DID HARLAN REALLY PUNCH IRWIN ALLEN?

Will Dockery

2004-06-10 08:50:56 UTC

<< guess which quote came from Ellison? :-)
DID HARLAN REALLY PUNCH IRWIN ALLEN?
Never touched him. But he was in the room when it happened...
Seems Harlan was writing for _Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea_, and
Harlan, Irwin Allen, the head of ABC Network Continuity (read 'censor'),

and

others were in a story conference, and the network head wanted Harlan to

make

more than a few "stupid changes" in his script....
Harlan: "Those are stupid! And you're stupid for asking for those

things."

Network head: "You'll make them all right."
Harlan: "You don't understand. I will _not_ make them."
Network head: "Writers are toadies. You will do as you're told."
Harlan became angry, leapt upon the long conference table, and ran
down the length of it at the network head, intent on kicking him in the face.
Harlan slipped and slid the rest of the way down the table, hit the guy in
the mouth, knocking him backwards out of his chair, knocking a model of
the _Seaview_ off the wall, and it broke the man's pelvis.
Irwin Allen settled out of court for the whole incident.
(Quotes from Comics Journal #53, Gary Groth, interviewer)

This is a story told about Ellison. Ellison's version of the event differs.
(Face it - as described Ellison would be up for assault and probably sued to
boot - so take the story with a grain of salt) I would not look to 'The
Comic Journal' for any instances of even handed treatment of Mr. Ellison,
given their mutual dislike.

This is pretty much how Ellison told the story when I heard it from
him in a talk at the david McFarlane debate in Philadelphia.

So, what's the real story? I always assumed this was true...