By Spencer Blohm

Chances are, whether you realize information technology or not, you've heard of Ray Bradbury. Non just a prolific writer of scientific discipline fiction, fantasy, and children'south novels, Bradbury wrote stories that were adjusted into comic books, stage plays, television episodes, and movies. I of the most recent adaptations – a recently debuted ABC series The Whispers (based on the Bradbury curt story "Cypher Hr" and executive produced by Steven Spielberg) – is just the latest in a long line of piece of work that has made the leap from page to screen. Before yous decide to catch The Whispers pilot episode (which debuted final week and is hands watchable on ABC Go or DTV) there are other Bradbury adaptations you might want to cheque out first. Given Bradbury's long and storied history with Hollywood, information technology's no wonder that creative types go on looking to his work for inspiration.

One of the most famous Bradbury novels to transcend its original format and go the motion picture treatment was Fahrenheit 451. This archetype science fiction novel virtually a hereafter where humanity has given upwards deep thinking for lives of leisure and pleasure nether a government that is happy to proceed them indolent and docile became the outset color film and merely English language-language moving-picture show from French director Francois Truffaut. The moving-picture show featured Julie Christie and Oskar Werner every bit primary grapheme Montag, a 'fireman' who goes from happily doing his duty and burning books, to reading one of those books and having a whole new world opened up to him. While many critics didn't quite empathize the point the film was trying to brand, it still managed to get a Hugo nomination for Best Dramatic Presentation.

Reception for the film version of Bradbury's The Illustrated Homo was also not favorable. The album film included adaptations of three stories – "The Veldt," "The Long Rain," and "The Terminal Night of the World" – from the short story Ray Bradburycollection of the same name. Jack Smight directed, Rod Steiger starred as main character and storyteller Carl, and each part of the motion picture was connected (though somewhat tenuously) through the tattoos on Carl's body. Bradbury himself had no paw in adapting the stories to a screenplay or making the picture show and some critics blamed its lack of cohesiveness on his lack of involvement.

For the television episode version of his story "I Sing the Body Electrical" Ray Bradbury was involved. He wrote the teleplay adaptation that became the 100th episode of classic surreal science fiction/horror/fantasy serial The Twilight Zone. In the episode a family unit purchases a robotic grandmother to replace the mother they lost. While at outset not all of the family is accepting of the automobile, over time they all grow to dear her and encounter her as an important part of the family. It is a beautiful, heartwarming and heartbreaking story with elements that can be seen in more contempo films such as Toy Story – where a child relies on love from non-human being things that he eventually grows out of.

Some other classic tv set serial – Alfred Hitchcock Presents (the 1985 reboot instead of the original 1955 version) – adjusted a Bradbury story for a popular episode. This fourth dimension it was "The Jar," directed by a (then) upwardly and coming Tim Burton and starring Griffin Dunne. In the original story a farmer buys a mysterious creature in a drinking glass jar and becomes famous for it, while his wife becomes jealous and disbelieving of it. In the remake, the chief character is an artist that has known meliorate days and the 'beast' in the jar helps re-make his career – but all the same seems to ruin his matrimony. Information technology is not the most faithful adaptation of a Bradbury story always made but information technology was pop at the time information technology aired for its surreal, bizarre concept.

Some other of the more famous Bradbury works is Something Wicked This Fashion Comes, a story of ii boys who are pulled into a living nightmare when an ominous man with terrifying carnival attractions invades their pocket-sized boondocks. The book is one of Bradbury's more known novels considering it is taught in middle schoolhouse and high schoolhouse English classes and the movie version made in the early 1980s was pop with critics and audiences. Information technology was directed by Jack Clayton and started Jason Robards and Jonathan Pryce. It too won Saturn Awards for Best Fantasy Motion picture and Best Writing, which was more than than almost adaptations of Bradbury'south work had done in the past.

Whether they are filmed for the small screen or silver screen, Ray Bradbury's stories have been regular source material for decades. Their mix of fantasy, horror, science fiction, politics, philosophy, and more has fabricated them relatable and indelible even equally the real world has changed around them. The themes and elements of his stories go on to be seen throughout other media, and volition probably go on to influence the genres of fantasy and science fiction for a long future.

For more near Bradbury, read this mail from our archive marking sixty years since the publication ofFahrenheit 451.

Spencer Blohm is a freelance entertainment, lifestyle and civilisation blogger. He lives and works in Chicago where he can frequently be found at i of the many festivals and street fairs effectually the city.

Image: Ray Bradbury in 1975, photograph by Alan Lite, Wikimedia Commons.