Things started smoothly enough

September 13, 2024 5:12 PM

Bradbury and Huston met at Romanoff’s restaurant on Rodeo Drive, a posh midcentury Beverly Hills establishment frequented by Hollywood’s elite. There, Bradbury, never afraid to wear his fannish affections on his sleeve, professed his admiration for Huston and his oeuvre. Indeed, he went even further, boldly proclaiming to Huston that he believed they were destined to work together. He had carted copies of his books along that night—Dark Carnival and The Martian Chronicles, as well as a prepublication copy of his latest collection, The Illustrated Man. Sliding them across the table, he told Huston: “If you love my books half as much as I love you, give me a call.” from I … Am Herman Melville! by Sam Weller [LARB]
posted by chavenet (8 comments total)

Do what you love and love what you do

i always do :)
posted by HearHere at 5:33 PM on September 13

“John,” he said, and Huston glanced over at him. “Fuck you.”
Huston was incredulous. “What?” he asked.
“John,” Bradbury said again. “Fuck you. Here you are in front of 10 people insulting my friends at dinner. Fuck you.”

Made me want to cheer, that did. Good on you, Ray.
posted by dragstroke at 5:50 PM on September 13 [3 favorites]

“There is no doubt in my mind it would make a great picture,” Huston opined. “I will try my best to get some studio to let me make your book.”

John Huston directing The Martian Chronicles? (swoon)
posted by doctornemo at 6:15 PM on September 13

Related: Bradbury's radio play, Leviathan 99.
posted by doctornemo at 6:18 PM on September 13 [1 favorite]

Bradbury's Green Shadows, White Whale is well worth reading. (though it wasn't billed as a "novel" when I read it -- seems non-fiction to me) The title is a take on White Hunter, Black Heart, the movie/novel takedown of Huston's toxic masculinity. (Bradbury's Irish stories are worth reading, too.)
posted by CCBC at 6:33 PM on September 13 [1 favorite]

Not mentioned was Ray Bradbury's short story "Banshee" inspired by the experience which was later turned into an episode of The Ray Bradbury Theater which can be seen here. Charles Martin Smith plays the Bradbury character, Peter O'Toole plays the Huston one.
posted by dannyboybell at 7:30 PM on September 13

Again, but harder:

“John,” he said, and Huston glanced over at him. “Fuck you.”
posted by the Real Dan at 8:31 PM on September 13

So how is the movie? Is it a "Ray Bradbury"-style version of the story? It was always mentioned in the author's bio on the dust jacket of the Bradbury books in my school library, but that's the only place I ever heard of it.
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 9:02 PM on September 13