Speculative fiction
Speculative fiction is an umbrella term encompassing the more fantastical fiction genres, specifically science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history in literature as well as...
, including short stories
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
in the horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
and science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
subgenres. He is remembered as a writer of classic Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
episodes, such as "The Howling Man", "Miniature", and "Printer's Devil", but also penned the screenplays for several films, among them 7 Faces of Dr. Lao
7 Faces of Dr. Lao
7 Faces of Dr. Lao is a Metrocolor 1964 film adaptation of the 1935 fantasy novel The Circus of Dr. Lao by Charles G. Finney. It details the visit of a magical circus to a small town in the southwest United States, and the effects that visit has on the people of the town...
, The Intruder
The Intruder (1962 film)
The Intruder is a 1962 American film directed by Roger Corman, after a novel by Charles Beaumont, starring William Shatner. Also called Shame in US release, and The Stranger in the UK release...
and The Masque of the Red Death
The Masque of the Red Death (film)
The Masque of the Red Death is a 1964 British horror film starring Vincent Price in a tale about a prince who terrorizes a plague-ridden peasantry while merrymaking in a lonely castle with his jaded courtiers. The film was directed by Roger Corman; the screenplay by Charles Beaumont and R...
. Novelist Dean R. Koontz has said, "Charles Beaumont was one of the seminal influences on writers of the fantastic and macabre." Beaumont is also the subject of a documentary, Charles Beaumont: The Life of Twilight Zone's Magic Man, by Jason V Brock
Jason V Brock
Jason V Brock, born March 1, 1970, is an American author, artist, editor and director. He is the CEO and co-founder of JaSunni Productions, LLC, whose documentary films include the controversial Charles Beaumont: The Short Life of Twilight Zone’s Magic Man , The AckerMonster Chronicles , and the...
.
Life and work
Beaumont was born Charles Leroy Nutt in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, to Charles H. and Letty Nutt. His mother is known to have dressed him in girls' clothes, and once threatened to kill his dog to punish him. These early experiences inspired the celebrated short story "Miss Gentilbelle", but according to Beaumont, "Football, baseball and dimestore cookie thefts filled my early world." School did not hold his attention, and his last name exposed him to ridicule, so he found solace as a teenager in science fiction. He dropped out of high school in tenth grade to join the army. He also worked as a cartoonist, illustrator, disc jockey, usher and dishwasher before selling his first story to Amazing Stories
Amazing Stories
Amazing Stories was an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction...
in 1950.
In 1954, Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
magazine selected his story "Black Country" to be the first work of short fiction to appear in its pages. It was also at about this time that Beaumont started writing for television and film.
Beaumont was energetic and spontaneous, and was known to take trips (sometimes out of the country) at a moment's notice. An avid racing
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
fan, he often enjoyed participating in or watching area speedway races, with other authors tagging along.
His cautionary fables include "The Beautiful People" (1952), a futuristic short story about a rebellious adolescent girl who lives in a largely conformist society in which people obligatorily alter their physical appearance (adapted as an episode of The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
: "Number 12 Looks Just Like You
Number 12 Looks Just Like You
"Number 12 Looks Just Like You" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:In a future society, all young adults go through a process known as "the Transformation," in which each person's body and face are changed to mimic a physically attractive design...
"), and "Free Dirt" (1955), about a frugally gluttonous man who gorges on his entire vegetable harvest, but instead dies from having consumed the magical soil he used to grow it.
His short story "The Crooked Man" (also published by Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
, in 1955) presented a dystopian future scenario wherein heterosexuality is stigmatized in the same way that homosexuality then was, and depicts heterosexuals living as furtively as pre-Stonewall
Stonewall riots
The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City...
gays and lesbians. In the story, a man meets the woman he loves in a gay orgy bar. They try to make love in a curtained booth (she dressed in male drag), and are caught.
Beaumont wrote many scripts for the Twilight Zone, including an adaptation of his own short story, "The Howling Man
The Howling Man
"The Howling Man" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:The story is told in a flashback by an American called David Ellington. While on a walking trip through post-World War I Europe, Ellington becomes lost, is drenched by rain and seeks shelter in a...
