Jerome Bixby
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Drexel Jerome Lewis Bixby (January 11, 1923 – April 28, 1998) was an American short-story writer and scriptwriter. He wrote the 1953 story " It's a Good Life", which was the basis of a 1961 episode of ''
The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...
'' and was included in '' Twilight Zone: The Movie'' (1983). He also wrote four episodes for the ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' series: " Mirror, Mirror", "
Day of the Dove "Day of the Dove" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by Jerome Bixby and directed by Marvin Chomsky, it was first broadcast November 1, 1968. In the episode, an al ...
", "
Requiem for Methuselah "Requiem for Methuselah" is the nineteenth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek''. Written by Jerome Bixby and directed by Murray Golden, it was first broadcast on February 14, 1969. In th ...
", and "
By Any Other Name "By Any Other Name" is the 22nd episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by D.C. Fontana and Jerome Bixby (based on Bixby's story) and directed by Marc Daniels, it was first broadcast ...
". With Otto Klement, he co-wrote the story upon which the science fiction movie ''
Fantastic Voyage ''Fantastic Voyage'' is a 1966 American science fiction adventure film directed by Richard Fleischer and written by Harry Kleiner, based on a story by Otto Klement and Jerome Bixby. The film is about a submarine crew who are shrunk to microscop ...
'' (1966), the related television series, and the related
Isaac Asimov yi, יצחק אזימאװ , birth_date = , birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR , spouse = , relatives = , children = 2 , death_date = , death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. , nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...
novel were based. Bixby's final produced or published work so far was the screenplay for the 2007 science-fiction film ''
The Man from Earth ''The Man from Earth'' is a 2007 American science fiction drama film directed by Richard Schenkman. It was written by Jerome Bixby, who conceived the screenplay in the early 1960s and completed it on his deathbed in April 1998. It stars David Lee ...
''. He also wrote many
western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
s and used the pseudonyms Jay Lewis Bixby, D. B. Lewis, Harry Neal, Albert Russell, J. Russell, M. St. Vivant, Thornecliff Herrick, and Alger Rome (for one collaboration with
Algis Budrys Algirdas Jonas "Algis" Budrys (January 9, 1931 – June 9, 2008) was a Lithuanian-American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He was also known under the pen names Frank Mason, Alger Rome (in collaboration with Jerome Bixby), John ...
).


