Johnston, William
Entry updated 25 July 2024. Tagged: Author.
(1924-2010) US author, journalist and disk jockey who served in the US Navy Air Corps during World War Two, whose work consists primarily though not exclusively of Ties to various media productions; he wrote more than a hundred such novelizations and original tied novels, beginning to publish work of genre interest with the well-received Get Smart! (1965) and eight further ties to the Television "spy-fi" spoof Get Smart! (1965-1970). Like the parent show these genial comedies feature Technothriller and sf devices, such as the Invisibility serum which becomes a McGuffin in the second book, Sorry, Chief ... (1966).
Captain Nice (1967) novelizes the NBC Superhero comedy Captain Nice (1967). The New People: They Came from the Sea (1969) as by Alex Steele is a Tie to an abortive Young Adult Television series, The New People (1969-1970), which confronts its numerous young protagonists with an Invasion of their Island by beings whose nature is not made clear. Dick Tracy (1970) novelizes the screenplay by Hal Fimberg of an unsold television series pilot of Dick Tracy, the Comic-strip detective; the sf element is that human minds suffer Upload into a computer. Sam Weskit on the Planet Framingham (1970) is a rare standalone sf novel, a comic Space Opera in which a suitably ill-assorted cast is shanghaied aboard a Spaceship bound for adventures on the titular planet. Asylum (1972) novelizes Robert Bloch's screenplay for the Horror anthology film Asylum (1972; vt House of Crazies) directed by Roy Ward Baker.
In 2010, Johnston received the Grandmaster Scribe Award from the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, for career achievement in media Ties. [DRL]
William Joseph Johnston
born Lincoln, Illinois: 11 January 1924
died San Jose, California: 15 October 2010
works (highly selected)
series
Get Smart!
- Get Smart! (New York: Grosset and Dunlap/Tempo Books, 1965) [tie to Get Smart!: Get Smart!: pb/]
- Sorry, Chief ... (New York: Grosset and Dunlap/Tempo Books, 1966) [tie to Get Smart!: Get Smart!: pb/]
- Get Smart Once Again! (New York: Grosset and Dunlap/Tempo Books, 1966) [tie to Get Smart!: Get Smart!: pb/]
- Max Smart and the Perilous Pellets (New York: Grosset and Dunlap/Tempo Books, 1966) [tie to Get Smart!: Get Smart!: pb/]
- Missed It by That Much! (New York: Grosset and Dunlap/Tempo Books, 1967) [tie to Get Smart!: Get Smart!: pb/]
- And Loving It! (New York: Grosset and Dunlap/Tempo Books, 1967) [tie to Get Smart!: Get Smart!: pb/]
- The Spy Who Went Out to the Cold (New York: Grosset and Dunlap/Tempo Books, 1968) [tie to Get Smart!: Get Smart!: pb/]
- Max Smart Loses CONTROL (New York: Grosset and Dunlap/Tempo Books, 1968) [tie to Get Smart!: Get Smart!: pb/]
- Max Smart and the Ghastly Ghost Affair (New York: Grosset and Dunlap/Tempo Books, 1968) [tie to Get Smart!: Get Smart!: pb/]
The Munsters
- The Munsters and the Great Camera Caper (Racine, Wisconsin: Whitman Publishing Company, 1965) [tie to the Television series: The Munsters: hb/]
- The Munsters: The Last Resort (Racine, Wisconsin: Whitman Publishing Company, 1966) [tie to the Television series: The Munsters: hb/]
The Flying Nun
- Miracle at San Tanco (New York: Ace Books, 1968) [tie to the tv series: The Flying Nun: pb/]
- The Littlest Rebels (New York: Ace Books, 1968) [tie to the tv series: The Flying Nun: pb/]
- Mother of Invention (New York: Ace Books, 1969) [tie to the tv series: The Flying Nun: pb/]
- The Little Green Men (New York: Ace Books, 1969) [tie to the tv series: The Flying Nun: pb/]
- The Underground Picnic (New York: Ace Books, 1970) [tie to the tv series: The Flying Nun: pb/]
individual titles
- Captain Nice (New York: Grosset and Dunlap/Tempo Books, 1967) [tie to the television series: Captain Nice: pb/]
- Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Racine, Wisconsin: Whitman Publishing Company, 1968) [tie to the film: a Big Little Book retelling the story for younger children: illus/hb/]
- The New People: They Came from the Sea (New York: Grosset and Dunlap/Tempo Books, 1969) [tie to The New People: pb/] as by Alex Steele
- Bewitched: The Opposite Uncle (Racine, Wisconsin: Whitman Publishing Company, 1970) [tie to the Television series: Bewitched: pb/Ben Otero]
- Dick Tracy (New York: Grosset and Dunlap/Tempo Books, 1970) [tie: pb/]
- Sam Weskit on the Planet Framingham (New York: Grosset and Dunlap/Tempo Books, 1970) [pb/]
- Asylum (New York: Bantam Books, 1972) [novelizing the screenplay by Robert Bloch for the film Asylum (1972): pb/]
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