Alcoa Premiere (also known as Premiere, Presented by Fred Astaire ) is an American anthology drama series sponsored by the Alcoa Corporation that aired from October 10, 1961, to September 12, 1963, on ABC . The series was hosted by Fred Astaire , who also starred in several of the episodes.
92-813: Each episode presented a new story, with no overriding theme to the series as a whole. While some episodes were light entertainment, and at least one variety show was aired, the dramatic episodes often offered powerful stories on painful or controversial subjects as opposed to classic drama. The series showcased writers such as Ray Bradbury , Howard Rodman , Ernest Kinoy , Donald S. Sanford , Alfred Bester , and Gene L. Coon , amongst others. The program also featured actors such as James Stewart , John Wayne , Charlton Heston , James Whitmore , Maureen O'Sullivan , Arthur Kennedy and Ray Milland . Both Stewart and Wayne appeared in an episode directed by John Ford , "Flashing Spikes". The premiere telecast, "People Need People" starred Lee Marvin and Arthur Kennedy . Alex Segal
184-1022: A Swedish immigrant , and Leonard Spaulding Bradbury (1890–1957), a power and telephone lineman of English ancestry. He was given the middle name "Douglas" after actor Douglas Fairbanks . Bradbury was surrounded by an extended family during his early childhood and formative years in Waukegan. An aunt read him short stories when he was a child. This period provided foundations for both the author and his stories. In Bradbury's fiction, 1920s Waukegan becomes Green Town, Illinois. The Bradbury family lived in Tucson, Arizona , during 1926–1927 and 1932–1933 while their father pursued employment, each time returning to Waukegan. While in Tucson, Bradbury attended Amphi Junior High School and Roskruge Junior High School. They eventually settled in Los Angeles in 1934 when Bradbury
276-657: A slush pile , which led to its publication. "Homecoming" won a place in the O. Henry Award Stories of 1947. Bradbury first published The Fireman , a short story about 25,000 words long, in Galaxy Science Fiction in February 1951. Bradbury was asked to extend it by 25,000 words so that it would be published as a novel. Bradbury got the title after the Los Angeles fire chief told him that book paper burns at 451 °F. In UCLA 's Powell Library , in
368-582: A 1778 map by Thomas Hutchins . By the 1820s, the French name had become "Small Fort River" in English, and the settlement was known as "Little Fort". The name "Waukegance" and then "Waukegan" (meaning "little fort"; cf. Potawatomi wakaigin "fort" or "fortress") was created by John H. Kinzie and Solomon Juneau , and the new name was adopted on March 31, 1849. Waukegan had an abolitionist community dating to these early days. In 1853, residents commemorated
460-478: A Los Angeles bookstore with British expatriate writer Christopher Isherwood gave Bradbury the opportunity to put The Martian Chronicles into the hands of a respected critic. Isherwood's glowing review followed. Bradbury attributed his lifelong habit of writing every day to two incidents. The first, when he was three years old, was his mother's taking him to see Lon Chaney in the 1923 silent film The Hunchback of Notre Dame . The second occurred in 1932, when
552-605: A Racial Category (2023) NH=Non-Hispanic Racial Makeup of Hispanics in Waukegan (2023) As of the 2010 United States Census , 89,078 people were living in the city. The racial makeup of the town was 46.6% White (21.7% non-Hispanic White), 19.2% African-American , 4.3% Asian , 1.2% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander , 24.6% some other race, and 4.1% of two or more races . 53.4% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). Majority of residents of Latin American descent in Waukegan are of Mexican descent, Waukegan also has one of
644-563: A Thursday-night conclave at age 16. Bradbury cited Verne and Wells as his primary science-fiction influences. He identified with Verne, saying: "He believes the human being is in a strange situation in a very strange world, and he believes that we can triumph by behaving morally." Bradbury admitted that he stopped reading science-fiction books in his 20s and embraced a broad field of literature that included poets Alexander Pope and John Donne . He had just graduated from high school when he met Robert A. Heinlein , then 31. Bradbury recalled: "He
736-457: A call for intervention from the state militia. Noted organized crime boss Johnny Torrio served time in Waukegan's Lake County jail in 1925. He installed bulletproof covers on the windows of his cell at his own expense for fear of assassination attempts. The Waukegan urban area developed independently of Chicago, before being officially incorporated into the Chicago metropolitan area during
828-452: A carnival entertainer, one Mr. Electrico, knighted the young man with an electrified sword and intoned: "Live forever!" Bradbury remarked: "I felt that something strange and wonderful had happened to me because of my encounter with Mr. Electrico ... [he] gave me a future ... I began to write, full-time. I have written every single day of my life since that day 69 years ago." At that age, Bradbury first started to do magic , which
920-481: A considerable Armenian population. One member of this community, Monoog Curezhin, even became embroiled in an aborted plot to assassinate Sultan Abdul Hamid II , reviled for his involvement in massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire . Curezhin lost two fingers on his right hand while testing explosives for this purpose in Waukegan in 1904. By the 1920s and 1930s, African Americans began to migrate to