Life

Bixby was the editor of ''
Planet Stories ''Planet Stories'' was an American pulp science fiction magazine, published by Fiction House between 1939 and 1955. It featured interplanetary adventures, both in space and on some other planets, and was initially focused on a young readership. ...
'' from Summer 1950 to July 1951, '' Jungle Stories'' from Fall 1949 to Spring 1951 (a magazine which featured stories of
Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...
-imitation Ki-Gor and, briefly,
Sheena, Queen of the Jungle Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, is a fictional American comic book jungle girl heroine, originally published primarily by Fiction House during the Golden Age of Comic Books. She was the first female comic book character with her own title, with her ...
), '' Action Stories'' from Fall 1949 to Fall 1950, and founding editor of '' Two Complete Science-Adventure Books'' (from Winter 1950 to July 1951) and of '' Two Western Romances'' from Summer 1950 to Summer 1951 (by which time it was retitled ''2 Western-Action Books''). All these titles were published by
Fiction House Fiction House was an American publisher of pulp magazines and comic books that existed from the 1920s to the 1950s. It was founded by John B. "Jack" Kelly and John W. Glenister.Saunders, David"JACK BYRNE (1902-1972),"Field Guide to Wild American ...
, which also published corresponding comic books for which Bixby also wrote and edited. His best-known television works include four original ''Star Trek'' episodes, including 1967's " Mirror, Mirror", which introduced the franchise's concept of the "
Mirror Universe The Mirror Universe is the setting of several narratives in the '' Star Trek'' science fiction franchise, a parallel universe existing alongside, but separate from, the fictional universe that is the main setting of ''Star Trek''. It resembles ...
"; and 1969's "
Requiem for Methuselah "Requiem for Methuselah" is the nineteenth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek''. Written by Jerome Bixby and directed by Murray Golden, it was first broadcast on February 14, 1969. In th ...
", about "Flint", a 6,000-year-old man. His 1968 ''Star Trek'' episode "
Day of the Dove "Day of the Dove" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by Jerome Bixby and directed by Marvin Chomsky, it was first broadcast November 1, 1968. In the episode, an al ...
" is also much respected by some ''Star Trek'' fans and others. The fourth episode he scripted is "
By Any Other Name "By Any Other Name" is the 22nd episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by D.C. Fontana and Jerome Bixby (based on Bixby's story) and directed by Marc Daniels, it was first broadcast ...
". His short story " It's a Good Life" (1953), adapted as a
teleplay A teleplay is a screenplay or script used in the production of a scripted television program or series. In general usage, the term is most commonly seen in reference to a standalone production, such as a television film, a television play, or an ...
for ''
The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...
'' by
Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator/on-screen host, best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his anthology television series ' ...
, is arguably his best-known work, in his original prose and in audio/visual adaptations. It was revisited in the 1983 ''Twilight Zone'' film, and chosen to be one of the many ''Twilight Zone'' episodes parodied by ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'', this one in the Halloween 1991 episode "
Treehouse of Horror II "Treehouse of Horror II" is the seventh episode of the The Simpsons (season 3), third season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network in the United States on October 31 ...
". Bixby also conceived and co-wrote the story for the 1966 film ''
Fantastic Voyage ''Fantastic Voyage'' is a 1966 American science fiction adventure film directed by Richard Fleischer and written by Harry Kleiner, based on a story by Otto Klement and Jerome Bixby. The film is about a submarine crew who are shrunk to microscop ...
'',
Bantam Books Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by parent company Random House, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin, Jr., Sidney B. ...
obtained the rights for a paperback
novelization A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent of ...
based on the screenplay and approached
Isaac Asimov yi, יצחק אזימאװ , birth_date = , birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR , spouse = , relatives = , children = 2 , death_date = , death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. , nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...
to write it. Jerome Bixby's last work, a screenplay, ''
The Man from Earth ''The Man from Earth'' is a 2007 American science fiction drama film directed by Richard Schenkman. It was written by Jerome Bixby, who conceived the screenplay in the early 1960s and completed it on his deathbed in April 1998. It stars David Lee ...
'', was conceived in the early 1960s and completed on his deathbed in April 1998. In 2007, it was made into an independent motion picture, with his son Emerson Bixby as executive producer, directed by
Richard Schenkman Richard Schenkman (born March 6, 1958) is an American screenwriter, film producer, film director and occasional actor. He has also been credited under the name ''George Axmith''. Awards He has won seven awards at film festivals such as the Aus ...
, and starring
David Lee Smith David Lee Smith (born September 8, 1963) is an American actor, known for his role as John Oldman, the protagonist of the 2007 science fiction film, ''The Man from Earth'' and its 2017 sequel, ''The Man from Earth: Holocene;'' he co-starred with J ...
,
William Katt William Theodore Katt (born February 16, 1951) is an American actor and musician best known as the star of the television series ''The Greatest American Hero''. He first became known for playing Tommy Ross, the ill-fated prom date of Carrie W ...
,
Richard Riehle Richard Riehle (born May 12, 1948) is an American character actor. He portrayed Walt Finnerty on ''Grounded for Life'' (2001–2005) and The Warden on ''The Young and the Restless'' (2007). He also appeared in over 200 films, including '' Glory'' ...
,
Tony Todd Tony Todd (born December 4, 1954) is an American actor who made his debut as Sgt. Warren in the film ''Platoon'' (1986), and portrayed Kurn in the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1990–1991) and '' Star Trek: Deep Space Ni ...
, Annika Peterson,
Alexis Thorpe Alexis Ann Thorpe (born April 19, 1980) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Rianna Miner on the soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'', from 2000 to 2002, and Cassie Brady on the soap opera '' Days of Our Lives'' from 2002 ...
,
Ellen Crawford Ellen Ann Crawford (born April 29, 1951) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Nurse Lydia Wright on '' ER'' from 1994 through 2003 and then again in 2009 for the series finale. Crawford has also performed on stage, in ''A Touch ...
, and
John Billingsley John Billingsley (, born May 20, 1960) is an American actor best known for his role as Doctor Phlox on the television series ''Star Trek: Enterprise''. Early life and education Billingsley was born in Media, Pennsylvania, and subsequently live ...
. Bixby wrote the original screenplay for ''
It! The Terror from Beyond Space ''It! The Terror from Beyond Space'' is an independently made 1958 American science fiction horror film, produced by Robert Kent, directed by Edward L. Cahn, that stars Marshall Thompson, Shawn Smith (Shirley Patterson), and Kim Spalding. The ...
'' (1958), which inspired ''
Alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
'' (1979). The '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' seventh-season Mirror Universe episode, "
The Emperor's New Cloak "The Emperor's New Cloak" is the 162nd episode of the television series '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine''. The 12th episode of the seventh season. It premiered the week of February 1, 1999 to Nielsen ratings of 4.6. Set in the 24th century, the se ...
" (1999), is dedicated to Bixby's memory. Isaac Asimov described Bixby as "an excellent piano player". He died on April 28, 1998, in San Bernardino, California, of heart failure, aged 75.


