John Henry Noyes Collier (3 May 1901 – 6 April 1980) was a British-born writer and screenwriter best known for his

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

, many of which appeared in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' from the 1930s to the '50s. Most were collected in ''The John Collier Reader'' (Knopf, 1972); earlier collections include a 1951 volume, '' Fancies and Goodnights'', which won the International Fantasy Award and remains in print. Individual stories are frequently anthologized in fantasy collections. John Collier's writing has been praised by authors such as

Anthony Burgess John Anthony Burgess Wilson, (; 25 February 1917 – 22 November 1993) who published under the name Anthony Burgess, was an English writer and composer. Although Burgess was primarily a comic writer, his Utopian and dystopian fiction, dy ...

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury ( ; August 22, 1920June 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 fiction, horr ...

Roald Dahl Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British author of popular children's literature and short stories, a poet, screenwriter and a wartime Flying ace, fighter ace. His books have sold more than 300 million copies ...

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

Michael Chabon Michael Chabon ( ; born May 24, 1963) is an American novelist, screenwriter, columnist, and short story writer. Born in Washington, D.C., he spent a year studying at Carnegie Mellon University before transferring to the University of Pittsburgh, ...

Wyndham Lewis Percy Wyndham Lewis (18 November 1882 – 7 March 1957) was a British writer, painter and critic. He was a co-founder of the Vorticist movement in art and edited ''Blast (British magazine), Blast'', the literary magazine of the Vorticists. His ...

, and

Paul Theroux Paul Edward Theroux ( ; born April 10, 1941) is an American novelist and travel writer who has written numerous books, including the travelogue '' The Great Railway Bazaar'' (1975). Some of his works of fiction have been adapted as feature films ...

. He appears to have given few interviews in his life; those include conversations with biographer Betty Richardson, Tom Milne, and Max Wilk.

Life

Born in London in 1901, John Collier was the son of John George and Emily Mary Noyes Collier. He had one sister, Kathleen Mars Collier. His father, John George Collier, was one of seventeen children, and could not afford formal education; he worked as a clerk. Nor could John George afford schooling for his son beyond prep school; John Collier and Kathleen were educated at home. He was privately educated by his uncle Vincent Collier, a novelist.The Editors of Time Life: "Editors' Preface", ''Fancies and Goodnights'', pages viv-xii. Time Life Books, 1965. Biographer Betty Richardson wrote: When, at the age of 18 or 19, Collier was asked by his father what he had chosen as a vocation, his reply was, "I want to be a poet." His father indulged him; over the course of the next ten years Collier lived on an allowance of two pounds a week plus whatever he could pick up by writing book reviews and acting as a cultural correspondent for a Japanese newspaper. During this time, being not overly burdened by any financial responsibilities, he developed a penchant for games of chance, conversation in cafes and visits to picture galleries.Editor: jacket blurb, ''Defy the Foul Fiend'', back cover. Penguin Books UK, 1948. He never attended university.Hoyle, Fred: "Time ''Reading Program Introduction''", ''Fancies and Goodnights'', page xv-xix. Time Life Books, 1965 He was married to early

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

Shirley Palmer in 1936; they were divorced. His second marriage in 1945 was to New York actress Beth Kay (Margaret Elizabeth Eke). They divorced a decade later. His third wife was Harriet Hess Collier, who survived him; they had one son, John G. S. Collier, born in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million

Career

Poetry

He began writing poetry at the age of nineteen, and was first published in 1920. For ten years Collier attempted to reconcile intensely visual experience opened to him by the Sitwells and the modern painters with the more austere preoccupations of those classical authors who were fashionable in the 1920s. He felt that his poetry was unsuccessful, however; he was not able to make his two selves (whom he oddly described as the "archaic, uncouth, and even barbarous" Olsen and the "hysterically self-conscious dandy" Valentine) speak with one voice. Being an admirer of

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...

, Collier found a solution in Joyce's '' Ulysses''. "On going for my next lesson to ''Ulysses'', that city of modern prose," he wrote, "I was struck by the great number of magnificent passages in which words are used as they are used in poetry, and in which the emotion which is originally aesthetic, and the emotion which has its origin in intellect, are fused in higher proportions of extreme forms than I had believed was possible." The few poems he wrote during this time were afterward published in a volume under the title ''Gemini''.

