Re: Harlan Ellison Died in His Sleep

Susan Hathaway <[email protected]> Thu, 28 Jun 2018 16:26:05 -0700
Newsgroups gmane.culture.sf.literature
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Sad news for the SF world, indeed.

=20

=20

=20

From: Dennis Fischer [mailto:[email protected]]=20
Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2018 4:04 PM
To: Goddesspamm Handeler; Brooke Lambie; Kathryn Stuckey; Doug Woods; =
Tom Khamis; Marlene Willauer-Lowe; Jeff Smith; Kris Gilpin; Bobbie =
Bobandan; MIchael Hall; Science Fiction and Fantasy Listserv; Susan =
Hathaway
Subject: Harlan Ellison Died in His Sleep

=20

Ellison, Provocative Sci-Fi Writer of =E2=80=98Star Trek,=E2=80=99 =
=E2=80=98A Boy and His Dog,=E2=80=99 Dies at 84

By  <https://variety.com/author/carmel-dagan/> Carmel Dagan

Staff Writer

 Harlan Ellison Dead =
<https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/harlan-ellison-dead.jpg?w=
=3D1000&h=3D563&crop=3D1>=20

Speculative-fiction writer  <https://variety.com/t/harlan-ellison/> =
Harlan Ellison, who penned short stories, novellas and criticism, =
contributed to TV series including =E2=80=9CThe Outer Limits,=E2=80=9D =
=E2=80=9C <https://variety.com/t/star-trek/> Star Trek=E2=80=9D and =
=E2=80=9C <https://variety.com/t/babylon-5/> Babylon 5=E2=80=9D and won =
a notable copyright infringement suit against ABC and Paramount and a =
settlement in a similar suit over =E2=80=9CThe Terminator,=E2=80=9D has =
died. He was 84.

Christine Valada tweeted that Ellison=E2=80=99s wife, Susan, had asked =
her to announce that he died in his sleep Thursday.

The prolific but cantankerous author famously penned the =E2=80=9C =
<https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/original-star-trek-enterprise-theme-dis=
covery-finale-1202694515/> Star Trek=E2=80=9D episode =E2=80=9CCity on =
the Edge of Forever,=E2=80=9D in which Kirk and Spock must go back in =
time to Depression-era America to put Earth history back on its rightful =
course, a goal that for Kirk means sacrificing the woman he loves =
(played by Joan Collins). The final script was rewritten by =
=E2=80=9CStar Trek=E2=80=9D staffers to avoid the anti-war lesson =
Ellison had intended to impart about the ongoing Vietnam War, leaving =
Ellison unhappy.

His 1995 book =E2=80=9CThe City on the Edge of Forever: The Original =
Teleplay That Became the Classic Star Trek Episode=E2=80=9D contained =
two drafts by Ellison.

The author was still steaming over his experience more than four decades =
after the episode originally aired: In 2009 Ellison sued CBS Paramount =
Television seeking revenue from merchandising and other sources from the =
episode; a settlement was reached six months later.

The author of a 1980 L.A. Times profile declared, =E2=80=9CEllison is =
fiercely independent, proudly elitist, frequently angry, tenacious and =
downright vengeful.=E2=80=9D

Talking about the Hollywood establishment, Ellison told the author, =
=E2=80=9CThey=E2=80=99ve got to know that everybody isn=E2=80=99t =
frightened and won=E2=80=99t back down=E2=80=A6. These people are not =
creators; they belong to the AAA =E2=80=94 agents, attorneys and =
accountants. They aren=E2=80=99t comfortable dealing with writers =
=E2=80=94 they think we=E2=80=99re madmen. They=E2=80=99re really only =
comfortable dealing with numbers.=E2=80=9D