1012-416: A conversation they had on The Jack Benny Program on Mother's Day of 1950 while they were discussing the itinerary for his summer tour that year: On a 1959 episode of the television game show What's My Line? , Benny quipped to host John Charles Daly They say that I put Waukegan on the map. But it's not true. Waukegan really put me on the map. That's a fact. Nevertheless, Benny did put Waukegan on
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#17327824221441104-521: A dainty cone plugged into her right ear. There she was, oblivious to man and dog, listening to far winds and whispers and soap opera cries, sleep walking , helped up and down curbs by a husband who might just as well not have been there. This was not fiction. Bradbury stated that the novel worked as a critique of the later development of political correctness : How does the story of Fahrenheit 451 stand up in 1994? R.B.: It works even better because we have political correctness now. Political correctness
1196-479: A formative event of his youth: I suppose the most important memory is of Mr. Electrico. On Labor Day weekend, 1932, when I was twelve years old, he came to my hometown with the Dill Brothers ... He was a performer sitting in an electric chair and a stagehand pulled a switch and he was charged with fifty thousand volts of pure electricity. Lightning flashed in his eyes and his hair stood on end. I sat below, in
1288-487: A full and complete life." In high school, Bradbury was active in the poetry and drama clubs. Planning to become an actor, he became serious about writing as his high-school years progressed. He graduated from Los Angeles High School, where he took poetry classes with Snow Longley Housh and short-story writing courses taught by Jeannet Johnson. The teachers recognized his talent and furthered his interest in writing, but he did not attend college. Instead, he sold newspapers at
1380-676: A household in the city was $ 42,335, and for a family was $ 47,341. Males had a median income of $ 30,556 versus $ 25,632 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 17,368. About 24% of families and 24.7% of the population were below the poverty line. Over half (54.4%) of the population identified as members of a religious group. The largest group were Roman Catholics, who comprised 31.0% of city residents. Other Christian groups included Lutherans (3.2%), Baptists (1.9%), Presbyterians (1.6%), and Methodists (1.5%); about 11% adhered to other Christian denominations. Other faiths practiced include Judaism (2.7%) and Islam (1.4%). Christ Episcopal Church on
1472-545: A larger collaborative work that would tell the family's complete history, but it never materialized, and according to a 2001 interview, they went their separate ways. In October 2001, Bradbury published all the Family stories he had written in one book with a connecting narrative, From the Dust Returned , featuring a wraparound Addams cover of the original "Homecoming" illustration. Another of Bradbury’s close friends
1564-418: A month: their friendship lasted more than 70 years. Waukegan, Illinois Waukegan ( / w ə ˈ k iː ɡ ən / wə- KEE -ghən ) is an industrial suburb located 36 miles (58 km) north of Chicago . It is the most populous city and county seat of Lake County, Illinois , United States. As of the 2020 census , its population was 89,321, making it the seventh-most populous city within
1656-495: A portion of the protesters looted and damaged local businesses along Lewis Avenue from Glen Flora Street north into the Village of Beach Park . According to local activist Ralph Peterson, who organized the earlier peaceful march moving east along Grand Avenue into the downtown area, two intoxicated locals and about five “professional provocateurs” not recognized by attendees attempted to incite to violence 50-75 protesters gathered at
1748-836: A rich theatrical legacy as well as literary. He headed the Pandemonium Theatre Company in Los Angeles for many years, and had a five-year relationship with the Fremont Centre Theatre in South Pasadena. Bradbury is featured prominently in two documentaries related to his classic 1950s–1960s era: Jason V Brock 's Charles Beaumont: The Life of Twilight Zone's Magic Man , detailing his troubles with Rod Serling and his friendships with writers Charles Beaumont , George Clayton Johnson , and most especially his dear friend William F. Nolan ; and Brock's The AckerMonster Chronicles! , which delves into
1840-450: A single term. Waukegan is the hometown of comedian Jack Benny (1894–1974), one of the 20th century's most notable and enduring entertainers. Although Benny claimed for decades on his radio and television shows to have been born in Waukegan, he was actually born at Mercy Hospital in Chicago. Despite this, Benny's affection for the town where he grew up can clearly be felt by this exchange with his wife and co-star Mary Livingstone during
1932-514: A study room with typewriters for rent for ten cents per half-hour., Bradbury wrote his classic story of a book burning future, Fahrenheit 451 , which was about 50,000 words long, costing $ 9.80 from the typewriter-rental fees. Fahrenheit 451 was also published in serial form in the March, April and May 1954 issues of Playboy Magazine . Fahrenheit 451 remains a staple in discussions about censorship and dystopian futures. A chance encounter in