Fiction

While he had written some short stories during the period in which he was trying to find success as a poet, his career did not take shape until the publication of ''His Monkey Wife'' in 1930. It enjoyed a certain small popularity and critical approval that helped to sell his short stories. Biographer Richardson explained the literary context for the book: As a private joke, Collier wrote a decidedly cool four-page review of ''His Monkey Wife'', describing it as an attempt "to combine the qualities of the thriller with those of what might be called the decorative novel," and concluding with the following appraisal of the talents of its author: "From the classical standpoint his consciousness is too crammed for harmony, too neurasthenic for proportion, and his humor is too hysterical, too greedy, and too crude."

, ''Sunrise with Seamonsters''. Houghton Mifflin Books (1986): 303. Author Peter Straub has done the same with fake, negative reviews, in admiration of Collier. His second novel, ''Tom's A-Cold: A Tale'' (1933) depicted a barbaric and dystopian future England; it is mentioned in Joshua Glenn's essay "The 10 Best Apocalypse Novels of Pre- Golden Age SF (1904-33)." Richardson calls it "part of a tradition of

apocalyptic literature Apocalyptic literature is a genre of prophetical writing that developed in post- Exilic Jewish culture and was popular among millennialist early Christians. '' Apocalypse'' () is a Greek word meaning "revelation", "an unveiling or unfolding o ...

that began in the 1870s" including ''

The War of the Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. It was written between 1895 and 1897, and serialised in '' Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US in 1897. The full novel was ...

'': "Usually, this literature shows an England destroyed by alien forces, but in Collier's novel, set in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

in 1995, England has been destroyed by its own vices—greed, laziness, and an overwhelming bureaucracy crippled by its own committees and red tape." His final novel, ''Defy the Foul Fiend; or, The Misadventures of a Heart'', another title taken from the same speech in ''King Lear'' as ''Tom's A-Cold'', was published in 1934. He received the

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America which is based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards hon ...

in 1952 for the short story collection ''Fancies and Goodnights'', which also won the International Fantasy Award in 1952.

Writing style

David Langford David Rowland Langford (born 10 April 1953) is a British author, editor, and Literary criticism, critic, largely active within the science fiction field. He publishes the science-fiction fanzine and newsletter ''Ansible'' and holds the all-time ...

described Collier as "best known for his highly polished, often bitterly flippant magazine stories... isbest stories are touched with poetry and real wit, sometimes reminiscent of Saki's. There are moments of outrageous Grand Guignol; the occasional sexual naughtiness is far beyond Thorne Smith in

sophistication Sophistication refers to the qualities of refinement, good taste, and wisdom. By contrast, its original use was as a pejorative, derived from sophist, and included the idea of Mixture, admixture or adulteration. Today, as researched by Faye Hammi ...

." Langford praises Collier's "smiling

misanthropy Misanthropy is the general hatred, dislike, or distrust of the human species, human behavior, or human nature. A misanthrope or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings. Misanthropy involves a negative evaluative attitude t ...

". Similarly, Christopher Fowler wrote in ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', "His simple, sharp style brought his tales colourfully to life" and described Collier's fiction as "sardonic". John Clute wrote, "He was known mainly for his sophisticated though sometimes rather precious short stories, generally featuring acerbic snap endings; many of these stories have strong elements of fantasy..." E. F. Bleiler also admired Collier's writing, describing Collier as ""One of the modern masters of the short story and certainly the preeminent writer of short fantasies", and stating that ''The Devil and All'' was "one of the great fantasy collections".

Other media

In the succeeding years, Collier traveled between England, France and

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

. He continued to write short stories, but as time went on, he would turn his attention more and more towards writing screenplays. Max Wilk, who interviewed Collier for his book ''Schmucks with Underwoods'', tells how, during the 1930s, Collier left the home he owned in England, Wilcote Manor, and traveled to France, where he lived briefly at

Antibes Antibes (, , ; ) is a seaside city in the Alpes-Maritimes Departments of France, department in Southeastern France. It is located on the French Riviera between Cannes and Nice; its cape, the Cap d'Antibes, along with Cap Ferrat in Saint-Jean-Ca ...

and Cassis. The story of how Collier wound up going to Hollywood has been mistold sometimes, but Collier told Wilk that in Cassis, The film ''Sylvia Scarlett'' starred

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress whose Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage, career as a Golden Age of Hollywood, Hollywood leading lady spanned six decades. She was known for her headstrong ...