In a separate case, Ellison won $337,000 (later reduced a bit in a =
settlement) from ABC and Paramount Studios in 1980 for copyright =
infringement on a short story the author had penned with Ben Bova, =
=E2=80=9CBrillo.=E2=80=9D Ellison and Bova had been asked to develop it =
at ABC, but the option there had lapsed; Ellison then showed it to Par =
execs, who said they weren=E2=80=99t interested. ABC aired a =
Par-produced telepic called =E2=80=9CFuture Cop=E2=80=9D in May 1976 and =
later a brief series of the same name. The premise, about the first =
android policeman, was identical to that in =E2=80=9CBrillo.=E2=80=9D

In the litigious writer=E2=80=99s third victory against Hollywood, =
Ellison sued James Cameron and others behind 1984=E2=80=99s =E2=80=9CThe =
Terminator,=E2=80=9D claiming that the film drew from material in two =
episodes of the original =E2=80=9CThe Outer Limits=E2=80=9D series, =
=E2=80=9CSoldier=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9CDemon With a Glass Hand,=E2=80=9D =
that he had penned and had aired in 1964. Production company Hemdale and =
distributor Orion Pictures settled out of court and were required under =
the terms of the settlement to acknowledge Ellison=E2=80=99s work in the =
film=E2=80=99s end credits. Cameron, however, labelled Ellison =
=E2=80=9Ca parasite.=E2=80=9D

Curiously, Ellison had little sympathy for others who brought =
copyright-infringement suits against the studios, telling the L.A. =
Times, =E2=80=9CYou=E2=80=99ve got to realize that there are hundreds of =
these claims and most of them aren=E2=80=99t valid. This is a town of =
amateurs=E2=80=A6. You have to separate these people and their =
complaints from the professionals who really work at writing and have =
viable ideas.=E2=80=9D

Born in Painesville, Ohio, Ellison grew up in the only Jewish family in =
a small town where he said he had to defend himself in physical =
altercations on a daily basis. During the 1950s Ellison attended Ohio =
State U. for 18 months, served in the Army and began to sell sci-fi =
stories to pulp mags.

He moved to California in 1962.

Ellison was famously fired on his first day of employment as a writer at =
Walt Disney Studios after making highly irreverent suggestions about the =
company=E2=80=99s beloved characters.

He penned scripts for =E2=80=9CRoute 66,=E2=80=9D =
=E2=80=9CBurke=E2=80=99s Law=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9CVoyage to the Bottom =
of the Sea,=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9CThe Man From U.N.C.L.E.=E2=80=9D and even =
=E2=80=9CThe Flying Nun.=E2=80=9D For a 1964 episode of =E2=80=9CThe =
Alfred Hitchcock Hour,=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9CMemo From Purgatory,=E2=80=9D =
he adapted his own nonfiction memoir about having joined a street gang =
in Brooklyn.

Ellison also penned the screenplay to tepidly trashy Hollywood melodrama =
=E2=80=9CThe Oscar,=E2=80=9D and the post-apocalyptic cult classic =
=E2=80=9CA Boy and His Dog=E2=80=9D (1975), starring a young Don =
Johnson, was based on an Ellison novella.

Ellison was also editor of the very influential sci-fi anthologies =
=E2=80=9CDangerous Visions=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9CAgain Dangerous =
Visions.=E2=80=9D

When he dealt with Hollywood, he fearlessly said exactly what he thought =
again and again =E2=80=94 often causing fallout as a result. In the wake =
of the 1977 release of =E2=80=9CStar Wars,=E2=80=9D a Warner Bros. =
executive asked Ellison to adapt Isaac Asimov=E2=80=99s short story =
collection =E2=80=9CI, Robot=E2=80=9D for the bigscreen.

Ellison penned a script and met with studio chief Robert Shapiro to =
discuss it; when the author concluded that the executive was commenting =
on his work without having read it, Ellison claimed to have said to =
Shapiro that he had =E2=80=9Cthe intellectual capacity of an =
artichoke.=E2=80=9D Needless to say, Ellison was dropped from the =
project. Ellison=E2=80=99s work was ultimately published with permission =
of the studio, but the 2004 Will Smith film =E2=80=9CI, Robot=E2=80=9D =
was not based on the material Ellison wrote.

