synopsis
Throughout the fifties and early sixties, Charles Beaumont’s tales of fantasy, horror, suspense and science-fiction established him as a master. But it was on a project uniquely suited to his extraordinary imagination that he would achieve his widest recognition: The Twilight Zone, the landmark anthology television series for which he was a major contributor.
A virtuoso in prose, his stories also appeared in magazines as diverse as Playboy, Esquire, The Saturday Evening Post, and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
In a career that lasted a brief thirteen years, Beaumont juggled countless ideas and projects and approached them all with intense enthusiasm. During his lifetime he’d written and sold ten books, over seventy short stories, thirteen screenplays (nine of which were produced), two dozen articles, forty comic stories, fourteen columns and over seventy teleplays for primetime television programs.
A self-educated man, Beaumont lived life on an epic scale: motor racing driver, radio announcer, sports car enthusiast, story analyst, film critic, teacher at UCLA, husband and father of four children — he was all of these. But writing was the driving force which gave ultimate meaning to his life.
In vivid chapters drawn from meticulous research, including unprecedented access to private letters and documents, and extensive interviews with Beaumont’s family, friends and associates, Roger Anker presents an insider’s perspective into Beaumont’s fascinating world: from his frequently bedridden childhood in Chicago, his teenage years in Los Angeles as a struggling actor and illustrator, to his stunning transformation into one of the most brilliant fantasists of all time. Anker also reveals Beaumont’s friendships and working relationships with renowned filmmakers Fritz Lang, Otto Preminger, George Pal and Roger Corman, writers Rod Serling, Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson and Ian Fleming, actor William Shatner, and publisher Hugh Hefner.
Authorized by the Beaumont estate, Trapped in the Twilight Zone is the first full-length biography to chronicle the tragically brief life of this near-legendary writer, whose stories continue to inspire and entertain us today.
Roger Anker is the editor of the acclaimed Charles Beaumont: Selected Stories and The Twilight Zone Scripts of Charles Beaumont. He has also written for magazines including The Twilight Zone, Starlog, Fangoria, Fantasy Review, Dark Discoveries and Mystery Scene. He lives in Chicago.
Limited to 500 copies, each copy is signed by Roger Anker.
edition information
pricing
SOLD OUT