Wednesday, June 06, 2012

Ray Bradbury


Libraries raised me. I don’t believe in colleges and universities. I believe in libraries because most students don’t have any money. When I graduated from high school, it was during the Depression and we had no money. I couldn’t go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years -
Ray Bradbury


Ray Bradbury died yesterday at the age of 91, after a lengthy illness.

Ray Douglas Bradbury was born August 22, 1920 in Waukegan, Illinois. He was best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 (1953) and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles (1950) and The Illustrated Man (1951), Bradbury was one of the most celebrated among 20th century American writers of speculative fiction. He attributed to two incidents his lifelong habit of writing every day. The first of these, occurring when he was three years old, was his mother's taking him to see Lon Chaney's performance in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The second incident occurred in 1932, when a carnival entertainer, one Mr. Electrico, touched the young man on the nose with an electrified sword, made his hair stand on end, and shouted, "Live forever!" Bradbury remarked, "I felt that something strange and wonderful had happened to me because of my encounter with Mr. Electrico... [he] gave me a future... I began to write, full-time. have written every single day of my life since that day 69 years ago."
It was at that age that Bradbury first started to do magic, which was his first great love. If he had not discovered writing, he would have become a magician.

Here is some of the magic he created for the small screen.

1985-1992
The Ray Bradbury Theater (TV series)

Silent Towns (1992) (screenplay / story)
Sun and Shadow (1992) (screenplay / story)
The Dead Man (1992) (screenplay / story)
The Long Rain (1992) (screenplay / story)
By the Numbers (1992) (screenplay / story)
1986 Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV series)
The Jar (1986) (story)
1985-1986 The Twilight Zone (TV series)
Act Break/The Burning Man/Dealer's Choice (1985) (short story / segment "The Burning Man")
1983 Savannen (TV movie)
1982 CBS Library (TV series)
Robbers, Rooftops and Witches (1982) (story "The Invisible Boy")
1982 The Electric Grandmother (TV movie) (story "I Sing The Body Electric" / teleplay)

1982 All Summer in a Day (TV movie) (story)
1981 Castigo senza delitto (TV movie)
1980 The Martian Chronicles (TV mini-series)
The Martians (1980) (novel)
The Settlers (1980) (novel)
The Expeditions (1980) (novel)
1979 Racconti di fantascienza (TV series)
I sosia (1979) (story)
L'assassino (1979) (story)
La crisalide (1979) (story)
1972 The Screaming Woman (TV movie) (short story)
1971 Curiosity Shop (TV series)
The Groon (1971) (writer)
1968 Ich auf Bestellung (TV short) (short story)
1966 Historias para no dormir (TV series)
La sonrisa (1966) (short story)
El doble (1966) (story)
1965 Out of the Unknown (TV series)
The Fox and the Forest (1965) (writer)
1964 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (TV series)
The Life Work of Juan Diaz (1964) (story and teleplay)
The Jar (1964) (short story)
1964 Mañana puede ser verdad (TV series)
1963 Armchair Theatre (TV series)
Mr Big (1963) (story "The Dwarf")
1962 Mañana puede ser verdad (TV series)
1962 Twilight Zone (TV series)
I Sing the Body Electric (1962) (writer)

1962 Alcoa Premiere (TV series)
The Jail (1962) (writer)
1956-1962 Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV series)

The Faith of Aaron Menefee (1962) (teleplay)
Special Delivery (1959) (written by)
Design for Loving (1958) (story / teleplay)
And So Died Riabouchinska (1956) (story)
Shopping for Death (1956) (story and teleplay)
1959 Troubleshooters (TV series)
Tunnel to Yesterday (1959) (writer)
1958 Steve Canyon (TV series)
The Gift (1958) (writer)
1958 Rendezvous (TV series)
The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit (1958) (writer)
1957 Playhouse 90 (TV series)
A Sound of Different Drummers (1957) (story)
1956 Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre (TV series)
The Marked Bullet (1956) (writer)
1956 Sneak Preview (TV series)
1956 Studio 57 (TV series)
The Great Wide World (1956) (original story)
1955 Windows (TV series)
1955 Star Tonight (TV series)
Zero Hour (1955) (story)
1955 On Camera (TV series)
The Man (1955) (writer)
1954 Fireside Theatre (TV series)
The Relentless Weavers (1954) (story)
1953 Tales of Tomorrow (TV series)
Homecoming (1953) (story)
1952 CBS Television Workshop (TV series)
Rocket (1952) (story)
1952 The Rocket (TV movie) (story)
1952 Suspense (TV series)
Summer Night (1952) (story)
1951 Out There (TV series)
The Man (1951) (story)
1951 Lights Out (TV series)
Zero Hour (1951) (story)
1993 The Halloween Tree


My stories run up and bite me on the leg - I respond by writing down everything that goes on during the bite. When I finish, the idea lets go and runs off.

- Ray Bradbury


Good Night Mr. Bradbury

There Will Come Soft Rains


Stay Tuned


Tony Figueroa

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