George Clayton Johnson, Writer of First 'Star Trek' Episode, Dies at 86
He was not on the list.
George Clayton Johnson, who wrote the script for the first "Star Trek" episode to air and co-wrote "Logan's Run," died Friday, Dec. 25 in the Los Angeles area following a battle with cancer, according to his son, Paul Johnson. He was 86.
He was born in Cheyenne, Wyo., in 1929. He broke into the entertainment business in 1959 when he wrote the "I'll Take Care of You" episode for "Alfred Hitchcock Presents."
Johnson was a member of the Southern California School of Writers, which included Theodore Sturgeon, William F. Nolan, Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson and Ray Bradbury. He met "Twilight Zone" producer Rod Serling through them and would go on to write eight episodes for the seminal sci-fi series including "Nothing in the Dark," "Kick the Can," "A Game of Pool" and "A Penny for Your Thoughts."
Johnson sold a short story that would serve as the basis for Frank Sinatra's 1960 movie "Ocean's 11" and the George Clooney-Brad Pitt reboot in 2001. He also wrote episodes for "Route 66," "The Law and Mrs. Jones" and "Kung Fu."
With William F. Nolan, he wrote the dystopian novel "Logan's Run," in which people are executed at the age of 21 and which served as the basis for the 1976 film. He wrote the adapted script for "The Intruder," the 1962 movie directed by Roger Corman, based on the novel by his friend Charles Beaumont. Both appear in the movie along with William F. Nolan.
His script "The Man Trap" was the basis for the first "Star Trek" episode, which aired on Sept. 8, 1966. It centered on salt-hungry creature who terrorized the crew of the USS Enterprise.
Johnson was a longtime advocate for the legalization of marijuana and in his later years wrote comic books and was a frequent guest at sci-fi and comics conventions. He co-created the comic book series "Deepest Dimension Terror Anthology" with cartoonist and author Jay Allen Sanford.
"He had a special place in his heart for all of his fans, who sustained him and gave him a forum to share thoughts at a million miles a second," his son said.
In a 2003 interview for the Archive of American Television, Johnson said, "I want to be remembered as a person who early on in his life took control of his life and set goals. When people gave me a lined paper, I wrote the other way. When people expect some certain behavior from me, I will frustrate their expectations."
He is survived by his wife, Lola Johnson, a daughter, Judy Olive, a son, Paul B. Johnson and a half-sister.
Writer
Logan's Run
based on the novel by
In Development
Sandra Bullock, Helena Bonham Carter, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Paulson, Mindy Kaling, Rihanna, and Awkwafina in Ocean's Eight (2018)
Ocean's Eight
6.3
based upon characters created by
2018
The Jungle of Jules Levine
Short
Writer
2015
The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas (2002)
The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas
8.2
Podcast Series
story by
based on the story "All of Us Are Dying" by
original teleplay ...
2005–2009
A Game of Pool
Video
Writer
2009
Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Casey Affleck, Elliott Gould, Scott Caan, Bernie Mac, Carl Reiner, Eddie Jemison, and Shaobo Qin in Ocean's Thirteen (2007)
Ocean's Thirteen
6.9
characters
2007
Ocean's Twelve (2004)
Ocean's Twelve
6.5
characters
2004
Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, and Andy Garcia in Ocean's Eleven (2001)
Ocean's Eleven
7.7
Writer (1960 story)
2001
The Twilight Zone (1985)
The Twilight Zone
7.7
TV Series
written by
1989
Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
Twilight Zone: The Movie
6.4
screenplay by
story by (segment two)
1983
Gregory Harrison and Heather Menzies-Urich in Logan's Run (1977)
Logan's Run
7.1
TV Series
characters created by
1977–1978
Jenny Agutter, Farrah Fawcett, Michael York, Roscoe Lee Browne, and Richard Jordan in Logan's Run (1976)
Logan's Run
6.8
based on the novel "Logan's Run"
1976
Kung Fu (1972)
Kung Fu
7.6
TV Series
story
teleplay
1974
Star Trek (1966)
Star Trek
8.4
TV Series
written by
1966
Anne Francis in Honey West (1965)
Honey West
7.5
TV Series
written by
1965
James Franciscus in Mr. Novak (1963)
Mr. Novak
7.4
TV Series
written by
1964
Rod Serling in The Twilight Zone (1959)
The Twilight Zone
9.0
TV Series
story by
written by
based on a short story by
1960–1963
Icarus Montgolfier Wright (1962)
Icarus Montgolfier Wright
6.4
Short
screenplay
1962
The Law and Mr. Jones (1960)
The Law and Mr. Jones
7.7
TV Series
written by
1962
George Maharis and Martin Milner in Route 66 (1960)
Route 66
7.7
TV Series
written by
1961
Frank Sinatra, Angie Dickinson, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Peter Lawford in Ocean's Eleven (1960)
Ocean's Eleven
6.5
based on a story by
1960
Alfred Hitchcock in Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
8.5
TV Series
based on a story by (as George Johnson)
1959
Actor
Saint Bernard (2013)
Saint Bernard
5.3
Father Time
2013
Hannah Harper in Crustacean (2009)
Crustacean
6.8
Famous Writer
2009
Brad Dourif, Tippi Hedren, and Robert Loggia in The Boneyard Collection (2008)
The Boneyard Collection
3.5
Opium Smoking Vampire (segment "Her Morbid Desires")
2008
Hannah Harper in Her Morbid Desires (2008)
Her Morbid Desires
4.5
Video
Opium Smoking Vampire
2008
William Shatner in The Intruder (1962)
The Intruder
7.5
Phil West
1962
Lloyd Bridges in Sea Hunt (1958)
Sea Hunt
7.7
TV Series
USCG Lt. Hartwell (as George Johnson)
1961
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