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Edmonton Journal (24/Jun/1990) - Ray Bradbury

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Ray Bradbury

When he was a boy, Ray Bradbury saw a grisly automobile accident in which several people were killed and others horribly maimed.

The incident made such a fearful impression on Bradbury that, to this day, he refuses to drive a car. But like other episodes in the author's life, the accident became the inspiration for a short story called The Crowd, which in turn became the inaugural program five years ago in the acclaimed pay-TV anthology series, The Ray Bradbury Theatre. It was an eerie tale about crowds that gather at car accidents, except that in Bradbury's fantastic imagination the crowd was made up of people killed in car crashes who return to accident scenes to claim victims.

Bradbury has never witnessed a plane crash, but until eight years ago he also refused to fly in airplanes — a fear that seems somewhat odd for a sci-fi author inspired by Buck Rogers comics who has written about travelling to Mars. A southern sheriff and a few stiff belts changed all that, however, when Bradbury was on his way to the opening of Disney World's Epcot Centre, for which he had designed some exhibits.

Bradbury was being driven to Florida when the car broke down somewhere near Tallahassee. Because it would take until the next day to make repairs, Bradbury bought two six packs of beer and settled into his motel room for the night to watch the World Series. In the morning, his driver gave him the bad news. Parts had to be brought in from elsewhere, meaning that Bradbury faced the distinct possibility of getting on an airplane.

The local sheriff came to the rescue, offering to drive the author all the way to Orlando.

"It was like something out of Smokey and the Bandit," says Bradbury. "I took it as a sign that I should maybe start flying. So, when I left Orlando, I told them to get me very drunk and put me on a plane. To my astonishment, I discovered that I liked it. Now, I fly more and drink less."

Bradbury laughs heartily as he tells the story. The interview is interrupted by somebody from Atlantis Films, who reminds the affable, white-haired writer that his ride to Calgary will be leaving in time to catch his plane back home to Los Angeles in two hours. "Good. Tell them to have my drink ready," says the sci-fi legend. Flying, obviously, still leaves him on edge.

The renowned author has come to Alberta to check up on production of the latest batch of "Bradburys" currently shooting in Calgary and environs. Edmonton was the locale for several shot in the province last summer and one — To The Chicago Abyss — won an ACE Award, the American cable industry equivalent of an Emmy. Bradbury is keenly involved in the series that bears his name. As he creeps up on 70, the prolific author shows no signs of slowing down.

"I have a hand in casting, write all the screenplays, see all the rushes, make suggestions if something isn't right. But it has been a very good relationship," Bradbury says of his Canadian partners, which include Toronto's Atlantis, the Alberta Motion Picture Development Corporation and Allarcom Ltd. of Edmonton. The series in Canada is seen on First Choice and Superchannel.

While other anthology series, such as Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories, have come and gone, The Ray Bradbury Theatre chugs along with 42 episodes under its belt in five years. The ruddy-faced Bradbury didn't get where he is today by being meek, and attributes the success of the series to writing. HIS writing.

"Spielberg is a good technician, but he doesn't know how to write a screenplay," says Bradbury. "I think the problem with anthologies is there are simply not enough good writers around. You don't need money to do quality work, you just need words."

Judging by a story he tells of meeting Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev at a recent state dinner in Washington, Bradbury is proud of skills with words. "Gorbachev told me, 'My daughter thinks you are the greatest writer in the world.' I told him, 'She's right.' "

Bradbury was already an accomplished writer when he broke into TV writing for suspense giants Alfred Hitchcock and Rod Serling. He has penned more than 1,000 short stories, plays, novels and screenplays, including the screenplay for Moby Dick and the classic science fiction works Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles. Coming out in July is a new murder-mystery novel, Graveyard for Lunatics.

"It took me four glorious years to write. Writing to me is not work. It's all play," says Bradbury, who refuses to pick a favorite from all of his titles. "I love them all. They're like children. I have four daughters. I learned very early to be a diplomat."

An upcoming episode of the Bradbury Theatre is titled Mars Is Heaven, a story about the first successful mission to Mars. Upon landing, the astronauts discover a small town straight out of the U.S. Midwest (Bradbury hails from Waukegan, Illinois) where they are greeted by long-lost loved ones. Bradbury has always been fascinated with Mars, and thinks U.S. President George Bush's recently announced plans for a Mars mission should include the Soviets.

"I told that to Gorbachev, too," says Bradbury.

But if Mars is conquered, won't that remove the mystique of the Red Planet and rob some of his stories of their imagination?

"No, no, never. You see, what I am, I'm a mythologist. Myths never die."

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