| George Clayton Johnson | |
|---|---|
 George Clayton Johnson in 2006. |
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| Born | July 10, 1929 Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA |
| Occupation | Draftsman, telegraph operator, writer |
| Nationality | American |
| Writing period | 1959-present |
| Genres | Science fiction |
| Notable work(s) | Logan's Run |
George Clayton Johnson (born July 10, 1929 in Cheyenne, Wyoming) is a science fiction writer most famous for co-writing the novel Logan's Run with William F. Nolan (basis for the 1976 film). He is also known for his work in television, writing screenplays for such noted series as The Twilight Zone, such as "Nothing in the Dark", "Kick the Can", and "A Game of Pool", and Star Trek, the first aired episode of the series, "The Man Trap". He also wrote the story on which the 1960 and 2001 films Ocean's Eleven were based. He was proprietor of Cafe Frankenstein.
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Biography
Born in a barn, he had to repeat the sixth grade and dropped out of school entirely in the eighth. He briefly served as a telegraph operator then draftsman in the Army, enrolled at the Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University) under the G.I. Bill, quit to return to his travels around the U.S.A., working as an draftsman, before deciding he wanted to become a writer.
In 1960 the first story Johnson ever wrote served as the basis for the Rat Pack movie Ocean's Eleven, although most of the details were changed for the film. He joined a circle of Southern California science-fiction writers that included Theodore Sturgeon, William F. Nolan, Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson and Ray Bradbury. Through them he met Rod Serling, to whom he sold his first story ("All of Us Are Dying", produced as "The Four of Us Are Dying") and, later, his first teleplay ("A Penny for Your Thoughts").
"For me, fantasy must be about something, otherwise it's foolishness... ultimately it must be about human beings, it must be about the human condition, it must be another look at infinity, it must be another way of seeing the paradox of existence."—George Clayton Johnson quoted in The Twilight Zone Companion
Twilight Zone Episodes
George Clayton Johnson wrote the following stories for The Twilight Zone series:
- The Four of Us Are Dying (1960)
- Execution (1960) (short story)
- The Prime Mover (inadvertently credited solely to Charles Beaumont)
- A Penny for Your Thoughts (1961)
- A Game of Pool (1961)
- Nothing in the Dark (1962)
- Kick the Can (1962, also featured in the 1983 movie The Twilight Zone: The Movie)
- Ninety Years Without Slumbering (1963) (story, as Johnson Smith)
Star Trek Episodes
- The Man Trap (1966, first aired episode of the series)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
- I'll Take Care of You (1959) (story)
External links
- George Clayton Johnson at the Internet Movie Database
- George Clayton Johnson at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
Interviews
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