Walter Harris (author)
Walter Harris | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1925 |
| Pen name | Carl Dreadstone, E.K. Leyton |
| Occupation | Writer, broadcaster, journalist |
| Genre | Horror, thriller, historical fiction, science fiction |
| Website | |
| www | |
Walter Harris (born 1925) is a British author and broadcaster. He is the author of 9 published novels, several volumes of poetry, numerous articles and spoken word recordings. Recordings of his interviews and broadcasts are held at the BBC Sound Archive and the British Library.
Life and career
After serving in the RAF, Harris emigrated to Brazil and wrote for two English-language newspapers until being sponsored by a major Canadian-owned public utility, Brazilian Traction, to write and present a series of English-language radio shows on Radio Nacional, Rio de Janeiro.
Heading North, Harris became an accredited radio interviewer with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in the arts and entertainment field, mainly in New York. His first interviewee was Ed Sullivan.
On his return to London, Harris began broadcasting for the BBC. He interviewed a number of thespians at various stages of their career, and representing every aspect of the theatre, for the archival record, recorded THEATRE 60 which included Harris's interviews with Noël Coward, Albert Finney, Harold Pinter, Peter Hall,and several others, as well as Kenneth Tynan representing theatre critics.[1] The Gramophone reviewed THEATRE 60 as 'arguably one of the best spoken word records ever made'.
When Bob Guccione founded Penthouse, Harris became the new magazine's motoring correspondent as well as contributing short stories and articles. At Guccione's suggestion Harris wrote his first novel Clovis published in England, France and America.
Published novels
- Clovis (G.P. Putnam's & Sons: NY 1970)
- The Mistress of Downing Street (Michael Joseph 1972, Corgi edition 1973)
- Droop (W.H. Allen & Co 1974)
- The Day I Died (W.H. Allen & Co 1974) (new edition to be published by Heresy Publishing 2012)
- The Fifth Horseman (Panther Books 1976)
- Saliva (W.H. Allen & Co 1977)
- Creature from the Black Lagoon (1977) (novelisation of the 1954 film, written as Carl Dreadstone, UK edition as E.K. Leyton)
- Werewolf of London (1977) (novelisation of the 1935 film, written as Carl Dreadstone)
- The New Avengers: To Catch a Rat (Futura Publications 1977)
- Godhead (Patagonia Press 2014)
Novelizations
Harris is one of the three authors who penned the six 'classic horror' novelizations credited to Carl Dreadstone and E.K. Leyton of which Harris wrote two: Werewolf of London and Creature from the Black Lagoon.[2] Ramsey Campbell is one of the other 'Carl Dreadstones' and wrote three of the titles in the series, but the author of the sixth 'Dreadstone' title ("The Mummy") remains unknown.
Harris's New Avengers tie-in To Catch a Rat was published in 1977.
External links
References
- ^ Walter Harris (26 May 2009). "Noel Coward's enduring talent to amuse; The Times". http://www.thetimes.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
{{cite web}}: External link in|publisher= - ^ Ian Covell "Ian Covell on ‘Carl Dreadstone’", Souvenirs Of Terror fiendish film & TV show tie-ins, October 3, 2007, accessed 11 July 2011.