", starring John Carradine
John Carradine
John Carradine was an American actor, best known for his roles in horror films and Westerns as well as Shakespearean theater. A member of Cecil B DeMille's stock company and later John Ford's company, he was one of the most prolific character actors in Hollywood history...
, and the hour-long "The Valley of the Shadow
The Valley of the Shadow
This page is about an American Civil war project. For other uses, see Valley of the Shadow The Valley of the Shadow is a digital history project hosted by the University of Virginia detailing the experiences of Confederate soldiers from Augusta County, Virginia and Union soldiers from Franklin...
," in which a newspaper reporter stumbles upon a cloistered technological Utopia, disguised as an ordinary small town in the middle of nowhere, which refuses to allow its startingly-advanced science discoveries to be given to the outside world, citing humanity's previous misusue of another scientific formula E=mc2 as their cautious rationale. Beaumont famously scripted the film Queen of Outer Space
Queen of Outer Space
Queen of Outer Space is a 1958 American CinemaScope science fiction feature film starring Zsa Zsa Gabor, Eric Fleming, and Laurie Mitchell in a tale about a revolt against a cruel Venusian queen. The screenplay by Charles Beaumont was based on an outline supplied by Ben Hecht...
from an outline by Ben Hecht
Ben Hecht
Ben Hecht was an American screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, and novelist. Called "the Shakespeare of Hollywood", he received screen credits, alone or in collaboration, for the stories or screenplays of some 70 films and as a prolific storyteller, authored 35 books and created some of...
, deliberately writing the screenplay as a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
. According to Beaumont, the directorial style is not informed by this satiric intent.
He did pen one episode of Steve Canyon; "Operation B-52"; a story where Canyon and his crew attempt to set a new around the world non-stop speed record in a B-52 with a newsman aboard who hates Air Force pilots. The newsman later learns that flyboys aren't so bad after all.
Beaumont was much admired by the well-known colleagues who outlived him (Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury is an American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man , Bradbury is one of the most celebrated among 20th...
, Harlan Ellison
Harlan Ellison
Harlan Jay Ellison is an American writer. His principal genre is speculative fiction.His published works include over 1,700 short stories, novellas, screenplays, teleplays, essays, a wide range of criticism covering literature, film, television, and print media...
, Richard Matheson
Richard Matheson
Richard Burton Matheson is an American author and screenwriter, primarily in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres. He is perhaps best known as the author of What Dreams May Come, Bid Time Return, A Stir of Echoes, The Incredible Shrinking Man, and I Am Legend, all of which have been...
, Robert Bloch
Robert Bloch
Robert Albert Bloch was a prolific American writer, primarily of crime, horror and science fiction. He is best known as the writer of Psycho, the basis for the film of the same name by Alfred Hitchcock...
, Roger Corman
Roger Corman
Roger William Corman is an American film producer, director and actor. He has mostly worked on low-budget B movies. Some of Corman's work has an established critical reputation, such as his cycle of films adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, and in 2009 he won an Honorary Academy Award for...
), and his work is currently in the process of being rediscovered. Many of his stories have been re-released in posthumous volumes (Best of Beaumont (Bantam, 1982) and The Howling Man (Tom Doherty, 1992)), and a set of previously unpublished tales, A Touch of the Creature (Subterranean Press, 1999), is now available. In 2004, Gauntlet Press released the first of what is to be two volumes collecting Beaumont's Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
scripts.
Illness and death
When Beaumont was 34 and overwhelmed by numerous writing commitments, he began to suffer the effects of what has been called "a mysterious brain disease". He began to age rapidly. His speech slowed and his ability to concentrate diminished."He was rarely well," his friend and colleague William F. Nolan
William F. Nolan
William Francis Nolan is an American author, who wrote stories in the science fiction, fantasy and horror genres. He is best known for coauthoring the novel Logan's Run, with George Clayton Johnson. He co-wrote the screenplay for the 1976 horror film Burnt Offerings which starred Karen Black and...
(who went on to co-write the science fiction novel Logan's Run
Logan's Run
Logan's Run is a novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. Published in 1967, it depicts a dystopic ageist future society in which both population and the consumption of resources are maintained in equilibrium by requiring the death of everyone reaching a particular age...