Perhaps Ellison=E2=80=99s most famous story not adapted for the screen =
was 1965=E2=80=99s =E2=80=9CRepent, Harlequin! Said the =
Ticktockman,=E2=80=9D which celebrates civil disobedience against a =
repressive establishment. =E2=80=9CRepent=E2=80=9D is one of the most =
reprinted stories ever.

In September 2011, however, Ellison sued to block the release of New =
Regency=E2=80=99s thriller =E2=80=9CIn Time,=E2=80=9D starring Justin =
Timberlake, claiming that the film hews too closely to =
=E2=80=9CRepent,=E2=80=9D then dropped the suit. In the early 1970s, =
Ellison created his only TV series, the Canada-produced =E2=80=9CThe =
Starlost.=E2=80=9D He was so unhappy with the changes made by producers, =
however, that he took his name off the skein, which aired in 1973.

Ellison was a creative consultant for the 1980s edition of =E2=80=9CThe =
Twilight Zone,=E2=80=9D for which he wrote several episodes, and was =
conceptual consultant for the 1990s sci-fi series =E2=80=9C =
<https://variety.com/2017/film/news/stephen-furst-dies-dead-63-animal-hou=
se-babylon-5-st-elsewhere-1202469695/> Babylon 5.=E2=80=9D He also =
appeared in several episodes.

In 1995 Ellison adapted his story =E2=80=9CI Have No Mouth, and I Must =
Scream=E2=80=9D for the videogame of that name. He was also credited =
with design of the game and voiced the main character.

=E2=80=9CDreams With Sharp Teeth,=E2=80=9D a documentary centering on =
Ellison and his work, received a theatrical release in 2008. =
Interviewees included Ellison and Robin Williams. Ellison also appeared =
in other documentaries, including =E2=80=9CThe Masters of Comic Book =
Art,=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9CShadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton =
Legacy,=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9CBrother Theodore=E2=80=9D (2007) and =
=E2=80=9CWith Great Power: The Stan Lee Story=E2=80=9D (2010).

In addition to numerous genre awards =E2=80=94 including multiple Hugos, =
Nebulas and Edgars =E2=80=94 Ellison received four WGA Awards for his TV =
work and the Silver Pen for Journalism, conferred by international =
writers union PEN, for his =E2=80=9CAn Edge in My Voice=E2=80=9D column =
in the L.A. Weekly in defense of First Amendment rights.

Despite the kudos he amassed, however, Ellison penned a guest column for =
Variety in November 2013 in which he declared: =E2=80=9CI do not merely =
hate all awards shows, I wish to see them beheaded, stakes driven =
through their black and corrupted widdle hearts, and to see the =
decapitated remains buried at a crossroads come midnight.=E2=80=9D

Ellison was married five times, with at least two of those marriages =
lasting only weeks or months. Survivors include his fifth wife, Susan =
Ann Toth.