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English and American actor. Known for his blended British and American accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he ...

, Brian Aherne, and Edmund Gwenn; it was the comic story of a widower, his daughter Sylvia who disguises herself as a boy, and a con man; Collier's collaborators on the script were Gladys Unger and Mortimer Offner. Wilk writes that the film was considered bizarre at the time, but decades later, it enjoys a cult following. Collier landed in Hollywood on May 16, 1935, but, he told Wilk, after ''Sylvia Scarlett'' he returned to England. There, he spent a year working on '' Elephant Boy'' for director

Zoltan Korda Zoltan Korda (May 3, 1895 – October 13, 1961) was a Hungary, Hungarian-born motion picture screenwriter, film director, director and film producer, producer. He made his first film in Hungary in 1918 and worked with his brother Alexander Korda ...

. Collier suggested a way to make the footage cohere into a story and to make "a star out of that little boy, Sabu." After these two unorthodox starts to screenwriting, Collier was on his way to a new writing career.

Screenplays

Collier returned to Hollywood, where he wrote prolifically for film and television. He contributed notably to the screenplays of '' The African Queen'' along with

James Agee James Rufus Agee ( ; November 27, 1909 – May 16, 1955) was an American novelist, journalist, poet, screenwriter and film critic. In the 1940s, writing for ''Time'', he was one of the most influential film critics in the United States. His autob ...

and

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics. He rec ...

, ''

The War Lord ''The War Lord'' is a 1965 American drama historical film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starring Charlton Heston. The film, which concerns medieval warfare and culture in 11th-century Normandy, is an adaptation of the play ''The Lovers ...

'', '' I Am a Camera'' (adapted from '' The Berlin Stories'' and remade later as ''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

''), '' Her Cardboard Lover'', ''

Deception Deception is the act of convincing of one or many recipients of untrue information. The person creating the deception knows it to be false while the receiver of the information does not. It is often done for personal gain or advantage. Tort of ...

'' and '' Roseanna McCoy''.

Awards

* Poetry award granted by the Paris literary magazine ''This Quarter'' for his poetry collection ''Gemini''. * International Fantasy Award for Fiction (1952) for ''Fancies and Goodnights'' (1951). *

for Best Short Story (1952) for ''Fancies and Goodnights'' (1951).

Death

Collier died of a stroke on 6 April 1980, in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. Near the end of his life, he wrote, "I sometimes marvel that a third-rate writer like me has been able to palm himself off as a second-rate writer."

Collections of Collier's papers

* The Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

's papers "represent his transition from a poet to writer of novels, short stories, and screenplays. The bulk of the papers are manuscripts covering several genres, although a substantial amount of correspondence is also included." *

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

Libraries, Special Collections * Colliers' son, John G. S. Collier

Bibliography

Novels

*''His Monkey Wife: or Married to a Chimp'' (1930) (currently in print, ) *''No Traveller Returns'' (a

chapbook A chapbook is a type of small printed booklet that was a popular medium for street literature throughout early modern Europe. Chapbooks were usually produced cheaply, illustrated with crude woodcuts and printed on a single sheet folded into 8, 1 ...

, 1931) *''Tom's A-Cold: A Tale'' (1933) (published in the U.S. as ''Full Circle'') *''Defy the Foul Fiend: or, The Misadventures of a Heart'' (1934)

Short fiction

;Collections *''Green Thoughts'' (1932) *''The Devil and All'' (1934) *''Variations on a Theme'' (1934) *''Presenting Moonshine'' (1941) *''The Touch of Nutmeg, and More Unlikely Stories'' (1943) *'' Fancies and Goodnights'' (1951) (New York Review Books paperback reprint 003currently in print, ) (Note: The first edition contains fifty stories, as do some paperback editions, including the Bantam paperback and the New York Review Books paperback edition. Note that ''Pictures in the Fire'' and ''The John Collier Reader'' contain a few stories not in any edition of ''Fancies and Goodnights''. Also, a story appears in both ''The Devil and All'' and ''The Touch of Nutmeg'', but is in no later collection.) *''Pictures in the Fire'' (1958) *''The John Collier Reader'' (1972) (includes ''His Monkey Wife'' in its entirety, chapters 8 and 9 of ''Defy the Foul Fiend'', and selected stories) *''The Best of John Collier'' (1975) (paperback containing all the short items from ''The John Collier Reader'', but without ''His Monkey Wife'', which was issued as a separate volume) ;StoriesShort stories unless otherwise noted.