) would later recall. "He was almost always thin, and with a headache. He used Bromo-Seltzer
Bromo-Seltzer
Bromo-Seltzer , is an antacid used to relieve pain occurring together with heartburn, upset stomach, or acid indigestion. Originally produced by inventor Isaac E...
like most people use water. He had a big Bromo bottle with him all the time." The disease also affected his work. "He could barely sell stories, much less write. He would go unshaven to meetings with producers, which would end in disaster. [A script writer has] got to be able to think on your feet, which Chuck couldn't do anymore; and so the producers would just go, 'We're sorry, Mr. Beaumont, but we don't like the script.'"
The condition might have been related to the spinal meningitis
Meningitis
Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges. The inflammation may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms, and less commonly by certain drugs...
he suffered as a child. On the other hand, his friend and early agent Forrest J Ackerman
Forrest J Ackerman
Forrest J Ackerman was an American collector of science fiction books and movie memorabilia and a science fiction fan...
has asserted that Beaumont suffered simultaneously from Alzheimer's
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
and Pick's
Pick's disease
Pick's disease, is a rare neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive destruction of nerve cells in the brain. Symptoms include loss of speech , and dementia. While some of the symptoms can initially be alleviated, the disease progresses and patients often die within two to ten years...
diseases. The former diagnosis was echoed by he UCLA Medical Staff, who subjected Beaumont to a battery of tests in the mid-1960s, indicated that it might be either Alzheimer's or Pick's. Nolan recalls that the UCLA doctors sent Beaumont home: "There's absolutely no treatment for this disease. It's permanent and it's terminal. He'll probably live from six months to three years with it. He'll decline and get to where he can't stand up. He won't feel any pain. In fact, he won't even know this is happening." Nolan summed up what happened: "Like his character 'Walter Jameson,' Chuck just dusted away."
Several fellow writers, including Nolan and friend Jerry Sohl
Jerry Sohl
Gerald Allan Sohl Sr. was an American scriptwriter for The Twilight Zone , Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Outer Limits, Star Trek and other shows...
, began ghostwriting for Beaumont in his final years, so that he could meet his many writing obligations. Privately, he insisted on splitting these fees.
Charles Beaumont died in Woodland Hills, California at the age of 38. But at that time, said his son Christopher later, "he looked ninety-five and was, in fact, ninety-five by every calendar except the one on your watch." Beaumont's last residence was in nearby Valley Village, California. He left behind his devoted wife Helen, and two sons and two daughters. One son died in 2004 of eerily similar circumstances. The other, Christopher, is a successful writer in his own right.
Twilight Zone credits
The following is a list of episodes Beaumont penned for The Twilight Zone. An asterisk (*) indicates that the episode was credited to Beaumont, but ghostwritten by Jerry SohlJerry Sohl
Gerald Allan Sohl Sr. was an American scriptwriter for The Twilight Zone , Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Outer Limits, Star Trek and other shows...
.
- "Perchance to Dream"
- "ElegyElegy (The Twilight Zone)"Elegy" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:Running out of fuel, astronauts Meyers, Webber, and Kirby land their spaceship on a remote asteroid. They find the place quite Earth-like with buildings and people, but walk around and begin to wonder...
" - "Long Live Walter JamesonLong Live Walter Jameson"Long Live Walter Jameson" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:Walter Jameson, a college professor, is engaged to a young doctoral student named Susanna Kittridge...
" - "A Nice Place to VisitA Nice Place to Visit"A Nice Place to Visit" is an episode of the American Television anthology series The Twilight Zone first aired on CBS on April 15, 1960. The title comes from the saying, "A nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there."...
" - "The Howling ManThe Howling Man"The Howling Man" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:The story is told in a flashback by an American called David Ellington. While on a walking trip through post-World War I Europe, Ellington becomes lost, is drenched by rain and seeks shelter in a...
" - "StaticStatic (The Twilight Zone)"Static" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Opening narration:As Ed Lindsay retrieves his old radio from the boarding house basement, he says to a boy watching him, "Don't you know what a radio is?". "Sure", says the kid, "but I've never seen one like that ...