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#17327824221442024-808: Is 108 °F (42 °C), which was set in July 1934, while the record low is −27 °F (−33 °C), set in January 1985. Waukegan's proximity to Lake Michigan helps cool the city throughout the year. Waukegan contains three Superfund sites of hazardous substances that are on the National Priorities List . In 1975, PCBs were discovered in Waukegan Harbor sediments. Investigation revealed that during manufacturing activities at Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC), hydraulic fluids containing PCBs had been discharged through floor drains at
2116-414: Is a depiction of the real. Fantasy is a depiction of the unreal. So Martian Chronicles is not science fiction, it's fantasy. It couldn't happen, you see? That's the reason it's going to be around a long time—because it's a Greek myth , and myths have staying power. Bradbury recounted when he came into his own as a writer, the afternoon he wrote a short story about his first encounter with death. When he
2208-721: Is best known for his novel Fahrenheit 451 (1953) and his short-story collections The Martian Chronicles (1950), The Illustrated Man (1951), and The October Country (1955). Other notable works include the coming of age novel Dandelion Wine (1957), the dark fantasy Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962) and the fictionalized memoir Green Shadows, White Whale (1992). He also wrote and consulted on screenplays and television scripts, including Moby Dick and It Came from Outer Space . Many of his works were adapted into television and film productions as well as comic books. Bradbury also wrote poetry which has been published in several collections, such as They Have Not Seen
2300-465: Is known as "Scoop Unplugged". The City of Waukegan is run on a mayor–council government . The city government consists of a single elected mayor and city clerk, with a city council composed of nine alderpersons, who are elected to represent the nine wards of the city. Any new membera are sworn on the first Monday in May of their respective election year, as it coincides with the first city council meeting of
2392-688: Is named after him. Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Otto Graham (1921–2003) was born and raised in Waukegan and attended nearby Northwestern University on a basketball scholarship, though football soon became his main sport. Graham played quarterback for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and National Football League (NFL), taking his team to league championships every year between 1946 and 1955, winning seven of them. While most of Graham's statistical records have been surpassed in
2484-485: Is on the shore of Lake Michigan , about 11 miles (18 km) south of the border with Wisconsin and 37 miles (60 km) north of downtown Chicago at an elevation around 650 feet (200 m) above sea level. Chicago has two major streets that venture north to Waukegan, one being Sheridan Road , which extends north from Diversey Parkway in Lincoln Park . The second street is Milwaukee Avenue , which starts at
2576-509: Is the real enemy these days. The black groups want to control our thinking and you can't say certain things. The homosexual groups don't want you to criticize them. It's thought control and freedom of speech control. In a 1982 essay, he wrote: "People ask me to predict the Future, when all I want to do is prevent it." This intent had been expressed earlier by other authors, most of whom attributed it to him. On May 24, 1956, Bradbury appeared on
2668-556: The New York Herald Tribune , Will Cuppy proclaimed Bradbury "suitable for general consumption" and predicted that he would become a writer of the caliber of British fantasist John Collier . After a rejection notice from the pulp Weird Tales , Bradbury submitted "Homecoming" to Mademoiselle , where it was spotted by a young editorial assistant named Truman Capote . Capote picked the Bradbury manuscript from
2760-473: The 1964 New York World's Fair and wrote the narration script for The American Journey attraction there. He also worked on the original exhibit in Epcot 's Spaceship Earth geosphere at Walt Disney World . He focused on detective fiction in the 1980s. In the latter half of the 1980s and early 1990s, he hosted The Ray Bradbury Theater , a televised anthology series based on his short stories. Bradbury
2852-505: The 2000 census . This inclusion took place as a result of suburban sprawl , effectively dissolving the region's identity as self-standing. Despite this, Waukegan has retained a distinct industrial character in contrast to many of the residential suburbs along Chicago's North Shore . The financial disparity created by the disappearance of manufacturing from the city in part contributed to the Waukegan riot of 1966 . Central to this event and
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2944-573: The Brown Derby to watch the stars who came and went for meals. He recounted seeing Cary Grant , Marlene Dietrich and Mae West , who, he learned, made a regular appearance every Friday night, bodyguard in tow. Bradbury was free to start a career in writing when, owing to his bad eyesight, he was rejected for induction into the military during World War II . Inspired by science-fiction heroes such as Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers , he began publishing science-fiction stories in fanzines in 1938. He
3036-564: The Chicago metropolitan area and the 10th-most populous city in Illinois . Unlike nearby wealthy North Shore suburbs, Waukegan has long been classified by the Illinois state government as overall "socioeconomically distressed" despite having some middle class inhabitants. The site of present-day Waukegan was recorded as Rivière du Vieux Fort ("Old Fort River") and Wakaygagh on