Poetry

;Collections * ''Gemini'' (1931) * ——————— ;Notes

Selected short stories

* Another American Tragedy — A man mutilates himself in order to murder an aged rich relative and impersonate him, to change the will in his own favor - only to discover he isn't the only one who wants the old man dead. * Back for Christmas — A man plots a foolproof way to murder his wife, but the murder is exposed because of an unexpected gift she left for him to find. Originally published in ''The New Yorker'' (7 October 1939). (Grams erroneously cites a later publication: 13 December 1939 issue of ''The Tattler'' (sic - The Tatler was the magazine concerned).) This story has been dramatised many times: once for ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'', three times for the ''

Suspense Suspense is a state of anxiety or excitement caused by mysteriousness, uncertainty, doubt, or undecidedness. In a narrative work, suspense is the audience's excited anticipation about the plot or conflict (which may be heightened by a viol ...

'' radio series ( Peter Lorre portrayed the main character in the first broadcast in 1943; the 1948 and 1956 broadcasts both starred Herbert Marshall), as well as once for an episode of '' Tales of the Unexpected''. * Bottle Party — A

jinn Jinn or djinn (), alternatively genies, are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabian religion and Islam. Their existence is generally defined as parallel to humans, as they have free will, are accountable for their deeds, and can be either ...

(genie) tricks a man into taking his place in the bottle. * Cancel All I Said — A couple's young daughter takes a screen test. The couple's lives are torn apart by the studio head's spoken offer to make the child a star. * The Chaser — A young man buying a genuine love potion cannot understand why the seller sells love potions for a dollar, but also offers a colorless, tasteless, undetectable poison at a much, much higher price. * Evening Primrose — Probably his most famous; about people who live in a department store, hiding during the day and coming out at night. Betty Richardson wrote that the store is "the

Valhalla In Norse mythology, Valhalla ( , ; , )Orchard (1997:171–172) is described as a majestic hall located in Asgard and presided over by the god Odin. There were five possible realms the soul could travel to after death. The first was Fólkvang ...

, of course, of a consumer society ... populated by acquisitive people who pose as

mannequin A mannequin (sometimes spelled as manikin and also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off dif ...

s by daylight; by night, they emerge to grab what they want": "Happy to sacrifice all human emotions—love, pity, integrity—for the sake of consumer goods, these denizens have their own pecking order and police. The primary duty of the latter is to suppress any rebellion against this materialistic society." The story was read by Vincent Price and recorded on an

LP record The LP (from long playing or long play) is an Analog recording, analog sound storage medium, specifically a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of revolutions per minute, rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use ...

by Caedmon Audio in 1980. The story also served as the inspiration for the 1984 music video "Prime Time" by the British progressive rock band

The Alan Parsons Project The Alan Parsons Project was a British rock music, rock duo formed in London in 1975. Its core membership consisted of producer, audio engineer, musician and composer Alan Parsons, and singer, songwriter and pianist Eric Woolfson. They shared w ...

. * Interpretation of a Dream — A man experiences disturbing and serial dreams of falling from the thirty-ninth story of the skyscraper in which he works, passing one story every night. In his dreams, he looks through the window and makes detailed and veridical observations of the real-life inhabitants as he passes. * Over Insurance — A loving couple puts nine-tenths of their money into life insurance and becomes so impoverished as a result that each spouse decides to poison the other, unaware that the other has made the same decision. * Special Delivery — A man falls in love with a department-store mannequin. This was later adapted for an episode of the 1960s TV series '' Journey to the Unknown'', retitled "Eve", which starred

Dennis Waterman Dennis Waterman (24 February 1948 – 8 May 2022) was an English actor and singer. He was best known for his tough-guy leading roles in television series including ''The Sweeney'', ''Minder (TV series), Minder'' and ''New Tricks'', singing the ...