" (story by O. Cee Rich) - "The Prime MoverThe Prime Mover"The Prime Mover" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:Ace Larsen discovers his partner, Jimbo Cobb, has telekinetic powers after a car crashes outside their café. Ace plans to use those powers to win big in Las Vegas, and he takes his girlfriend...
" (story by George Clayton JohnsonGeorge Clayton JohnsonGeorge Clayton Johnson is an American science fiction writer most famous for co-writing the novel Logan's Run with William F. Nolan...
, who was inadvertently not credited onscreen) - "Long Distance CallLong Distance Call"Long Distance Call" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:A boy communicates with his father's European-immigrant mother, who had recently died, using a toy telephone that she gave him on his birthday before her passing. The boy, Billy, runs out in...
" - "Shadow PlayShadow Play (1961 The Twilight Zone episode)"Shadow Play" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. It was remade under the same title as part of the 1980s series of the show.-Synopsis:...
" - "The JungleThe Jungle (The Twilight Zone)"The Jungle" is a 1961 episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:Alan Richards and his wife Doris have recently returned from Africa, where Alan's company is constructing a dam. He discovers she has secretly kept several items given to her by a local shaman...
" - "Dead Man's ShoesDead Man's Shoes (The Twilight Zone)"Dead Man's Shoes" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.This episode was remade in the first revival as "Dead Woman's Shoes" and in the second revival as "Dead Man's Eyes"...
" - "The FugitiveThe Fugitive (Twilight Zone)"The Fugitive" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:The story opens at a public park, where a group of children are playing softball. They are accompanied by Old Ben, a kindly, grandfatherly gentleman, whom the kids adore. When it is Old Ben's turn...
" - "Person or Persons UnknownPerson or Persons Unknown"Person or Persons Unknown" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:David Gurney wakes up to find that nobody knows him, and all evidence of his identity had disappeared...
" - "In His ImageIn His Image"In His Image" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone aired on January 3, 1963. This was the first episode of the fourth season. Each episode was expanded to an hour from In His Image until The Bard...
" - "Valley of the ShadowValley of the Shadow"Valley of the Shadow" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Opening narration:-Synopsis:A reporter named Philip Redfield finds himself unable to leave a small town when he learns too much about a secret mechanical device which can control and rearrange...
" - "MiniatureMiniature (The Twilight Zone)"Miniature" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:Charley Parkes thinks he sees a figure in a museum dollhouse that comes alive.Charley returns to the museum numerous times and gazes into the dollhouse...
" - "Printer's DevilPrinter's Devil"Printer's Devil" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. The title comes from the profession printer's devil, an apprentice in the industry....
" - "The New ExhibitThe New Exhibit"The New Exhibit" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:Martin Senescu works at a respected wax museum. His boss and good friend, Mr. Ferguson, informs him that the museum will close, to be replaced by a shopping market...
"* - "Passage on the Lady AnnePassage on the Lady Anne"Passage on the Lady Anne" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:Six years into a troubled marriage, a young couple hopefully embark on a second honeymoon and their last chance at reconciliation...
" - "Living DollLiving Doll (The Twilight Zone)"Living Doll" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:Little Christie's mother, Annabelle, buys her a new doll, trying to make up for her new stepfather's indifference. As they pull into the driveway, Annabelle instructs Christie to run upstairs with...
"* - "Number 12 Looks Just Like YouNumber 12 Looks Just Like You"Number 12 Looks Just Like You" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:In a future society, all young adults go through a process known as "the Transformation," in which each person's body and face are changed to mimic a physically attractive design...
" (with John Tomerlin) - "Queen of the NileQueen of the Nile (The Twilight Zone)"Queen of the Nile" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:Columnist Jordan Herrick, a noted cynic, prepares to interview famed actress Pamela Morris. She is known for her vitality and beauty, and many want to know her secret to staying young and...
"*
Short stories
- “The Devil, You Say?” (Jan 1951, Amazing Stories, adapted for Twilight Zone)
- “The Beautiful People” (Sep 1952, If, adapted for Twilight Zone)
- “Fritzchen” (1953, Orbit #1)
- “Place of Meeting” (1953, Orbit #2)
- “Elegy” (Feb 1953, Imagination, adapted for Twilight ZoneElegy (The Twilight Zone)"Elegy" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:Running out of fuel, astronauts Meyers, Webber, and Kirby land their spaceship on a remote asteroid. They find the place quite Earth-like with buildings and people, but walk around and begin to wonder...