Bibliography


Collections

* ''Devil's Scrapbook'' (1964; reprinted as ''Call for an Exorcist'' 1974) * ''Space by the Tale'' (1964) * ''Mirror Mirror: Classic SF by the Famed Star Trek and Fantastic Voyage Writer ''(2014)


Short stories

* "Tubemonkey" (1949) * "And All for One" (1950) * "The Crowded Colony" (1950)
s by Jay B. Drexel S, or s, is the nineteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''. Histor ...
* "Cargo to Callisto" (1950)
s by Jay B. Drexel S, or s, is the nineteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''. Histor ...
* "The Whip" (1951)
s by Jerome D. Bixby S, or s, is the nineteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''. Histor ...
* "Vengeance on Mars" (1951)
s by D. B. Lewis S, or s, is the nineteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''. History ...
* "Page and Player" (1952) s by Harry Neal* "Ev" (1952) with Raymond Z. Gallun * "Nightride and Sunrise" (1952) with
James Blish James Benjamin Blish () was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is best known for his ''Cities in Flight'' novels and his series of ''Star Trek'' novelizations written with his wife, J. A. Lawrence. His novel ''A Case of Conscienc ...
s by Jerome Bixby S, or s, is the nineteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''. Histor ...
* "The Second Ship" (1952) * "Sort of Like a Flower" (1952) * "Angels in the Jets" (1952) *
Zen
(1952) * "It's a ''Good'' Life" (1953), published in Kingsley Amis (editor), ''The Golden Age of Science Fiction'' (1981) * "The Slizzers" (1953) * "Share Alike" (1953) with Joe E. Dean * "Can Such Beauty Be?" (1953) * "The Monster" (1953) * "Underestimation" (1953) with Algis Budrys
s by Alger Rome S, or s, is the nineteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''. Histor ...
* "Where There's Hope" (1953) * "One Way Street" (1953) * "Little Boy" (1954) s by Harry Neal
"The Holes Around Mars" (1954)
* "The Good Dog" (1954) * "Halfway to Hell" (1954) * "The Draw" (1954) * "The Young One" (1954) * "Small War" (1954) * "Mirror, Mirror" (1954) * "For Little George" (1954) s by J. B. Drexel* "The Battle of the Bells" (1954) * "The Murder-Con" (1954) * "Our Town" (1955) * "Laboratory" (1955) * "Trace" (1961) * "The Magic Typewriter" (1963) * "The Bad Life" (1963) * "The God-Plllnk" (1963) * "The Best Lover in Hell" (1964) * "Lust in Stone" (1964) * "Sin Wager" (1964) * "Kiss of Blood" (1964) * "The Marquis' Magic Potion" (1964) * "Natural History of the Kley" (1964) * "Old Testament" (1964) * "The Magic Potion" (1976)


Photonovels

*''Day of the Dove'' (1978)


Filmography

; ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' Episodes * " Mirror, Mirror" (1967) (writer) * "
By Any Other Name "By Any Other Name" is the 22nd episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by D.C. Fontana and Jerome Bixby (based on Bixby's story) and directed by Marc Daniels, it was first broadcast ...
" (1968) (story, teleplay) * "
Day of the Dove "Day of the Dove" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by Jerome Bixby and directed by Marvin Chomsky, it was first broadcast November 1, 1968. In the episode, an al ...
" (1968) (writer) * "
Requiem for Methuselah "Requiem for Methuselah" is the nineteenth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek''. Written by Jerome Bixby and directed by Murray Golden, it was first broadcast on February 14, 1969. In th ...
" (1969) (writer) ; '' Men into Space'' Episode * " Is There Another Civilization?" (1960) (writer) ; '' Twilight Zone'' stories * " It's a Good Life" (1961) (short story) * Third segment ("It's a Good Life"), '' Twilight Zone: The Movie'' (1983) (story) * "
It's Still a Good Life "It's Still a Good Life" is the thirty-first episode of the 2002 revival television series of ''The Twilight Zone''. The episode was first broadcast on February 19, 2003, on UPN. It is a sequel to the original series episode " It's a Good Life". ...
" (2002 Series) (Based on characters created by) ; Films * Curse of the Faceless Man (1958) (writer) * ''
It! The Terror from Beyond Space ''It! The Terror from Beyond Space'' is an independently made 1958 American science fiction horror film, produced by Robert Kent, directed by Edward L. Cahn, that stars Marshall Thompson, Shawn Smith (Shirley Patterson), and Kim Spalding. The ...
'' (1958) (writer) * '' Rampage'' (1963) (screen story) * ''
Fantastic Voyage ''Fantastic Voyage'' is a 1966 American science fiction adventure film directed by Richard Fleischer and written by Harry Kleiner, based on a story by Otto Klement and Jerome Bixby. The film is about a submarine crew who are shrunk to microscop ...
'' (1966) (story) * ''
The Man From Earth ''The Man from Earth'' is a 2007 American science fiction drama film directed by Richard Schenkman. It was written by Jerome Bixby, who conceived the screenplay in the early 1960s and completed it on his deathbed in April 1998. It stars David Lee ...
'' (2007) (writer) * '' The Man From Earth: Holocene'' (2018) (Based on characters created by)


References


External links


Jerome Bixby
in ''
Gary Westfahl Gary Wesley Westfahl (born May 7, 1951) is an American scholar of science fiction. He has written reviews for the ''Los Angeles Times'', ''The Internet Review of Science Fiction'' and Locus Online. He worked at the University of California, River ...
's Biographical Encyclopedia of Science Fiction Film'' * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bixby, Jerome 1923 births 1998 deaths American science fiction writers Writers from California American male short story writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers American male novelists 20th-century American short story writers Weird fiction writers