and Carol Lynley. * The Steel Cat — An inventor uses his pet mouse to demonstrate his better mousetrap to an insensitive prospect who insists on seeing the mouse actually die. * Three Bears Cottage — A man tries unsuccessfully to poison his wife with a mushroom as retaliation for serving him a smaller egg than the one she served herself. * Thus I Refute Beelzy — An odiously rational father is confounded by the imagination of his small son. * The Touch of Nutmeg Makes It — A man tried for murder and acquitted for lack of motive tells his story to sympathetic friends. * Wet Saturday — Stuck indoors on a rainy Saturday, a family must deal with a problem. The problem turns out to be murder, and how to frame an innocent visitor for the crime. Dramatised in the Suspense radio series broadcast on 24 June 1942 and 16 December 1943 featuring Charles Laughton, and as an episode of ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' broadcast on 30 September 1956. The episode was actually directed by Hitchcock himself. It was also later adapted for

's '' Tales of the Unexpected.'' * Youth from Vienna — A couple, whose careers (tennis player and actress) depend on youth, are forced to deal with a gift of a single dose of rejuvenating medicine that cannot be divided or shared. This story was the basis for '' The Fountain of Youth,'' a 1956 TV pilot for a proposed anthology series, produced by Desilu and written, directed, and hosted by

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...

Screenplays

* '' Sylvia Scarlett'' (1935) * '' Elephant Boy'' (1937) * '' Her Cardboard Lover'' (1942) * ''

'' (1946) * '' Roseanna McCoy'' (1949) * '' The African Queen'' (1951) (uncredited) * '' The Story of Three Loves'' (1953) (Collier wrote two of three segments: "The Jealous Lover" and "Equilibrium") * '' I Am a Camera'' (1955) * ''

'' (1965) *''Paradise Lost: Screenplay for Cinema of the Mind'' (1973) An adaptation from

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet, polemicist, and civil servant. His 1667 epic poem ''Paradise Lost'' was written in blank verse and included 12 books, written in a time of immense religious flux and politic ...

that was never produced as a film. Collier changed the format slightly to make it more readable in book form.

Teleplays

* ''The Man in the Royal Suite'' — Adapted by Collier from a novel by

Edgar Wallace Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1 April 1875 – 10 February 1932) was a British writer of crime and adventure fiction. Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was ...

for '' The Four Just Men'', 27 April 1960 (Season 1, Episode 27). * ''I Spy'' — Adapted by Collier from the play by John Mortimer (of ''

Rumpole of the Bailey ''Rumpole of the Bailey'' is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer. It starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, a middle-aged London barrister who defended a broad variety of clients, ...

'' fame) for ''

'', 5 December 1961 (Season 7, Episode 9), starring Kay Walsh and Eric Barker. * ''Maria'' — Written for ''

'', 24 October 1961 (Season 7, Episode 3), starring Norman Lloyd and Nita Talbot. * ''The Magic Shop'' — Adapted by Collier and James Parish from the 1903 story by

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...

of the same title, written for '' The Alfred Hitchcock Hour'', 10 January 1964 (Season 2, Episode 13), starring

Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (February 11, 1926November 28, 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. He made his a ...

and Peggy McCay.

Adaptations of his stories

Collier's short story "Evening Primrose" was the basis of a 1966 television musical by

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March22, 1930November26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received Lis ...

, and it was also adapted for the radio series '' Escape'' and by

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

. Several of his stories, including "Back for Christmas", "Wet Saturday" and "De Mortuis", were adapted for the television series ''

''. The short story "Green Thoughts" may have inspired ''

Little Shop of Horrors Little Shop of Horrors may refer to: * '' The Little Shop of Horrors'', a 1960 American film * ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (musical), a 1982 musical based on the 1960 film * ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (1986 film), a 1986 American film based on th ...

''. * De Mortuis — Adapted by Fred Coe for '' Lights Out'', 1 September 1946 (Season 1, Episode 3), starring John Loder. * Mary, Mary Quite Contrary — Adapted by James Lee for '' Lights Out'', 27 March 1950 (Season 2, Episode 29), starring

George Englund George Englund (June 22, 1926 – September 14, 2017) was an American film editor, director, producer, and actor. Biography Englund was born George Howe Ripley in Washington, D.C., the son of actress Mabel Albertson and Harold Austin Ripley. Hi ...

and Gaye Jordan. * Duet for Two Actors — Adapted for ''The Billy Rose Show'', 20 February 1951 (Season 1, Episode 21), starring Frank Albertson and Cyril Ritchard. * De Mortuis — Adapted for ''