) - “The Last Caper” (Mar 1954, F&SF)
- “Keeper of the Dream” (1954, Time to Come)
- “Mass for Mixed Voices” (May 1954, Science Fiction Quarterly)
- “Hair of the Dog” (Jul 1954, Orbit #3)
- “The Quadriopticon” (Aug 1954, F&SF)
- “Black Country” (Sep 1954, Playboy)
- “The Jungle” (Dec 1954, If, adapted for Twilight ZoneThe Jungle (The Twilight Zone)"The Jungle" is a 1961 episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:Alan Richards and his wife Doris have recently returned from Africa, where Alan's company is constructing a dam. He discovers she has secretly kept several items given to her by a local shaman...
) - “The Murderers” (Feb 1955, Esquire)
- “The Hunger” (Apr 1955, Playboy)
- “The Last Word” (with Chad Oliver, Apr 1955, F&SF)
- “Free Dirt” (May 1955, F&SF)
- “The New Sound” (Jun 1955, F&SF)
- “The Crooked Man” (Aug 1955, Playboy)
- “The Vanishing American” (Aug 1955, F&SF)
- “Last Rites” (Oct 1955, If)
- “A Point of Honor” / “I’ll Do Anything” (Nov 1955, Manhunt)
- “A Classic Affair” (Dec 1955, Playboy)
- “Traumerei” (Feb 1956, Infinity Science Fiction)
- “The Monster Show” (May 1956, Playboy)
- “The Guests of Chance” (with Chad Oliver, Jun 1956, Infinity Science Fiction)
- “You Can’t Have Them All” (Aug 1956, Playboy)
- “Last Night in the Rain” / “Sin Tower” (Oct 1956, Nugget)
- “The Dark Music” (Dec 1956, Playboy)
- “Oh Father of Mine” / “Father, Dear Father” (Jan 1957, Venture)
- “The Love-Master” (Feb 1957, Rogue)
- “The Man Who Made Himself” / “In His Image” (Feb 1957, Imagination, adapted for Twilight Zone)
- “Night Ride” (Mar 1957, Playboy)
- “The Customers” (Apr 1957, “The Hunger and Other Stories”)
- “Fair Lady” (Apr 1957, “The Hunger and Other Stories”)
- “The Infernal Bouillabaisse” (Apr 1957, “The Hunger and Other Stories”)
- “Miss Gentilbelle” (Apr 1957, “The Hunger and Other Stories”)
- “Nursery Rhyme” (Apr 1957, “The Hunger and Other Stories”)
- “Open House” (Apr 1957, “The Hunger and Other Stories”)
- “Tears of the Madonna” (Apr 1957, “The Hunger and Other Stories”)
- “The Train” (Apr 1957, “The Hunger and Other Stories”)
- “A Death in the Country” / “The Deadly Will Win” (Nov 1957, Playboy)
- “Anthem” (Apr 1958, “Yonder”)
- “Mother’s Day” (Apr 1958, “Yonder”)
- “A World of Differents” (Apr 1958, “Yonder”)
- “The New People” (Aug 1958, Rogue)
- “Perchance to Dream” (Oct 1958, Playboy, adapted for Twilight Zone)
- “The Intruder” (1959, excerpt of chapter ten of the novel)
- “The Music of the Yellow Brass” (Jan 1959, Playboy)
- “The Trigger” (Jan 1959, Mystery Digest)
- “Sorcerer’s Moon” (Jul 1959, Playboy)
- “The Howling Man” (Nov 1959, Rogue, adapted for Twilight Zone)
- “Buck Fever” (Mar 1960, “Night Ride and Other Journeys”)
- “The Magic Man” (Mar 1960, “Night Ride and Other Journeys”)
- “The Neighbors” (Mar 1960, “Night Ride and Other Journeys”)
- “Song For a Lady” (Mar 1960, “Night Ride and Other Journeys”, adapted for Twilight ZonePassage on the Lady Anne"Passage on the Lady Anne" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:Six years into a troubled marriage, a young couple hopefully embark on a second honeymoon and their last chance at reconciliation...