3128-448: The OMC plant, directly to Waukegan Harbor and into ditches discharging into Lake Michigan. The OMC plants were subsequently added to the National Priorities List , and was designated as one of 43 Great Lakes Areas of Concern . Cleanup of the site began in 1990, with OMC providing $ 20–25 million in funding. During the OMC cleanup, additional soil contaminants were found at the location of
3220-461: The Stars (2001). The New York Times called Bradbury "An author whose fanciful imagination, poetic prose, and mature understanding of human character have won him an international reputation" and "the writer most responsible for bringing modern science fiction into the literary mainstream". Bradbury was born on August 22, 1920, in Waukegan, Illinois , to Esther (née Moberg) Bradbury (1888–1966),
3312-511: The alienation of people by media: In writing the short novel Fahrenheit 451 I thought I was describing a world that might evolve in four or five decades. But only a few weeks ago, in Beverly Hills one night, a husband and wife passed me, walking their dog. I stood staring after them, absolutely stunned. The woman held in one hand a small cigarette-package-sized radio, its antenna quivering. From this sprang tiny copper wires which ended in
3404-586: The anniversary of emancipation of slaves in the British Empire with a meeting. Waukegan arguably has the distinction of being the only place where Abraham Lincoln failed to finish a speech. When he was campaigning in the town in 1860, he was interrupted by a ringing fire alarm. During the middle of the 19th century, Waukegan was becoming an important industrial hub. Industries included ship and wagon building, flour milling, sheep raising, pork packing, and dairying. William Besley's Waukegan Brewing Company
3496-582: The asbestos was completed. However, additional asbestos contamination was found outside the Johns-Manville property, which will require further cleanup. The Yeoman Creek Landfill is a Superfund site located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of the Johns Manville site. The site operated as a landfill from 1959 to 1969. In 1970, it was discovered that the lack of a bottom liner in the landfill had allowed leachate to enter groundwater, contaminating
3588-523: The authors of EC Comics 's line of horror and science-fiction comics. Initially, the writers plagiarized his stories, but a diplomatic letter from Bradbury led to the company's paying him and negotiating properly licensed adaptations of his work. The comics featuring Bradbury's stories included Tales from the Crypt , Weird Science , Weird Fantasy , Crime Suspenstories , and Haunt of Fear . Bradbury remained an enthusiastic playwright all his life, leaving
3680-473: The broken windshield, subsequent reports revealed that the officer was not married. The sailors called for lynchings, but were kept back by the intervention of the police. Marines and sailors renewed their attack on the hotel several days later. The Sherman House residents fled for their lives as the military members carried torches, gasoline, and the American flag. The Waukegan police once again turned them away, but not before firing and wounding two members of
3772-534: The city was 30.92% White, 19.21% African American, 0.54% Native American, 3.58% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 22.96% from other races, and 3.50% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 44.82% of the population. Of the 27,787 households, 40.4% had children under 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were not families. About 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who
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3864-532: The city were: The city has plans for redevelopment of the lakefront. The lakefront and harbor plan calls for most industrial activity to be removed, except for the Midwest Generation power plant and North Shore wastewater treatment facilities. The existing industry would be replaced by residential and recreational space. The city also set up several tax increment financing zones, which have been successful in attracting new developers. The first step in
3956-454: The city, mostly from the South . The town was afflicted with racial strife. In June 1920, an African-American boy allegedly hit the car of an off-duty sailor from nearby Great Lakes Naval Base with a rock, and hundreds of white sailors gathered at Sherman House, a hotel reserved for African Americans. Although newspaper reports and rumors suggested that the officer's wife was hit with glass from
4048-489: The city. Waukegan's development began in many ways with the arrival of industries such as United States Sugar Refinery, which opened in 1890, Washburn & Moen, a barbed-wire manufacturer that prompted both labor migration and land speculation beginning in 1891, U.S. Starch Works, and Thomas Brass and Iron Works. Immigrants followed, mostly from southeastern Europe and Scandinavia, with especially large groups from Sweden, Finland, and Lithuania. The town also became home to
4140-414: The confrontations, and over twenty people were arrested with no injuries reported. Upon finding that the vast majority of rioters were Waukegan residents, Cunningham stated, “That really hurts, that you would hurt your own block, your own store, your own business, your own neighborhood, city.” The next day, local business owners and volunteers gathered to clean up the damage. Later on Monday, another protest
