Charles E. Fritch
| Charles E. Fritch | |
|---|---|
 William F. Nolan and Charles E. Fritch at Expo 67 | |
| Born |
Charles Edward Fritch January 20, 1927 Utica, New York |
| Died |
October 11, 2012 (aged 85) Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Period | 1952–2012 |
| Genre | fantasy, social commentary, short story, science fiction, horror fiction, mystery fiction |
Charles E. Fritch (January 20, 1927 – October 11, 2012) was an American fantasy, science fiction, horror and mystery fiction writer and editor. He was the Editor of Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine from 1979 until 1985. His short-story, "Misfortune Cookie" was adapted for an episode of The Twilight Zone television series.[1]
Life and career
Fritch was born in Utica, New York. At age 10, he dreamed of being a science fiction writer and kept notes on story ideas in a notebook.[1] He served in World War II as a paratrooper and graduated from Syracuse University with a degree English and a minor in Psychology so that he could "get inside the heads of his story characters".
In the early 1950s, he moved to Los Angeles where he met William F. Nolan with whom he been corresponding about Nolan's publication The Ray Bradbury Review. Nolan introduced him to writer Charles Beaumont and he soon became a member of "The Group", also referred to as The Southern California School of Writers whose members included Beaumont, Nolan, John Tomerlin, George Clayton Johnson, Richard Matheson, OCee Ritch, Chad Oliver, and by extension, Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch, and Harlan Ellison.
Fritch sold stories to science fiction and mystery magazines and also published Gamma with Nolan as managing editor. He also wrote provocative mystery novels, including Negative of a Nude, 7 Deadly Sinners, and Strip for Murder and sold to various markets under several pen names.[2]
He was active in the science fiction fandom scene and was close friends with Forrest J Ackerman frequenting the Ackermansion and attending parties through the area. He was very fond of his wife, Shirley, who was reported to bear a striking resemblance to Elizabeth Taylor, and liked to prank acquaintances by having her make a grand entrance.[3]
Fritch is buried in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.[4]
Selected Works
Short Fiction
- "The Wallpaper", Other Worlds Science Stories, 1951
- "Night Talk", Starling Stories, 1952.
- "The Cog", Astounding Science Fiction, 1953.
- "The Ship", with William F. Nolan, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, 1955.
- "Big Wide Wonderful World", The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, 1958.
- "The Castaway", Gamma, 1963.
- "Different", California Sorcery. Edited by William F. Nolan. Cemetery Dance Publications, 1999.
Collections
- Crazy Mixed-Up Planet, short story collection. Author. Powell, 1969.
- Horses' Asteroid, short story collection. Author. Powell, 1970.
Editor
- Gamma, magazine. Editor. Star Press, 1963–1965.
- Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine, magazine. Editor. Renown Publications, 1979-1985.
Television
- The Misfortune Cooke, segment. Writer. The Twilight Zone, 1986.
Novels
- Negative of a Nude. Author. Ace, 1959.
- Strip for Murder. As Eric Thomas. Kozy Books, 1960.
- 7 Deadly Sinners. As Christopher Sly. Athena Books, 1961.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Manno, Mary-Frances (2000). "Science-fiction writer nostalgic about Utica". publisher=The Observer-Dispatch. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
- ↑ "Charles E. Fritch revisited". Mystery*File. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
- ↑ Nolan, William F. "Good Ole Chuck". Nameless Digest. Cycatrix Press. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
- ↑ "Charles Edward Fritch Obituary". The Observer-Dispatch. 11 November 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
External links
- Obituary: Charles E. Fritch on SF Site
- Works by Charles E. Fritch at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Charles E. Fritch at Internet Archive
- Works by Charles E. Fritch at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
- Charles E. Fritch at the Internet Movie Database
- Charles E. Fritch at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database