By: Arnold Kunert

Arnold Kunert — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 19:03:00 +0000

THANK YOU, MR. NILLSON, FOR THE KIND COMMENTS ABOUT OUR DEAR FRIEND RAY BRADBURY, WHOM I HAD THE HONOR AND PLEASURE OF KNOWING FOR MORE THAN 45 YEARS. MY FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH RAY’S NAME ATTACHED TO IT WAS WHEN THE SATURDAY EVENING POST PUBLISHED HIS SHORT STORY ‘THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS’ IN, I BELIEVE, 1951. WHEN A FILM WITH THE SAME TITLE WAS RELEASED IN JUNE OF 1953, I BECAME AWARE OF ANOTHER ‘RAY,’ RAY HARRYHAUSEN, WHOSE STOP-MOTION ANIMATION BROUGHT ‘THE BEAST’ TO LIFE SO BEAUTIFULLY. I HAD NO IDEA AT THE TIME THAT BRADBURY AND HARRYHAUSEN HAD KNOWN EACH OTHER BY THEN FOR MORE THAN 15 YEARS. IN THE MID-1960S, HAVING MOVED TO CALIFORNIA TO TEACH HIGH SCHOOL, I MET RAY BRADBURY AT ONE OF HIS COLLEGE APPEARANCES. SOON AFTER THAT, HE INTRODUCED ME TO RAY HARRYHAUSEN, WHO WAS IN TOWN TO PROMOTE ONE OF HIS FILMS. THESE TWO MAGICAL MEETINGS CAME FULL CIRCLE IN JUNE OF 2003 IN HOLLYWOOD WHEN I SAT NEXT TO BRADBURY AND HARRYHAUSEN TO WATCH ‘THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS’ ON THE BIG SCREEN AT THE EGYTPIAN THEATER. IT HAD BEEN EXACTLY 50 YEARS TO THE MONTH SINCE I FIRST SAW THE FILM. NOW I WAS SITTING WITH TWO OF THE ARTISTS WHOSE NAMES HAD APPEARED ON THE POSTER OF THE FILM OUTSIDE THE UNITED ARTISTS THEATRE IN CHICAGO’S LOOP. ISN’T LIFE AMAZING?

Comments on: The Post Mourns Ray Bradbury

By: Arnold Kunert