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Beaumont, Charles

Entry updated 20 March 2023. Tagged: Author.

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(1929-1967) US scriptwriter and author, who was born Charles Leroy Nutt but legally changed his name to Charles Beaumont; he wrote some non-sf, mostly under other names, including Run from the Hunter (1957) with John Tomerlin writing together as Keith Grantland, a thriller about a man on the run after being falsely convicted of murder; this inspired the television series The Fugitive (1963-1967) and its follow-on versions; it was reissued in 2012 under the Beaumont and Tomerlin bylines. The Intruder (1959), also nonfantastic, appeared as by Beaumont. He began publishing his blend of horror and sf with "The Devil, You Say?" for Amazing in January 1951. Most of his work is collected in The Hunger (coll 1957; with title story cut, vt Shadow Play 1964), Yonder (coll 1958), Night Ride and Other Journeys (coll 1960), The Magic Man and Other Fantasy Stories (coll 1965) and The Edge (coll 1966), which reassembles Yonder and Night Ride; posthumously, this material was re-sorted and augmented in Best of Beaumont (coll 1982) and Charles Beaumont: Selected Stories (1988; vt The Howling Man 1992). Beaumont's work combines humour and horror in a Slick Fantasy [see The Encyclopedia of Fantasy under links below] style extremely effective in underlining the grimness of his basic inspiration.

As a writer of sf, fantasy and horror movies, Beaumont scripted or coscripted Queen of Outer Space (1958) with Ben Hecht, The Premature Burial (1962) with Ray Russell, Burn, Witch, Burn (1962; vt The Night of the Eagle, 1962) with George Baxt and Richard Matheson – it is based on Conjure Wife (April 1943 Unknown; rev 1953; vt Burn Witch Burn 1962) by Fritz Leiber – The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962) with David P Harmon and William Roberts, The Haunted Palace (1963), 7 Faces of Dr Lao (1964), The Masque of the Red Death (1964) with R Wright Campbell, and Brain Dead (1989) with Adam Simon. Several of these were directed by Roger Corman. His numerous television scripts include around 19 for The Twilight Zone; he also collaborated with Chad Oliver on the two-story Claude Adams series (April 1955 and February 1956 F&SF). He edited a horror anthology, The Fiend in You (anth 1962). [JC]

see also: Horror in SF; Invisibility.

Charles Beaumont

born Chicago, Illinois: 2 January 1929

died Los Angeles, California: 21 February 1967

works (selected)

collections and stories

works as editor

about the author

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