Brain Movies, Vol. 1, by Harlan Ellison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This privately published book contains reproductions of story treatments and scripts for some of Ellison’s earliest work on “The Outer Limits” (“Soldier,” “Demon with a Glass Hand”), “Twilight Zone” (“Paladin of the Lost Hour,” “Crazy as a Soup Sandwich”), and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” (“Memos from Purgatory”). Very cool stuff, especially to see the crazy Ellison stuff get toned down (for TV presentability) with each draft.
I picked up the “Babylonian” edition, which includes some of the material that Ellison developed for “Babylon 5” as Conceptual Consultant. It’s amusing and interesting, but ultimately not as cool as the other pieces here.
Ellison’s one of those writers whose talent is exceeded only by his ego. Under a modicum of rein he’s a genius, but without some sort of editorial control he spins wildly out of control (as in his infamous “City on the Edge of Forever” script). This book contains some great examples of his early TV work, albeit at a pretty hefty price.