) - “Gentlemen, Be Seated” (Apr 1960, Rogue)
- “Three Thirds of a Ghost” / “The Baron’s Secret” (Aug 1960, Nugget)
- “Blood Brother” (Apr 1961, Playboy)
- “Mourning Song” (1963, Gamma #1)
- “Something in the Earth” (1963, Gamma #2)
- "Auto Suggestion" (1965, Gamma #5)
- "Insomnia Vobiscum" (1982, "Best of Beaumont")
- “My Grandmother’s Japonicas” (1984, Masques #1)
- “Appointment with Eddie” (1987, “The Howling Man”)
- “The Carnival” (1987, “The Howling Man”)
- “The Crime of Willie Washington” (1987, “The Howling Man”)
- “The Man with the Crooked Nose” (1987, “The Howling Man”)
- “To Hell with Claude” (with Chad Oliver, 1987, “The Howling Man”)
- “The Wages of Cynicism” (1999)
- “Adam’s Off Ox” (2000, “A Touch of the Creature”)
- “Fallen Star” (2000, “A Touch of the Creature”)
- “A Friend of the Family” (2000, “A Touch of the Creature”)
- “The Indian Piper” (2000, “A Touch of the Creature”)
- “The Junemoon Spoon” (2000, “A Touch of the Creature”)
- “Lachrymosa” (2000, “A Touch of the Creature”)
- “A Long Way from Capri” (2000, “A Touch of the Creature”)
- “Moon in Gemini” (2000, “A Touch of the Creature”)
- “Mr. Underhill” (2000, “A Touch of the Creature”)
- “The Pool” (2000, “A Touch of the Creature”)
- “Resurrection Island” (2000, “A Touch of the Creature”)
- “The Rival” (2000, “A Touch of the Creature”)
- “Time and Again” (2000, “A Touch of the Creature”)
- “With the Family” (2000, “A Touch of the Creature”)
- “I, Claude” (with Chad Oliver)
- “The Rest of Science Fiction” (with Chad Oliver)
Short story collections
- The Hunger and Other StoriesThe Hunger and Other StoriesThe Hunger and Other Stories is the first collection of short stories by Charles Beaumont, published in April of 1957. A British edition was published in 1964 under the title Shadow Play...
(Apr 1957) - Yonder (Apr 1958)
- Night Ride and Other JourneysNight Ride and Other JourneysNight Ride and Other Journeys is the third anthology of short stories by Charles Beaumont, published in March of 1960. The volume is out of print, but reasonably available.-Stories collected:...
(Mar 1960)
Anthologies of short fiction
- The Magic Man (1965) - nine from Hunger, three from Yonder, six from Night Ride
- The Edge (1966) - three from Yonder, eight from Night Ride
- Best of Beaumont (Nov 1982) - four from Hunger, eight from Yonder, six from Night Ride, four never before anthologized
- Selected Stories (1988) - nine from Hunger, three from Yonder, eight from Night Ride, one from Best, eight never before anthologized
- The Howling Man (1992) - reprint of Selected Stories
- A Touch of the Creature (2000) - fourteen previously unpublished/unfinished stories
Film
- Tradita (1954)
- Queen of Outer Space (1958)
- Ursula (1961, based on the short story "Miss Gentilbelle")
- Night of the EagleNight of the EagleNight of the Eagle is a 1962 British horror film directed by Sidney Hayers. The script by Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson and George Baxt was based upon the 1943 Fritz Leiber novel Conjure Wife. The film was retitled Burn, Witch, Burn! for the US market .-Synopsis:Norman Taylor , a...
(1962) (screenplay co-written with Richard MathesonRichard MathesonRichard Burton Matheson is an American author and screenwriter, primarily in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres. He is perhaps best known as the author of What Dreams May Come, Bid Time Return, A Stir of Echoes, The Incredible Shrinking Man, and I Am Legend, all of which have been...
and George BaxtGeorge BaxtGeorge Baxt was a prolific American screenwriter and author of crime fiction, best remembered for creating the gay black detective, Pharoah Love.-Life and work:...
based on the novel Conjure Wife by Fritz LeiberFritz LeiberFritz Reuter Leiber, Jr. was an American writer of fantasy, horror and science fiction. He was also a poet, actor in theatre and films, playwright, expert chess player and a champion fencer. Possibly his greatest chess accomplishment was winning clear first in the 1958 Santa Monica Open.. With...