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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=3DEN-US link=3Dblue =
vlink=3Dpurple><div class=3DWordSection1><p class=3DMsoNormal>Sad news =
for the SF world, indeed.<o:p></o:p></p><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><div><p class=3DMsoNormal><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p>&nbsp;=
</o:p></span></p></div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><div><div =
style=3D'border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in =
0in 0in'><p class=3DMsoNormal><b><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span>=
</b><span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> =
Dennis Fischer [mailto:[email protected]] <br><b>Sent:</b> Thursday, =
June 28, 2018 4:04 PM<br><b>To:</b> Goddesspamm Handeler; Brooke Lambie; =
Kathryn Stuckey; Doug Woods; Tom Khamis; Marlene Willauer-Lowe; Jeff =
Smith; Kris Gilpin; Bobbie Bobandan; MIchael Hall; Science Fiction and =
Fantasy Listserv; Susan Hathaway<br><b>Subject:</b> Harlan Ellison Died =
in His Sleep<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122290"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'mso-line-height-alt:14.65pt;background:white'><b><span =
style=3D'font-size:24.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>E=
llison, Provocative Sci-Fi Writer of =E2=80=98Star Trek,=E2=80=99 =
=E2=80=98A Boy and His Dog,=E2=80=99 Dies at 84</span></b><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o=
:p></o:p></span></p><div id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122293"><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122294"><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122295"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><em><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>By=
</span></em><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>&n=
bsp;<a href=3D"https://variety.com/author/carmel-dagan/" =
target=3D"_blank" id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122297"><span =
style=3D'color:#196AD4'>Carmel =
Dagan</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>St=
aff Writer<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122299"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><i=
mg border=3D0 width=3D1000 height=3D563 =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122301" =
src=3D"https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/harlan-ellison-dead=
.jpg?w=3D1000&amp;h=3D563&amp;crop=3D1" alt=3D"Harlan Ellison =
Dead"><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122302"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Sp=
eculative-fiction writer&nbsp;<a =
href=3D"https://variety.com/t/harlan-ellison/" target=3D"_blank" =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122303"><span =
style=3D'color:#196AD4'>Harlan Ellison</span></a>, who penned short =
stories, novellas and criticism, contributed to TV series including =
=E2=80=9CThe Outer Limits,=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9C<a =
href=3D"https://variety.com/t/star-trek/" target=3D"_blank" =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122304"><span =
style=3D'color:#196AD4'>Star Trek</span></a>=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9C<a =
href=3D"https://variety.com/t/babylon-5/" target=3D"_blank" =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122305"><span =
style=3D'color:#196AD4'>Babylon 5</span></a>=E2=80=9D and won a notable =
copyright infringement suit against ABC and Paramount and a settlement =
in a similar suit over =E2=80=9CThe Terminator,=E2=80=9D has died. He =
was 84.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122306"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Ch=
ristine Valada tweeted that Ellison=E2=80=99s wife, Susan, had asked her =
to announce that he died in his sleep =
Thursday.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122308"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Th=
e prolific but cantankerous author famously penned the =E2=80=9C<a =
href=3D"https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/original-star-trek-enterprise-th=
eme-discovery-finale-1202694515/" target=3D"_blank" =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122309"><span =
style=3D'color:#196AD4'>Star Trek</span></a>=E2=80=9D episode =
=E2=80=9CCity on the Edge of Forever,=E2=80=9D in which Kirk and Spock =
must go back in time to Depression-era America to put Earth history back =
on its rightful course, a goal that for Kirk means sacrificing the woman =
he loves (played by Joan Collins). The final script was rewritten by =
=E2=80=9CStar Trek=E2=80=9D staffers to avoid the anti-war lesson =
Ellison had intended to impart about the ongoing Vietnam War, leaving =
Ellison unhappy.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122310"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Hi=
s 1995 book =E2=80=9CThe City on the Edge of Forever: The Original =
Teleplay That Became the Classic Star Trek Episode=E2=80=9D contained =
two drafts by Ellison.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122314"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Th=
e author was still steaming over his experience more than four decades =
after the episode originally aired: In 2009 Ellison sued CBS Paramount =
