20's and 30's Sci Fi stories into Movies

unclepatrick

unclepatrick

Alien and Sedition Bat said:
From the 1920s and 1930s:

"The Man Who Liked Ants," a short story by Leslie Charteris in which the Saint unmasks a plot to unleash evil high-IQ ants created by a mad scientist; if they aren't stopped they will replace humanity! This could easily be spun out into a full length film.

Men Like Gods by H.G. Wells. The first paratime novel, and wouldn't require expensive special effects. Wells' utopian speculations can be easily excised, leaving the people from our world who try to seize power in the other world but are foiled in a very amusing fashion. The accidental cross-time travelers would have to be changed from Brits to Americans and made into Chicago gangsters rather than London toffs. Edward G. Robinson would be a natural for the villain.

From the 1940s:

What Mad Universe (1949) by Fredric Brown. A complicated, highly intelligent satire that could be done with or without expensive special effects. Just imagine Leigh Brackett as the screenwriter...Ed Wood acting the role of the nerdish s-f fan...Ida Lupino as director...James Arness as the monster from Sirius trapped in a cage...Carey Grant as the hapless hero thrown into the wacky alternate U.S. that is at war with aliens...early Marilyn Monroe as Betty Hadley (three separate Hadleys, one being Grant's fiancee in Universe 1, the second being the financee of the nerd-turned-superhero in Universe 2 and the third being Grant's wife in Universe 3--all this is simpler than it sounds and would provide great opportunity for Monroe's comic talents). The scene with the Tappers could have become a sensation.

Grand Canyon (1942) by Vita Sackville-West. In an alternate World War Two, Nazi planes roam at will over an unprepared U.S. They bomb a hotel above the Grand Canyon while attacking a nearby airbase, and the guests retreat down to the bottom of the canyon. After several days they discover that they are all dead--victims of the bombing. This could be told on film in the manner of the popular Topper movies but with a patriotic twist--the ghosts determining to do their best to help defeat the Nazis. This last point is not in the book but would not conflict with Sackville-West's intent which was (at least in part) to strengthen U.S. support for the war. (Note: to make the plot viable for film one would have to add Nazi paratroopers landing at the hotel as part of a larger invasion force coming in from Mexico.)
Click to expand...

I always enjoy Charteris Saint series. He would have fun every so often with a story that was Science Fiction or Fantasy base. But I was not planning to mess with the Saints Adaptions in the Timeline. A low budget studio might rip off the story in the 1950's post Them as the basis for a low budget sci fi story. I consider it.

I forgotten about Men like Gods. Will try to include it as a film but it will be in the 1950's. Good pick.

I like your Idea of What A mad Universe. But I have to lose Ed Wood involvement. How ever I love the idea of Marilyn Monroe in the film and Ida Lupinio did a great job directing the Hitchhiker. I never understood why she did not do more directing. So i planing for her to do some other thrillers in the 1950's and early 60's. The only one I got her lock down on at this time is A tv adaption of Fleming Moonraker.
And when I get to the 1960's ,Marilyn will get a Best Actress for Some Like it Hot. (My favorite film of hers.)
And Now I want to reread What a Mad Universe.

I do not know Grand Canyon. I will track down a copy. What thing I been enjoying doing this project, is people are mentioning some stories, I never heard of , so I checking them out.

Thank you for your suggestion.
If you have any suggestion for the 1950's , I started a page for that
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=252930

and I also looking for Mystery and Thriller suggestion.
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=252931

Thank you
 

Alien and Sedition Bat

unclepatrick said:
I always enjoy Charteris Saint series. He would have fun every so often with a story that was Science Fiction or Fantasy base. But I was not planning to mess with the Saints Adaptions in the Timeline. A low budget studio might rip off the story in the 1950's post Them as the basis for a low budget sci fi story. I consider it.

I forgotten about Men like Gods. Will try to include it as a film but it will be in the 1950's. Good pick.

I like your Idea of What A mad Universe. But I have to lose Ed Wood involvement. How ever I love the idea of Marilyn Monroe in the film and Ida Lupinio did a great job directing the Hitchhiker. I never understood why she did not do more directing. So i planing for her to do some other thrillers in the 1950's and early 60's. The only one I got her lock down on at this time is A tv adaption of Fleming Moonraker.
And when I get to the 1960's ,Marilyn will get a Best Actress for Some Like it Hot. (My favorite film of hers.)
And Now I want to reread What a Mad Universe.

I do not know Grand Canyon. I will track down a copy. What thing I been enjoying doing this project, is people are mentioning some stories, I never heard of , so I checking them out.

Thank you for your suggestion.
If you have any suggestion for the 1950's , I started a page for that
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=252930

and I also looking for Mystery and Thriller suggestion.
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=252931

Thank you
Click to expand...

