“…this blog offers some fascinating insights into cinema history from a widely published author on popular culture…” —Jeremy Duns, author of Free Agent and Free Country
Praised by award-winning author Ed Gorman as “one of the best of all writers on popular culture,” Matthew R. Bradley is a widely published authority on the work of Richard Matheson. He is the author of Richard Matheson on Screen: A History of the Filmed Works (now in its third printing), the editor of Matheson’s Duel & The Distributor, and the co-editor (with Stanley Wiater and Paul Stuve) of The Richard Matheson Companion, revised and updated as The Twilight and Other Zones: The Dark Worlds of Richard Matheson. Bradley has written introductions to limited editions of Matheson’s I Am Legend, Hell House, Noir: Three Novels of Suspense, and What Dreams May Come, as well as of William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist.
Bradley’s articles, reviews, and interviews with a variety of filmmakers and literary figures have appeared in Filmfax, Outre, VideoScope, Mystery Scene, Fangoria, Cinema Retro, The New York Review of Science Fiction, and Doomed. He has also contributed to such books as The Man Who Collected Psychos: Critical Essays on Robert Bloch and two different versions of Invasion of the Body Snatchers: A Tribute, and written content for the Cinema Retro and late, lamented original Scifipedia websites.
A self-described “middlebrow snob,” Bradley haughtily disdains what he regards as lowbrow culture (e.g., sports, reality TV, the Three Stooges, rap/hip-hop), and cheerfully admits to being completely at sea with its highbrow counterpart (e.g., poetry, opera, ballet, painting, sculpture, architecture), but aggressively champions much of the vast, fertile area that lies in between. This includes 1960s and ’70s cinema; filmmakers such as Mario Bava, Ingmar Bergman, John Frankenheimer, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Akira Kurosawa, Sergio Leone, and Francois Truffaut; and the “California Sorcerers” (e.g., Bloch, Ray Bradbury, George Clayton Johnson, Matheson, William F. Nolan, and Jerry Sohl, all of whom he has interviewed). Also among Bradley’s special areas of interest and/or expertise are horror and science fiction films, literary adaptations, film scores, mysteries and thrillers, the Beatles (he has rewritten the lyrics to dozens of their songs), Talking Heads, a small assortment of cult TV shows, James Bond, and vintage Marvel Comics, especially from the Bronze Age of the ’70s and early ’80s.
A lifelong resident of Connecticut (excepting a nine-month stint in Brooklyn fresh out of school), Bradley holds a B.A. in English Literature from Trinity College in Hartford, where he worked for four years at Cinestudio, one of the preeminent repertory cinemas in the Northeast. He is a twenty-year veteran of the book-publishing and home-video industries in Manhattan, including six years as Stephen King’s hardcover publicist at Viking Penguin, and currently serves as the Copy Specialist for MBI, Inc., in Norwalk. Bradley lives in Bethel with his wife, Loreen, and their shelter cats, Mina and Lucy. They have one daughter, Alexandra.
Thanks for your comments on “Night Of The Eagle.” I’m going to look at your blog. Richard Matheson also wrote another film I really enjoyed “The Devil Rides Out.” which I’m sure you are aware of.
Thanks for the comment on Caliban’s Revenge. I’m a huge Matheson fan and l look forward to reading your book.
Much obliged. It’s just been proofread and indexed, so it should be off to the printers soon.
Matthew,
I’ve been reading your pieces on Matheson over on the TOR site and thought you might be interested in a piece I posted today – http://www.rimworlds.com/thecrotchetyoldfan/2011/01/some-really-cool-stuff/ – that shows an image of the program book for the ’58 Worldcon.
On the program is a film version of Born of Man and Woman, loaned by Alan E Nourse.
I was wondering if you were aware of the movie and if it is available anywhere?
thanks
steve
Thanks for both your interest in my Matheson posts and the link to the Solacon program book, Steve. As the author of Richard Matheson on Screen, I’m ashamed to say I hadn’t heard of the film. Richard has never mentioned it to me, and I’ve never seen a reference to it in any other source, although I’m dubious about how effectively it could be adapted for the screen in any case. I’ll be on the lookout for further word on this.
Hello. I am currently working on my English Masters Thesis regarding I Am Legend and the subsequent adaptations. I was stunned when I came across your book on the internet. Now that I have it in my hands I just wanted to drop a line of appreciation for all your hard work.
That’s very kind of you, thanks. The adaptive process has long fascinated me, and for all their faults, the three feature versions of I Am Legend offer a fascinating look at how a book should–or should not–be translated to the screen. In retrospect, it’s especially ironic that Matheson removed his name from the script credit of The Last Man on Earth, not only because it is more faithful to his novel than the subsequent Charlton Heston and Will Smith versions, but also because it is in some ways more faithful even than the unfilmed Night Creatures adaptation he had written for Hammer Films. I appreciate your kind feedbback, and wish you the best of luck on your thesis.
Hey Matthew! So great to hear from you! Would love a proper catch-up. Hope all is well, my dear. Your fan, Libba
Matthew,
I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your book “Richard Matheson on Screen.” It’s a beautiful piece of work and something I had hoped to see done for a long time. I have been a fan of Mr. Matheson’s work for many, many years, and I was fortunate enough to have the privilege of interviewing him on two occasions. He is a fine and kind person as well as a fantastic writer, as I’m sure you know. Thanks again for your efforts on the book – it is a treasured part of my book collection, and I consult it frequently.
Regards,
Paul M. Riordan
I can’t tell you how gratified I am by your comment, Paul. It was my hope when I embarked upon the 13-year odyssey of researching and writing the book that there would be others out there like myself who loved Matheson’s work and wanted a reference to his amazing screen oeuvre. As I always said, I basically wrote the book that I wished somebody else had already written! I’m glad you enjoyed it, and appreciate very much your letting me know.