Television seeking revenue from merchandising and other sources from the =
episode; a settlement was reached six months =
later.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122316"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Th=
e author of a 1980 L.A. Times profile declared, =E2=80=9CEllison is =
fiercely independent, proudly elitist, frequently angry, tenacious and =
downright vengeful.=E2=80=9D<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122317"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Ta=
lking about the Hollywood establishment, Ellison told the author, =
=E2=80=9CThey=E2=80=99ve got to know that everybody isn=E2=80=99t =
frightened and won=E2=80=99t back down=E2=80=A6. These people are not =
creators; they belong to the AAA =E2=80=94 agents, attorneys and =
accountants. They aren=E2=80=99t comfortable dealing with writers =
=E2=80=94 they think we=E2=80=99re madmen. They=E2=80=99re really only =
comfortable dealing with =
numbers.=E2=80=9D<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122318"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>In=
 a separate case, Ellison won $337,000 (later reduced a bit in a =
settlement) from ABC and Paramount Studios in 1980 for copyright =
infringement on a short story the author had penned with Ben Bova, =
=E2=80=9CBrillo.=E2=80=9D Ellison and Bova had been asked to develop it =
at ABC, but the option there had lapsed; Ellison then showed it to Par =
execs, who said they weren=E2=80=99t interested. ABC aired a =
Par-produced telepic called =E2=80=9CFuture Cop=E2=80=9D in May 1976 and =
later a brief series of the same name. The premise, about the first =
android policeman, was identical to that in =
=E2=80=9CBrillo.=E2=80=9D<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122319"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>In=
 the litigious writer=E2=80=99s third victory against Hollywood, Ellison =
sued James Cameron and others behind 1984=E2=80=99s =E2=80=9CThe =
Terminator,=E2=80=9D claiming that the film drew from material in two =
episodes of the original =E2=80=9CThe Outer Limits=E2=80=9D series, =
=E2=80=9CSoldier=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9CDemon With a Glass Hand,=E2=80=9D =
that he had penned and had aired in 1964. Production company Hemdale and =
distributor Orion Pictures settled out of court and were required under =
the terms of the settlement to acknowledge Ellison=E2=80=99s work in the =
film=E2=80=99s end credits. Cameron, however, labelled Ellison =
=E2=80=9Ca parasite.=E2=80=9D<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122320"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Cu=
riously, Ellison had little sympathy for others who brought =
copyright-infringement suits against the studios, telling the L.A. =
Times, =E2=80=9CYou=E2=80=99ve got to realize that there are hundreds of =
these claims and most of them aren=E2=80=99t valid. This is a town of =
amateurs=E2=80=A6. You have to separate these people and their =
complaints from the professionals who really work at writing and have =
viable ideas.=E2=80=9D<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122324"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Bo=
rn in Painesville, Ohio, Ellison grew up in the only Jewish family in a =
small town where he said he had to defend himself in physical =
altercations on a daily basis. During the 1950s Ellison attended Ohio =
State U. for 18 months, served in the Army and began to sell sci-fi =
stories to pulp mags.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122325"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>He=
 moved to California in 1962.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122326"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>El=
lison was famously fired on his first day of employment as a writer at =
Walt Disney Studios after making highly irreverent suggestions about the =
company=E2=80=99s beloved characters.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122327"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>He=
 penned scripts for =E2=80=9CRoute 66,=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9CBurke=E2=80=99s =
Law=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9CVoyage to the Bottom of the Sea,=E2=80=9D =
=E2=80=9CThe Man From U.N.C.L.E.=E2=80=9D and even =E2=80=9CThe Flying =
Nun.=E2=80=9D For a 1964 episode of =E2=80=9CThe Alfred Hitchcock =
Hour,=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9CMemo From Purgatory,=E2=80=9D he adapted his own =
nonfiction memoir about having joined a street gang in =
Brooklyn.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122328"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>El=
lison also penned the screenplay to tepidly trashy Hollywood melodrama =
=E2=80=9CThe Oscar,=E2=80=9D and the post-apocalyptic cult classic =
=E2=80=9CA Boy and His Dog=E2=80=9D (1975), starring a young Don =
Johnson, was based on an Ellison =
novella.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122329"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>El=
lison was also editor of the very influential sci-fi anthologies =
=E2=80=9CDangerous Visions=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9CAgain Dangerous =