4232-519: The corner of Glen Flora and North Lewis Avenue. Following the arrival of police, Peterson and Clyde McLemore, founder of the Lake County chapter of Black Lives Matter , attempted to disperse the crowd and diffuse police confrontations. Many in the dispersed and agitated crowd then began damaging and looting local businesses near Waukegan Plaza, as well as confronting arriving police with displays of violence and damage to police vehicles. The crowd size
4324-416: The corner of Grand Avenue and West Street is a historic church, one of the first ones in Waukegan. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago operates Catholic churches. On July 1, 2020, St. Anastasia Parish and St. Dismas Parish merged, with the former having the parish school and the latter having the parish church. According to Waukegan's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in
4416-485: The corner of South Norton Avenue and Olympic Boulevard. In regard to his education, Bradbury said: Libraries raised me. I don't believe in colleges and universities. I believe in libraries because most students don't have any money. When I graduated from high school, it was during the Depression and we had no money. I couldn't go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years. So I graduated from
4508-460: The creative people he met were special-effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen and radio star George Burns . Bradbury's first pay as a writer, at age 14, was for a joke he sold to George Burns to use on the Burns and Allen radio show. Bradbury was fascinated with carnivals from a young age, and they would feature in such works as The Illustrated Man and Something Wicked This Way Comes . He related
4600-586: The crowd. The police were not always so willing to protect Waukegan's citizens. The chief of police and the state's attorney in the 1920s, for example, were avowed members of the Ku Klux Klan , facts that came to light when a wrongfully convicted African-American war veteran was released from prison on appeal after 25 years. Labor unrest also occurred regularly. In 1919, a strike at the US Steel and Wire Company – which had acquired Washburn & Moen – led to
4692-614: The definitive use of Green Town is in Summer Morning, Summer Night , a collection of short stories and vignettes exclusively set in the town. Bradbury returns to the signature locale as a look back at the rapidly disappearing small-town world of the American heartland, which was the foundation of his roots. Bradbury wrote many short essays on culture and the arts, attracting the attention of critics in this field, using his fiction to explore and criticize his culture and society. He observed, for example, that Fahrenheit 451 touched on
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#17327824221444784-477: The flagship theater for MGM and Fox . There, Bradbury learned how to sneak in and watched previews almost every week. He roller skated there, as well as all over town, as he put it, "hell-bent on getting autographs from glamorous stars. It was glorious." Among stars the young Bradbury was thrilled to encounter were Norma Shearer , Laurel and Hardy , and Ronald Colman . Sometimes he spent all day in front of Paramount Pictures or Columbia Pictures , then skated to
4876-492: The former Waukegan Manufactured Gas and Coke Company. Soil removal was completed at the coke site in 2005, and cleanup of that soil will continue for several years. The Johns Manville site is located 1 mi (1.6 km) north of the OMC site. In 1988, asbestos contamination found in groundwater and air prompted listing on the National Priorities List and subsequent cleanup. In 1991, the soil cover of
4968-640: The front row, and he reached down with a flaming sword full of electricity and he tapped me on both shoulders and then the tip of my nose and he cried, "Live, forever!" And I thought, "God, that's wonderful. How do you do that?" ... So when I left the carnival that day I stood by the carousel and I watched the horses running around and around to the music of " Beautiful Ohio " and I cried. Tears streamed down my cheeks because I knew something important had happened to me that day because of Mr. Electrico. I felt changed. And so I went home and within days I started to write. And I've never stopped. Throughout his youth, Bradbury
5060-485: The highest Honduran population in Illinois, as well as many Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Central American descendants. 5.3% of Waukegan's non-Hispanic white population were of German ancestry. As of the census of 2000, 87,901 people, 27,787 households, and 19,450 families resided in the city. The population density was 1,475.0 people/km (3,820 people/sq mi). The 29,243 housing units had an average density of 490.7 units/km (1,271 units/sq mi). The racial makeup of
5152-566: The house at 518 Clayton Street is the only one of them still standing. It was designated a landmark by the town on April 17, 2006. Science-fiction author and novelist Ray Bradbury (1920–2012) was born in Waukegan. Although he moved with his family to the West Coast while still a child, many of his stories are built on his formative years in the town of Waukegan, often called Green Town in his stories, such as Dandelion Wine . The Ray Bradbury Park, located at 99 N. Park Ave. in Waukegan,