'', 12 June 1951 (Season 3, Episode 42), starring Olive Deering and Walter Slezak. * Bird of Prey — Adapted by Nelson S. Bond as ''Birds of Prey'' for ''Gruen Guild Theater'', 19 June 1952 (Season 2, Episode 7), starring Bill Baldwin, William Challee and Billy Curtis. * De Mortuis — Adapted for '' Star Tonight'' as ''Concerning Death'', 17 February 1955 (Season 1, Episode 3), starring Edward Andrews and Jo Van Fleet. * Back for Christmas — Adapted by Francis M. Cockrell for ''

'', 4 March 1956 (Season 1, Episode 23), starring

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

and

Isobel Elsom Isobel Elsom (born Isabelle Reed; 16 March 1893 – 12 January 1981) was an English film, theatre, and television actress. She was often cast as aristocrats or upper-class women. Early years Born in Chesterton, Cambridge, Elsom attend ...

. * Wet Saturday — Adapted by Marian B. Cockrell for ''

'', 30 September 1956 (Season 2, Episode 1), starring

Cedric Hardwicke Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke (19 February 1893 – 6 August 1964) was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned over 50 years. His theatre work included notable performances in productions of the plays of Shakespeare and Shaw, and hi ...

and

. * De Mortuis — Adapted by Francis M. Cockrell for ''

'', 14 October 1956 (Season 2, Episode 3), starring Robert Emhardt, Cara Williams, and Henry Jones. * None Are So Blind — Adapted by James P. Cavanagh for

, 28 October 1956 (Season 2, Episode 5), starring Hurd Hatfield and Mildred Dunnock. * Youth from Vienna — Adapted, directed, and hosted by

as '' The Fountain of Youth,'' a 1956

television pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie) in United Kingdom and United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television netwo ...

for a proposed

anthology series An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different ca ...

, broadcast on 16 September 1958 as an episode of '' Colgate Theatre'' (Season 1, Episode 5). * Anniversary Gift — Adapted by Harold Swanton for ''

'', 1 November 1959 (Season 5, Episode 6), starring Harry Morgan and Barbara Baxley. * The Chaser — Adapted by Robert Presnell Jr. for '' Twilight Zone'', 13 May 1960 (Season 1, Episode 31), starring John McIntire,

Patricia Barry Patricia Barry (born Patricia Allen White, November 16, 1922 – October 11, 2016) was an American stage, film, and television actress. Although Barry has numerous credits performing in stage productions and in films, the majority of her work w ...

and

George Grizzard George Cooper Grizzard Jr. (April 1, 1928 – October 2, 2007) was an American stage, television, and film actor. He was the recipient of a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Tony Award, among other accolades. Biography Early life and ...

. * The Small Elephants — Adapted by Russell Beggs for '' G.E. True Theater '', 12 March 1961 (Season 9, Episode 21), starring

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

as Host, Jonathan Harris of '' Lost in Space'' fame, Barbara Nichols,

Cliff Robertson Clifford Parker Robertson III (September 9, 1923 – September 10, 2011) was an American actor whose career in film and television spanned over six decades. Robertson portrayed a young John F. Kennedy in the 1963 film ''PT 109 (film), PT 109'', a ...

, and

George Sanders George Henry Sanders (3 July 1906 – 25 April 1972) was a British actor and singer whose career spanned over 40 years. His heavy, upper-class English accent and smooth bass voice often led him to be cast as sophisticated but villainous charac ...

. * Evening Primrose — Adapted by

James Goldman James Goldman (June 30, 1927 – October 28, 1998) was an American playwright and screenwriter. He won an Academy Award for his screenplay '' The Lion in Winter'' (1968). His younger brother was novelist and screenwriter William Goldman. Biog ...

as a 1966

television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

directed by

Paul Bogart Paul Bogart (né Bogoff; November 13, 1919 – April 15, 2012) was an Americans, American television director and producer. Bogart directed episodes of the television series 'Way Out (TV series), Way Out'' in 1961, ''Coronet Blue'' in 1967, '' ...

