Larson, Glen A
Entry updated 18 February 2023. Tagged: Film, TV, People.
(1937-2014) US singer/songwriter, beginning in 1956 with The Four Preps; and Television producer, perhaps best known as producer of Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979), the eponymous dreadnought having some characteristics of an extremely small World Ship in Mormon dress. However, Larson had been long involved with television previously, being responsible for Quincy, McCloud, BJ and the Bear and other non-sf programmes before he turned to sf. All the sf television series that Larson produced tended to the formulaic, and were generally contemptuous of science; in interviews he adopted a cavalier attitude about the various Scientific Errors pointed out to him. However, he remained loyal to sf/fantasy programming on television for a number of years.
Subsequent series of this kind for which he received the "Created by" credit include: the Battlestar Galactica sequel-series Galactica: 1980 (1980); Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979-1981); his most successful series, Knight Rider (1982-1986), starring David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, a former police officer almost killed in an accident who is given a new identity and groovy futuristic car controlled by a Computer/AI called KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand), to help him catch bad people as a kind of licensed vigilante; Manimal (1983), about a Shapeshifting crimefighter, Jonathan Case (Simon MacCorkindale), who catches bad people by adopting the guise of panther, eagle, etc; Automan (1983-1984; eleven episodes), starring Desi Arnaz Jr as the computer expert who creates Automan (Chuck Wagner), the world's first living holographic image, to catch bad people; and The Highwayman (1987-1988), another road-movie series, starring Sam Jones, in which future law enforcers or Highwaymen use futuristic vehicles (eighteen-wheeler heavy trucks this time) to catch bad people.
Larson was given cover credit for writing, always in collaboration, the Battlestar Galactica series of Ties, beginning with Battlestar Galactica (1978) with Robert Thurston and ending with Battlestar Galactica #14: Surrender the Galactica! (1987), also with Thurston. Battlestar Galactica: The Photostory (graph 1979) with Richard J Anobile is a photonovel based on the film. Larson was also given cover credit for a series of Knight Rider Ties, beginning with Knight Rider (1983) with Roger Hill and ending with Knight Rider #5: Mirror Image (1985), also with Hill. [PN/JC/DRL]
Glen Albert Larson
born Los Angeles, California: 3 January 1937
died Santa Monica, California: 14 November 2014
works
series
Battlestar Galactica
- Battlestar Galactica (New York: Berkley Books, 1978) with Robert Thurston [tie to Battlestar Galactica (1): Battlestar Galactica: pb/]
- Battlestar Galactica Classic: Saga of a Star World (New York: ibooks, 2003) with Robert Thurston [tie to Battlestar Galactica (1): vt of the above: Battlestar Galactica: pb/Frank Frazetta]
- Battlestar Galactica #2: The Cylon Death Machine (New York: Berkley Books, 1979) with Robert Thurston [tie to Battlestar Galactica (1): Battlestar Galactica: pb/Frank Frazetta]
- Battlestar Galactica: The Photostory (New York: Berkley Books, 1979) with Richard J Anobile [graph: tie to Battlestar Galactica (2): photonovel based on the film: pb/photographic]
- Battlestar Galactica #3: The Tombs of Kobol (New York: Berkley Books, 1979) with Robert Thurston [tie to Battlestar Galactica (1): Battlestar Galactica: pb/David Schleinkofer]
- Battlestar Galactica Classic: The Tombs of Kobol (New York: Pocket Books/ibooks, 2003) with Robert Thurston [tie to Battlestar Galactica (1): vt of the above: Battlestar Galactica: pb/Bob Larkin]
- Battlestar Galactica #4: The Young Warriors (New York: Berkley Books, 1980) with Robert Thurston [tie to Battlestar Galactica (1): Battlestar Galactica: pb/David Schleinkofer]
- Battlestar Galactica Classic: The Young Warriors (New York: ibooks, 2003) with Robert Thurston [tie to Battlestar Galactica (1): vt of the above: Battlestar Galactica: pb/Bob Larkin]
- Battlestar Galactica #5: Galactica Discovers Earth (New York: Berkley Books, 1980) with Michael Resnick [tie to Battlestar Galactica (1): Battlestar Galactica: pb/David Schleinkofer]
- Battlestar Galactica #6: The Living Legend (New York: Berkley Books, 1982) with Nicholas Yermakov (see Simon Hawke) [tie to Battlestar Galactica (1): Battlestar Galactica: pb/David Schleinkofer]
- Battlestar Galactica #7: War of the Gods (New York: Berkley Books, 1982) with Nicholas Yermakov (see Simon Hawke) [tie to Battlestar Galactica (1): Battlestar Galactica: pb/Mark Bright]
- Battlestar Galactica #8: Greetings from Earth (New York: Berkley Books, 1983) with Ron Goulart [tie to Battlestar Galactica (1): Battlestar Galactica: pb/Jessie Neeley]
- Battlestar Galactica #9: Experiment in Terra (New York: Berkley Books, 1984) with Ron Goulart [tie to Battlestar Galactica (1): Battlestar Galactica: pb/David Schleinkofer]
- Battlestar Galactica #10: The Long Patrol (New York: Berkley Books, 1984) with Ron Goulart [tie to Battlestar Galactica (1): Battlestar Galactica: pb/David Schleinkofer]
- Battlestar Galactica #11: The Nightmare Machine (New York: Berkley Books, 1985) with Robert Thurston [tie to Battlestar Galactica (1): Battlestar Galactica: pb/JamesWarhola]
- Battlestar Galactica #12: "Die, Chameleon!" (New York: Berkley Books, 1986) with Robert Thurston [tie to Battlestar Galactica (1): Battlestar Galactica: pb/James Warhola]
- Battlestar Galactica #13: Apollo's War (New York: Berkley Books, 1987) with Robert Thurston [tie to Battlestar Galactica (1): Battlestar Galactica: pb/James Warhola]
- Battlestar Galactica #14: Surrender the Galactica! (New York: Berkley Books, 1987) with Robert Thurston [tie to Battlestar Galactica (1): Battlestar Galactica: pb/JamesWarhola]
Knight Rider
- Knight Rider (New York: Pinnacle Books, 1983) with Roger Hill [tie to Knight Rider: Knight Rider: pb/]
- Knight Rider #2: Trust Doesn't Rust (New York: Pinnacle Books, 1984) with Roger Hill [tie to Knight Rider: Knight Rider: pb/]
- Knight Rider #3: Hearts of Stone (New York: Pinnacle Books, 1984) with Roger Hill [tie to Knight Rider: Knight Rider: pb/]
- Knight Rider #4: The 24-Carat Assassin (London: W H Allen/Target, 1983) with Roger Hill [tie to Knight Rider: Knight Rider: pb/]
- Knight Rider #5: Mirror Image (London: W H Allen/Target, 1985) with Roger Hill [tie to Knight Rider: Knight Rider: pb/]
miscellaneous ties
- The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Meet Dracula (New York: Grosset and Dunlap, 1978) with Michael Sloan [Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew: pb/]
- Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (New York: Fotonovel Publications, 1979) [graph: tie to the comic: Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: pb/]
links
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