). - Premature BurialThe Premature Burial (film)The Premature Burial is an American International Pictures horror film, directed by Roger Corman and starring Ray Milland, screenplay by Charles Beaumont and Ray Russell based upon the story of the same name by Edgar Allan Poe.-Cast:...
(1962) - The Wonderful World of the Brothers GrimmThe Wonderful World of the Brothers GrimmThe Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm is a 1962 American film directed by Henry Levin and George Pal. The latter was the producer and also in charge of the stop motion animation. The film was one of the highest grossing films of 1962. It won one Oscar and was nominated for three additional...
(1962) - The IntruderThe Intruder (1962 film)The Intruder is a 1962 American film directed by Roger Corman, after a novel by Charles Beaumont, starring William Shatner. Also called Shame in US release, and The Stranger in the UK release...
(1962, based on the novel) - The Haunted PalaceThe Haunted PalaceThe Haunted Palace is a 1963 horror film released by American International Pictures, starring Vincent Price, Lon Chaney Jr., and Debra Paget in a story about a village held in the grip of a cult. The film was directed by Roger Corman, and is usually listed as one in his series of eight films...
(1963) - 7 Faces of Dr. Lao7 Faces of Dr. Lao7 Faces of Dr. Lao is a Metrocolor 1964 film adaptation of the 1935 fantasy novel The Circus of Dr. Lao by Charles G. Finney. It details the visit of a magical circus to a small town in the southwest United States, and the effects that visit has on the people of the town...
(1964) - The Masque of the Red DeathThe Masque of the Red Death (film)The Masque of the Red Death is a 1964 British horror film starring Vincent Price in a tale about a prince who terrorizes a plague-ridden peasantry while merrymaking in a lonely castle with his jaded courtiers. The film was directed by Roger Corman; the screenplay by Charles Beaumont and R...
(1964) - Mister Moses (1965)
- Journey Into Darkness (1968, based on the short story "The New People")
- Brain DeadBrain Dead (1990 film)Brain Dead is a 1990 horror/psychological thriller starring Bill Pullman, Bill Paxton and George Kennedy and written by Charles Beaumont.-Plot:...
(1990) (posthumously, from his screenplay) - Miss Gentilbelle (2000)
Novel
- Run from the Hunter (1957, as Keith Grantland, w/ John E. Tomerlin)
- The Intruder (1959)
Nonfiction
- Remember? Remember? (1956, essays on American pop culture between the world wars)
- Omnibus of Speed: An Introduction to the World of Motorsport (1958, with William F. NolanWilliam F. NolanWilliam Francis Nolan is an American author, who wrote stories in the science fiction, fantasy and horror genres. He is best known for coauthoring the novel Logan's Run, with George Clayton Johnson. He co-wrote the screenplay for the 1976 horror film Burnt Offerings which starred Karen Black and...
)
Further reading
- Running from the Hunter: The Life and Works of Charles Beaumont, by Lee Prosser, (1996), ISBN 0-89370-291-9.
- California Sorcery, edited by William F. NolanWilliam F. NolanWilliam Francis Nolan is an American author, who wrote stories in the science fiction, fantasy and horror genres. He is best known for coauthoring the novel Logan's Run, with George Clayton Johnson. He co-wrote the screenplay for the 1976 horror film Burnt Offerings which starred Karen Black and...
and William Schafer. - The Work of Charles Beaumont: An Annotated Bibliography & Guide, by William F. NolanWilliam F. NolanWilliam Francis Nolan is an American author, who wrote stories in the science fiction, fantasy and horror genres. He is best known for coauthoring the novel Logan's Run, with George Clayton Johnson. He co-wrote the screenplay for the 1976 horror film Burnt Offerings which starred Karen Black and...
.
External links
- Bibliograpical information
- George Clayton Johnson interview in the Archive of American TelevisionArchive of American TelevisionThe Archive of American Television is a division of the non-profit Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation that films interviews with notable people from all aspects of the television industry....