, starring Anthony Perkins,

Dorothy Stickney Dorothy Stickney (June 21, 1896 – June 2, 1998) was an American film, stage, and television actress, best known for appearing in the long-running Broadway hit '' Life with Father''. Early years Stickney was born in Dickinson, North Dakota, b ...

and Larry Gates, with songs by

. * Special Delivery — Adapted by Michael Ashe and Paul Wheeler as ''Eve'' for '' Journey to the Unknown'', 26 September 1968 (Season 1, Episode 01), starring Carol Lynley,

and Michael Gough. * Evening Primrose — Adapted by Jon Bing and Tor Åge Bringsværd as ''Nattmagasinet'', a 1970 Norwegian

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

. * Sleeping Beauty — Adapted by James B. Harris as ''Some Call It Loving'', a 1973 feature film starring Zalman King, Carol White, Tisa Farrow and

Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Known for reaching a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, he is widely regarded ...

. * Back for Christmas — Adapted by Denis Cannan for '' Tales of the Unexpected'', 31 May 1980 (Season 2, Episode 14), starring

(Introducer), Richard Johnson, Siân Phillips and Avril Elgar. * De Mortuis — Adapted by Robin Chapman as "Never Speak Ill of the Dead" for '' Tales of the Unexpected'', 24 May 1981 (Season 4, Episode 8), starring Colin Blakely, Warren Clarke and Keith Drinkel. * Youth from Vienna — Adapted by Ross Thomas for '' Tales of the Unexpected'', 2 July 1983 (Season 6, Episode 13). * Wet Saturday — Adapted by Collier for '' Tales of the Unexpected'', 7 July 1984 (Season 7, Episode 8). * Bird of Prey — Adapted by Ross Thomas for '' Tales of the Unexpected'', 4 August 1984 (Season 7, Episode 10). * In the Cards — Adapted by Ross Thomas for '' Tales of the Unexpected'', 14 July 1985 (Season 8, Episode 2), starring

Susan Strasberg Susan Elizabeth Strasberg (May 22, 1938 – January 21, 1999) was an American stage, film, and television actress. Thought to be the next Audrey Hepburn, Hepburn-type Ingénue, ingenue, she was nominated for a Tony Award at age 18, playing the ti ...

, Max Gail (famous for his role as Detective Stan "Wojo" Wojciehowicz on the television sitcom ''

Barney Miller ''Barney Miller'' is an American sitcom television series set in a New York City Police Department police station on East 6th Street in Greenwich Village (Lower Manhattan). The series was broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from Janu ...

''), Elaine Giftos, and

Kenneth Tigar Kenneth Tigar (born September 24, 1942) is an Americans, American actor, primarily on United States, American television, and translator. Life Kenneth Leslie Tigar was born into a Jewish family in Chelsea, Massachusetts, and raised in the Great ...

. * Anniversary Gift — Adapted by Rob Hedden for ''

'', 28 February 1987 (Season 2, Episode 6), starring

Pamela Sue Martin Pamela Sue Martin (born January 5, 1953) is an American actress, who is best known for starring as Nancy Drew on the television series '' The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries'' (1977–1979) and as socialite Fallon Carrington on ABC soap opera ...

and Peter Dvorsky. * In The Cards — (as Dead Right) Adapted by Andy Wolk for '' Tales from the Crypt'', 21 April 1990 (Season 2, Episode 1), starring

Demi Moore Demi Gene Moore ( ; née Guynes; born November 11, 1962) is an American actress. After rising to prominence in the early 1980s, she became the world's highest-paid actress by 1995. List of awards and nominations received by Demi Moore, Her acc ...

and

Jeffrey Tambor Jeffrey Michael Tambor (born July 8, 1944) is an American retired actor. He is known for his television roles such as Jeffrey Brookes, the uptight neighbor of Stanley and Helen Roper in the television sitcom ''The Ropers'' (1979–1980), as Hank ...

. * His Monkey Wife , or, Married to a Chimp — Glam punk band The Bophins' song "Married to a Chimp" is based on the book.

Notes

References

External links

John Collier Collection
at the

Harry Ransom Center The Harry Ransom Center, known as the Humanities Research Center until 1983, is an archive, library, and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe ...

at the

A Guide to Supernatural Fiction: John Collier
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Collier, John 1901 births 1980 deaths 20th-century British short story writers 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English novelists 20th-century English poets British male poets Edgar Award winners English fantasy writers English horror writers English male novelists English male short story writers English short story writers The New Yorker people

Life

Career

Poetry

Fiction

Writing style

Other media

Screenplays

Awards

Death

Collections of Collier's papers

Bibliography

Novels

Short fiction

Poetry

Selected short stories

Screenplays

Teleplays

Adaptations of his stories

Notes

References

Further reading

External links