Began publishing SF in 1951 with "The Devil, You Say?" Beaumont was a major writer, and one of those who brought SF into the main stream. He was all over the place, writing for Playboy, the movies, television, and even Walt Disney. He wrote 18 episodes of Twilight Zone, and screenplays for nearly as many movies including 7 Faces of Dr. Lao. Beaumont liked to collaborate, as many busy writers do, and worked with Chad Oliver and William F. Nolan, among others.

But beyond collaboration, Beaumont used ghost writers. He was the inspirational leader of a group of writers known as that..."The Group." And when Beaumont promised more work than time would allow, he turned to The Group. George Clayton Johnson remembered, "When Beaumont would overwork himself, and had too much to do, and being faced with being exposed because he's taken money, contracts having been drawn ... he would take his problems" to the Group who usually split the money 50-50 for article or script assignments. Johnson recalled, "You had people like Bill Idelson writing one, OCee Ritch writing one, (John )Tomerlin writing one, (Jerry) Sohl writing one, and me writing one." [See article at rodserling.com.]

There were several screenplays with Richard Matheson for director Roger Corman written in the Edgar Allen Poe vein. Along with his friend, Wm. F. Nolan, Beaumont even did some Mickey Mouse scripting for Disney, "The Mystery of Diamond Mountain" and "The Mystery of Whaler's Cove."

Some people can work until they drop while others cannot. Beaumont was cut down by the early onset of Alzheimer's or related dementia, which led to personality changes coupled with an intensive alcoholism.

"Without Beaumont, our old Group would meet less often, and then fell away. What was central to it, the binding force, the conversational fire, the great runner, jumper, and yeller, was gone. None of us felt up to taking his place. We wouldn't have dared." Ray Bradbury

Over 20 years after his death, a collection of Beaumont's short stories published by Dark Harvest in 1988, entitled Charles Beaumont: Selected Stories, won the 1989 Bram Stoker Award for best collection.

PEN NAMES: Keith Grantland (w John Tomerlin), C. B. Lovehill, Michael Phillips, and S. M. Tenneshaw (mostly used by others). One story with Wm. F. Nolan as "Frank Anmar," which was a Nolan pen name. Also used E. T. Beaumont & Charles McNutt on artwork.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Mine here.

OBITUARY: AP, February 22, 1967. VARIETY, Mar 1, 1967, p63. Both Beaumont SS records are listed under that surname, implying a legal change.

Send relevant email to George C. Willick