5244-523: The insights without too much extra comment." He studied Eudora Welty for her "remarkable ability to give you atmosphere, character, and motion in a single line." Bradbury was once described as a " Midwest surrealist " and is often labeled a science-fiction writer. He resisted that categorization, however, defining science fiction as "the art of the possible." First of all, I don't write science fiction. I've only done one science fiction book and that's Fahrenheit 451 , based on reality. Science fiction
5336-480: The intention of airing as an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents , but was shown on Alcoa Premiere instead. The episode was written by Ray Bradbury and produced by the AHP crew, with Hitchcock credited as executive producer of the aired episode. During its first season, the show was broadcast on Tuesday evenings at 10:00 pm. The show moved to Thursday evenings at the same time for its second season. The anthology
5428-434: The intersection of Desplaines Street and Kinzie Street in downtown Chicago. According to the 2010 census, Waukegan has a total area of 24.50 square miles (63.45 km ), of which 0.24 square miles (0.62 km ), or 0.99%, is covered by water. Waukegan is located within the humid continental climate zone ( Köppen : Dfa ) with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold and snowy winters. The record high temperature
5520-643: The leg—I respond by writing them down—everything that goes on during the bite. When I finish, the idea lets go and runs off". An imagined version of Waukegan, Green Town is a symbol of safety and home, which is often the setting for tales of the macabre and the dark fantastic. It serves as the setting of his semiautobiographical classics Dandelion Wine , Something Wicked This Way Comes , and Farewell Summer , as well as many of his short stories. In Green Town, Bradbury's favorite uncle sprouts wings, traveling carnivals conceal supernatural powers, and his grandparents provide room and board to Charles Dickens . Perhaps
5612-503: The library when I was twenty-eight years old. He told The Paris Review : "You can't learn to write in college. It's a very bad place for writers because the teachers always think they know more than you do—and they don't." He considered science to be 'incidental' to his writing. He claimed not to be interested in the development of science, but hoped to use it as a form of social commentary and as an allegorical technique. He described his inspiration: "My stories run up and bite me in
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#17327824221445704-487: The life of former Bradbury agent, close friend, mega-fan and Famous Monsters of Filmland editor Forrest J Ackerman. Bradbury's legacy was celebrated by the bookstore Fahrenheit 451 Books in Laguna Beach, California, in the 1970s and 1980s. He and his favorite illustrator, Joseph Mugnaini , attended the opening of an addition to the store in the mid-1980s. It closed its doors in 1987, but in 1990, another shop of
5796-694: The map for millions of his listeners, and later viewers, over the years. The community was proud of his success. The Jack Benny Middle School in Waukegan is named in his honor, which Benny said holds as the greatest thrill he had ever experienced. A statue of Benny, dedicated in 2002, stands in downtown facing the Genesee Theater, which hosted the world premiere of his film Man about Town in 1939, with wife Mary, Dorothy Lamour , Phil Harris , Andy Devine , Don Wilson and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson appearing onstage. Benny's family lived in several places in Waukegan during his formative years there, but
5888-560: The modern era, he still holds the NFL record for career average yards gained per pass attempt, with 8.98. He also holds the record for the highest career winning percentage for an NFL starting quarterback, at 0.814. Graham is one of only two people (the other being Gene Conley) to win championships in two of the four major North American sports—1946 NBL (became NBA) and AAFC championship, plus three more AAFC and three NFL championships. Olympian and All-American track star Shakedia Jones (1979–Present)
5980-793: The money to head to New York for the First World Science Fiction Convention in New York City, and funded Bradbury's fanzine, Futuria Fantasia . Bradbury wrote most of its four issues, each volume printed in limited number due to publishing costs. Between 1940 and 1947, he was a contributor to Rob Wagner 's film magazine, Script . In 1939, Bradbury joined Laraine Day 's Wilshire Players Guild, where for two years he wrote and acted in several plays. They were, as Bradbury later described, "so incredibly bad" that he gave up play-writing for two decades. His first paid piece, "Pendulum", written with Henry Hasse ,
6072-509: The month. The members of the city council as of 2021 are: Members of the city council serve for four years, and are all elected on the same election year. The last election was in April 2023. The mayor of Waukegan as of 2021 is Ann B. Taylor, the city's first female mayor. She was elected in April 2021, defeating incumbent Sam Cunningham , the city's first African American mayor. Since at least 1996, no mayor has been elected for more than
6164-644: The popular quiz show You Bet Your Life hosted by Groucho Marx . During his introductory comments and on-air banter with Marx, Bradbury briefly discussed some of his books and other works, including giving an overview of " The Veldt ", his short story published six years earlier in The Saturday Evening Post under the title "The World the Children Made". Bradbury was a consultant for the United States Pavilion at
