science

George Clayton Johnson

George Clayton Johnson is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand George Clayton Johnson rather than just read about it. In short: George Clayton Johnson (July 10, 1929 – December 25, 2015) was an American science fiction writer, who co-wrote with William F. Nolan the novel Logan's Run, the basis for the MGM 1976 film.

Key takeaways

George Clayton Johnson belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect George Clayton Johnson to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of George Clayton Johnson from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

George Clayton Johnson (July 10, 1929 – December 25, 2015) was an American science fiction writer, who co-wrote with William F. Nolan the novel Logan's Run, the basis for the MGM 1976 film. He also wrote television scripts for The Twilight Zone (including "Nothing in the Dark", "Kick the Can", "A Game of Pool", and "A Penny for Your Thoughts"), and the first telecast episode of Star Trek, entitled "The Man Trap". He also wrote the story and screenplay on which the 1960 film Ocean's 11 and its 2001 remake were based.

Early life Johnson was born in a barn in Cheyenne, Wyoming, was forced to repeat the sixth grade, and dropped out of school entirely in the eighth. He briefly served as a telegraph operator and draftsman in the United States Army, then enrolled at the Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University) under the G.I. Bill, but quit to return to his travels around the U.S., working as a draftsman, before becoming a writer.

Writing career

Between 1956 and early 1957, he created the story entitled "Ocean's Eleven" beginning with a 40,000 word attempt at a novel. During this time he asked his friend Jack Golden Russell, a former WWII paratrooper, if he could add ideas of authenticity to the tale, later crediting him for his contributions to the story. Johnson then thought of approaching the story as a screenplay. Under the name "George Johnson", he solely authored the script for the Rat Pack film Ocean's 11, although most of the details were changed for the actual film. The story and screenplay were optioned to Peter Lawford and his wife, Patricia Kennedy in 1957. From 1959 onward, Johnson's work began to regularly appear in magazines such as Playboy, Los Angeles, The Twilight Zone Magazine, Rogue, and Gamma, and he began to write stories and scripts for TV. In 1959, Johnson wrote the story "I'll Take Care of You" for Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Later, Johnson joined the Southern California School of Writers that included, among others, William F. Nolan, Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson and Ray Bradbury. Through them he met Rod Serling, to whom he sold his story "All of Us Are Dying", which was produced as "The Four of Us Are Dying", scripted by Serling. Eventually, after selling other stories and having them scripted by other writers for the show, Johnson asked Serling to let him attempt a teleplay for the series, which was "A Penny for Your Thoughts". Later, after completing more scripts for The Twilight Zone, he worked as a writer for other television series, including Honey West, Wanted Dead or Alive, Route 66 and Kung Fu. Johnson also wrote the Star Trek episode "The Man Trap", which was the first episode telecast. Johnson briefly had a L.A.-based radio program called "The Writer and the Story" which featured interviews with authors, including Charles Beaumont and William F. Nolan. As his career progressed, Johnson formed, in the 1960s, a loose, short-lived federation with fellow authors and friends Matheson, Theodore Sturgeon, and others called "The Green Hand". The intent was to leverage their works in the fashion of a union within the Hollywood system for TV production. The enterprise fell apart after a few months. In his later years, he wrote comic books and was a frequent guest at science fiction and comics conventions. Johnson co-created the comic book series Deepest Dimension Terror Anthology with cartoonist and author Jay Allen Sanford.

Personal life Johnson married Lola Brownstein on October 10, 1952, in Los Angeles, and fathered two children, Paul and Judy. He was a vocal advocate for the legalization of marijuana. Along with his writing output, Johnson was instrumental to the early development of San Diego Comic Con. He was also a longtime vegetarian.

Death Johnson died on Christmas Day 2015, of bladder and prostate cancer at a Veterans Administration Medical Center hospital in North Hills, California. He is interred at Riverside National Cemetery.

Partial bibliography

Novels Ocean's 11 (1960) – Novelization (based on the story by George Clayton Johnson and Jack Golden Russell and screenplay by "George Johnson") The Logan series Logan's Run (1967) – Novel (with William F. Nolan) Jessica's Run: A New Sequel for the Logan's Run Universe (George Clayton Johnson's long rumored personal sequel to Logan's Run said to be "in development"; yet to be published)

Television and film scripts Icarus Montgolfier Wright (with Ray Bradbury; 1962) Logan's Run (1976)

Alfred Hitchcock Presents "I'll Take Care of You" (1959; story by)

The Twilight Zone "The Four of Us Are Dying (1960; story by) "Execution" (1960; story by) "A Penny for Your Thoughts" (1961; teleplay) The Prime Mover (1961; story; uncredited) "A Game of Pool" (1961; teleplay) "Nothing in the Dark" (1962; teleplay) "Kick the Can" (1962; teleplay; also featured in the 1983 movie The Twilight Zone: The Movie) "Ninety Years Without Slumbering" (1963; story by, as Johnson Smith) In 1960, Johnson submitted a story to The Twilight Zone called "Sea Change" which wasn't used but was later adapted for Johnson's 1994 comic book series Deepest Dimension Terror Anthology.

Route 66 "Eleven, the Hard Way" (1961; written by)

Honey West "The Flame and the Pussycat" (1965; teleplay)

Star Trek "The Man Trap" (1966; teleplay; first aired episode of the series)

Kung Fu "The Demon God" (1974; teleplay)

Film, TV and documentary appearances Sea Hunt ("Sub Hatch" [Season 4, Episode 19]; 1961) as "USCG Lt. Hartwell" The Intruder (dir. Roger Corman; 1962) as villain "Phil West" Archive of American Television (2003) as himself Charles Beaumont: The Short Life of Twilight Zone's Magic Man (dir. Jason V Brock; JaSunni Productions, LLC; 2010) as himself The AckerMonster Chronicles! (dir. Jason V Brock; JaSunni Productions, LLC; 2012) as himself

Fiction collections Writing for The Twilight Zone (Outre House, 1980) George Clayton Johnson Twilight Zone Scripts & Stories (Streamline Pictures, 1996) All of Us Are Dying and Other Stories (Subterranean Press, 1999)

Awards and nominations

Notes

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with George Clayton Johnson

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what George Clayton Johnson claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to George Clayton Johnson before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about George Clayton Johnson ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of George Clayton Johnson

In research: George Clayton Johnson appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses George Clayton Johnson in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: George Clayton Johnson is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1929 births, 2015 deaths, 20th-century American male novelists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for George Clayton Johnson outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study George Clayton Johnson in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what George Clayton Johnson means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain George Clayton Johnson out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is George Clayton Johnson in simple terms?

George Clayton Johnson (July 10, 1929 – December 25, 2015) was an American science fiction writer, who co-wrote with William F. Nolan the novel Logan's Run, the basis for the MGM 1976 film.

Why does George Clayton Johnson matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study George Clayton Johnson?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on George Clayton Johnson.