Just popped him into my head, a weird casting idea for the s-f fan turned superhero in What Mad Universe. James Dean! He would have loved it.
 
unclepatrick

unclepatrick

Step by Step Part 4

Howard Hughes was not the only person who life was changed by O'Brians films. When Creation came out, Farnsworth Wright the editor of Weird Tales Magazine took his friend H P Lovecraft out to see the film and then too Dinner. He ask Lovecraft to come to work with him as a Editor of Weird Tales. Lovecraft was in such a good mode he agreed.

It turn out to be a great decision. Lovecraft was able to help many writers who work were not up to the Standard get there story rewritten. From 1930 on, Lovecraft would be a excellent editor and would outlast Farnsworth Wright who would leave in 1940. Lovecraft and Wright would find stories that had possibilities and Lovecraft would work with the authors to get them ready for publication. In addition Lovecraft was writing Two or Three Stories a year and they were always eagerly awaited by the Fans.
(Wright did ask Lovecraft several time to join him at Weird Tales, in OTL.
Lovecraft was able to work with other Writers. There is a whole book called Horror in the Museum and Other Revisions, with stories that Lovecraft assisted other writers with. )

In !939, Weird Tales was adapted as a Radio Show. Lovecraft would work with the scriptwriters to adapt the great stories of the Magazine into thrilling radio Dramas. Over 20 of his stories were adapted including Mountain of Madness as a 2 part story. Other authors who work was adapted for radio included Robert Howard, H Warner Munn, whoTlale of the Werewolf Clans Stories were big hit, and Seabury Quinn's tales of Jules de Grandins.
The last set of stories about a occult Detective were a big Hit and by 1940, they were spund off into there own series. The Series Fear No Evil, start Vincent Price as the Hero and would run for 5 years.
(Free No Prize for any one who can tell me where I got the Title Fear No Evil from. No it not from the Bible)(Vincent Price did do a radio show in the OTL based on the Saint. )
Weird Tales would run till 1949. It is still consider one of the great programs of Old Time Radio and episode often will be run by Local radio channels around Halloween.
Lovecraft would leave Weird Tales by the 1947,His style of story telling did not fit with the post war style of Fantasy and Horror but continued to write Stories for the Magazine till it end in 1957.
Both radio series would get Television version one in 1960 and one in 1970.
(OTL Weird Tales ended in 1954. Here with radio show creating more title recognition and Sci Fi Fantasy being more popular. The Magazine would last longer)


He would do some writting for DC Comic during the 1940's including Green Lantern and Dr Fate. His epic stories of Monster from beyond quickly became fan favorites and the Sell of the Dr Fate Comics were very strong due to Lovecraft influence.
In 1941 soon after Lovecraft submitted his first DR Fate Story, DC planed to Shift the story from Supernatural stories to more of a Superhero story.
Lovecraft was able to argue against that and keep the Supernatural tone of the Comic. Dr Fate moved from More Fun Comics to his own title in 1942 and would remain a popular comic till it was cancel in 1948.
A Latter attempt to bring the Hero back in the Late 60's would cause problems for DC with the Comic Code Authority.

Lovecraft would die in 1949. He had been working on a script for the Republic Dr Fate Serial. More on that latter. (12 year latter than in OTL, )

The Other Person who life would be change by the works of Willis O'Brian was a young man name Ray Harryhausen. Harryhausen started making Stop Motion Films of his own, learning the art of Stop Motion. Inspired by his friend Ray Harryhausen in 1937 took a film that he had been animating a creature for to RKO The Jupiter Project about a man fighting a multi arm Monster. The Guard at RKO would not let Harryhausen in to see O Brian.

But Joe Pasternak a Producer who work at Universal, was walking past the gate as Harryhausen was trying to talk his way in. He became interested and ask Harryhausen over to Universal to show him the film. The Producer was inpressed with with the one minute film and when to get the producer of Universal serial Buck Roger, Barney A. Sarecky.
Sarecky hired Herryhausen to create a flying Creature that would attack Buck on the planet Saturn as the ending of one of the episodes of the Serial. Then the producers of Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe Henry MacRae hire Harryhausen to do Three Creature for the 1940's serial.

Main while RKO had out bid Paramount to bring Hungarian director George Pal to America to do his Pupettoons short. Ray was hired as a assistant. He would work on the Pupettoons up to late 1941 when he was borrow by O Brian to assist on the Zeppelin vs Pterodactyls. O Brian put Harryhausen to work adapting a set of Drawings that O Brian had made. Harryhausen build the Model and animated it . Just as the two began to work together well, On Dec 7 1941 the Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor.

O' Brian reenlisted in the Army Air Corp. Leaving RKO with a Unfinish Film. Harryhausen completed two scenes and stock footage, from King Kong, War Birds and Conan were reused. The Movie was release in 1942 and was a huge Hit. Copies would be sent to service men around the world, who love the movie, and in particular the ending with the Dinosaur attacking the German Troops.
Harryhausen would also enlist and ended up doing film under Frank Capra.

( I planned this to be the last part but I run out of time. Next time we will get to Hughes during the War years, RKO starting up fantasy and Horror again, Hughes vs DC Comics and Orson Wells and his Batman and War of the World movies. Plus Howard Hughes and Roswell. I hope)
 
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