6256-536: The publishing rights for Fahrenheit 451 came up for renewal in December 2011, Bradbury permitted its publication in electronic form provided that the publisher, Simon & Schuster , allowed the e-book to be digitally downloaded by any library patron. The title remains the only book in the Simon & Schuster catalog for which this is possible. Several comic-book writers have adapted Bradbury's stories, particularly
6348-749: The radio show Chandu the Magician , and every night when the show went off the air, he wrote out the entire script from memory. As a teen in Beverly Hills , he often visited his mentor and friend, science-fiction writer Bob Olsen , sharing ideas and maintaining contact. In 1936, at a secondhand bookstore in Hollywood, Bradbury discovered a handbill promoting meetings of the Los Angeles Science Fiction Society . Excited to find others who shared his interest, he joined
6440-519: The remainder of Waukegan's 20th-century history was Robert Sabonjian , who served as mayor for 24 years, and earned the nickname the " Mayor Daley of Waukegan" for his personal and sometimes controversial style of politics. 2020 George Floyd Protests and Unrest On Sunday, May 31, 2020 a peaceful protest in reaction to the George Floyd police shooting in Minneapolis turned violent when
6532-598: The revitalization effort, the opening of the Genesee Theatre , has been completed, many new restaurants have opened, buildings have been renovated, and the City of Waukegan has made substantial investments in the pedestrian areas and other infrastructure. The city has had an annual "Scoop the Loop" summer festival of cruising since 1998, which since 2010 has become a monthly event during the summer. The current incarnation
6624-548: The same name (with different owners) opened in Carlsbad, California. In the 1980s and 1990s, Bradbury served on the advisory board of the Los Angeles Student Film Institute . Bradbury lived in his parents' home until, in 1947, at age 27, he married Marguerite McClure (January 16, 1922 – November 24, 2003). They remained married until her death. Maggie, as she was affectionately called,
6716-433: The scene, people were saying, 'Oh my God, I'm so afraid.' I hate people like that—I call them the neo- Luddites " and: "In a sense, [computers] are simply books. Books are all over the place, and computers will be, too." He resisted the conversion of his work into e-books , saying in 2010: "We have too many cellphones. We've got too many internets. We have got to get rid of those machines. We have too many machines now." When
6808-501: The water with volatile organic compounds and PCBs, and releasing gases that presented an explosion hazard. All major cleanup construction activities were completed in 2005, and monitoring of local water and air continues. The book Lake Effect by Nancy Nichols gives an account of the effects of PCBs on Waukegan residents. The Johns Manville site was cited due to its high concentration of PCBs and asbestos. Racial Makeup of Waukegan (2023) Racial Makeup of Waukegan treating Hispanics as
6900-517: Was "a God-given thing, and I'm so grateful, so, so grateful. The best description of my career as a writer is 'At play in the fields of the Lord'." Bradbury was a close friend of Charles Addams , and Addams illustrated 1946's "Homecoming", the first of Bradbury's stories about the Elliotts, a family that resembled Addams's own Addams Family , transplanted to rural Illinois. Addams and Bradbury planned
6992-418: Was 14. The family arrived with only US$ 40 (equivalent to $ 911 in 2023), which paid for rent and food until his father finally found a job making wire at a cable company for $ 14 a week (equivalent to $ 319 in 2023), allowing them to stay in Hollywood. Bradbury attended Los Angeles High School and was active in the drama club. He often roller-skated through Hollywood in hopes of meeting celebrities. Among
7084-400: Was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.09, and the average family size was 3.68. In the city, the age distribution was 30.2% under 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 16.4% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% who were 65 or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.1 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 103.2 males. The median income for
7176-540: Was a boy, he met a young girl at a lake edge and she went out into the water and never came back. Years later, as he wrote about it in " The Lake ", tears flowed from him. He recognized he had taken the leap from emulating the many writers he admired to connecting with his voice as a writer. When later asked about source of the lyrical power of his prose, he replied: "From reading so much poetry every day of my life. My favorite writers have been those who've said things well." He said: "If you're reluctant to weep, you won't live
7268-554: Was a strong supporter of public libraries, raising money to prevent the closure of several libraries in California facing budgetary cuts. He said "libraries raised me", and shunned colleges and universities, comparing his own lack of funds during the Depression with poor contemporary students. His opinion varied on modern technology. In 1985 Bradbury wrote: "I see nothing but good coming from computers. When they first appeared on
7360-440: Was about 18. Bradbury's favorite writers growing up included Katherine Anne Porter , Edith Wharton and Jessamyn West . He loved the work of Edgar Rice Burroughs , especially his John Carter of Mars series; The Warlord of Mars impressed him so much that at age 12, he wrote his own sequel. The young Bradbury was also a cartoonist and loved to illustrate. He wrote about Tarzan and drew his own Sunday panels. He listened to