Visions.=E2=80=9D<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122330"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Wh=
en he dealt with Hollywood, he fearlessly said exactly what he thought =
again and again =E2=80=94 often causing fallout as a result. In the wake =
of the 1977 release of =E2=80=9CStar Wars,=E2=80=9D a Warner Bros. =
executive asked Ellison to adapt Isaac Asimov=E2=80=99s short story =
collection =E2=80=9CI, Robot=E2=80=9D for the =
bigscreen.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122331"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>El=
lison penned a script and met with studio chief Robert Shapiro to =
discuss it; when the author concluded that the executive was commenting =
on his work without having read it, Ellison claimed to have said to =
Shapiro that he had =E2=80=9Cthe intellectual capacity of an =
artichoke.=E2=80=9D Needless to say, Ellison was dropped from the =
project. Ellison=E2=80=99s work was ultimately published with permission =
of the studio, but the 2004 Will Smith film =E2=80=9CI, Robot=E2=80=9D =
was not based on the material Ellison =
wrote.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122332"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Pe=
rhaps Ellison=E2=80=99s most famous story not adapted for the screen was =
1965=E2=80=99s =E2=80=9CRepent, Harlequin! Said the =
Ticktockman,=E2=80=9D which celebrates civil disobedience against a =
repressive establishment. =E2=80=9CRepent=E2=80=9D is one of the most =
reprinted stories ever.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122336"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>In=
 September 2011, however, Ellison sued to block the release of New =
Regency=E2=80=99s thriller =E2=80=9CIn Time,=E2=80=9D starring Justin =
Timberlake, claiming that the film hews too closely to =
=E2=80=9CRepent,=E2=80=9D then dropped the suit. In the early 1970s, =
Ellison created his only TV series, the Canada-produced =E2=80=9CThe =
Starlost.=E2=80=9D He was so unhappy with the changes made by producers, =
however, that he took his name off the skein, which aired in =
1973.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122337"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>El=
lison was a creative consultant for the 1980s edition of =E2=80=9CThe =
Twilight Zone,=E2=80=9D for which he wrote several episodes, and was =
conceptual consultant for the 1990s sci-fi series =E2=80=9C<a =
href=3D"https://variety.com/2017/film/news/stephen-furst-dies-dead-63-ani=
mal-house-babylon-5-st-elsewhere-1202469695/" target=3D"_blank" =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122338"><span =
style=3D'color:#196AD4'>Babylon 5</span></a>.=E2=80=9D He also appeared =
in several episodes.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122339"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>In=
 1995 Ellison adapted his story =E2=80=9CI Have No Mouth, and I Must =
Scream=E2=80=9D for the videogame of that name. He was also credited =
with design of the game and voiced the main =
character.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122340"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>=E2=
=80=9CDreams With Sharp Teeth,=E2=80=9D a documentary centering on =
Ellison and his work, received a theatrical release in 2008. =
Interviewees included Ellison and Robin Williams. Ellison also appeared =
in other documentaries, including =E2=80=9CThe Masters of Comic Book =
Art,=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9CShadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton =
Legacy,=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9CBrother Theodore=E2=80=9D (2007) and =
=E2=80=9CWith Great Power: The Stan Lee Story=E2=80=9D =
(2010).<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122341"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>In=
 addition to numerous genre awards =E2=80=94 including multiple Hugos, =
Nebulas and Edgars =E2=80=94 Ellison received four WGA Awards for his TV =
work and the Silver Pen for Journalism, conferred by international =
writers union PEN, for his =E2=80=9CAn Edge in My Voice=E2=80=9D column =
in the L.A. Weekly in defense of First Amendment =
rights.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122342"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>De=
spite the kudos he amassed, however, Ellison penned a guest column =
for&nbsp;<em id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122343"><span =
style=3D'font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Variety</span></em>&nbsp;in =
November 2013 in which he declared: =E2=80=9CI do not merely hate all =
awards shows, I wish to see them beheaded, stakes driven through their =
black and corrupted widdle hearts, and to see the decapitated remains =
buried at a crossroads come =
midnight.=E2=80=9D<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div =
id=3D"yui_3_16_0_1_1530142089458_122344"><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'line-height:14.65pt;background:white'><span =
style=3D'font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>El=
lison was married five times, with at least two of those marriages =
lasting only weeks or months. Survivors include his fifth wife, Susan =
Ann Toth.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div></body></html>
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