7452-500: Was an avid reader and writer and knew at a young age that he was "going into one of the arts". Bradbury began writing his own stories at age 12 (1931), sometimes writing on butcher paper. In his youth, he spent much time in the Carnegie Library in Waukegan, reading such authors as H. G. Wells , Jules Verne and Edgar Allan Poe . At 12, he began writing traditional horror stories and said he tried to imitate Poe until he
7544-535: Was held at Waukegan Plaza, which was peaceful and caused no damage. On Tuesday, local faith leaders organized a vigil to denounce looting as counterproductive while demanding justice for the shooting of George Floyd. At least one attendee and long-time resident was also present at the 1966 Waukegan Riot and expressed regret that it had occurred again. Waukegan is located at 42°22′13″N 87°52′16″W / 42.37028°N 87.87111°W / 42.37028; -87.87111 (42.3703140, −87.8711404). Waukegan
7636-403: Was his first great love. He said that had he not discovered writing, he would have become a magician. Bradbury claimed a wide variety of influences, and described discussions he might have had with his favorite writers, among them Robert Frost , William Shakespeare , John Steinbeck , Aldous Huxley , and Thomas Wolfe . From Steinbeck, he learned "how to write objectively and yet insert all of
7728-586: Was invited by Forrest J. Ackerman to attend the Los Angeles Science Fiction Society, which at the time met at Clifton's Cafeteria in downtown Los Angeles. There he met Robert A. Heinlein , Emil Petaja , Fredric Brown , Henry Kuttner , Leigh Brackett and Jack Williamson . Bradbury's first published story was " Hollerbochen's Dilemma ", in the January 1938 number of Ackerman's fanzine Imagination! . In July 1939, Ackerman and his girlfriend Morojo gave 19-year-old Bradbury
7820-448: Was its director. Several Alcoa Premiere episodes were actually pilots for TV shows, often produced by other hands and picked up as anthology episodes by Alcoa. Most of these pilots went no further than their appearance on Alcoa Premiere , but three series ( Channing , Wide Country , and McHale's Navy ) were developed from the pilot films shown on this anthology series. One first-season episode ("The Jail") had been produced with
7912-483: Was nominated for 14 Emmy Awards during its two-year run. Alcoa Premiere was filmed. Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury ( US : / ˈ b r æ d b ɛr i / BRAD -berr-ee ; August 22, 1920 – June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of genres, including fantasy , science fiction , horror , mystery , and realistic fiction . Bradbury
8004-402: Was one of the most successful of these businesses, being able to sell beyond America. The construction of the Chicago and Milwaukee Railway through Waukegan by 1855 stimulated the growth and rapid transformation and development of the city's industry, so much that nearly 1000 ships were visiting Waukegan harbor every year. During the 1860s, a substantial German population began to grow inside
8096-516: Was published in the pulp magazine Super Science Stories in November 1941, for which he earned $ 15. Bradbury sold his first solo story, "The Lake", for $ 13.75 at 22 and became a full-time writer by 24. His first collection of short stories, Dark Carnival , was published in 1947 by Arkham House , a small press in Sauk City, Wisconsin , owned by August Derleth . Reviewing Dark Carnival for
8188-469: Was the only woman he ever dated. They had four daughters: Susan, Ramona, Bettina and Alexandra. Bradbury never obtained a driver's license, but used public transportation or his bicycle. He was raised Baptist by his parents, who were infrequent churchgoers. As an adult, Bradbury said he considered himself a "delicatessen religionist" who resisted categorization of his beliefs and took guidance from both Eastern and Western faiths. He felt that his career
8280-544: Was the special-effects expert Ray Harryhausen , who was best man at Bradbury's wedding. During a BAFTA 2010 awards tribute honoring Harryhausen's 90th birthday, Bradbury spoke about having first met him at Forrest J Ackerman's house when they were both 18. Their shared love for science fiction, King Kong , and The Fountainhead was the beginning of a lifelong friendship. These early influences inspired them to believe in themselves and to affirm their career choices. After their first meeting, they kept in touch at least once
8372-582: Was then estimated have grown to several hundred. Businesses from Glen Flora Avenue north to Yorkhouse Road in Beach Park suffered looting of merchandise, property damage and vandalism. In addition to the Waukegan Police Department, about 100 officers from neighboring departments and several dozen sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the area. Mayor Sam Cunningham issued a city-wide curfew. Five county squad cars were damaged during
8464-596: Was well known, and he wrote humanistic science fiction, which influenced me to dare to be human instead of mechanical." During his young adulthood, Bradbury read stories published in Astounding Science Fiction , and read everything by Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke , as well as the early writings of Theodore Sturgeon and A. E. van Vogt . The family lived about four blocks from the Fox Uptown Theatre on Western Avenue in Los Angeles,
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