Ray Bradbury's tale of murder, obsession and paranoia, "The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl", appeared in ELLERY QUEEN'S MYSTERY MAGAZINE (January 1953). Since it was first published as "Touch and Go" in DETECTIVE BOOK Winter 1948, it has proven to have some longevity, being reprinted numerous times in books, magazines, and adapted for a TV episode of THE RAY BRADBURY THEATER broadcast on January 28, 1988, starring Michael Ironside and Robert Vaughn.
I first read it in this paperback edition of THE GOLDEN APPLES OF THE SUN (Bantam, 1967).
Here is the story as it appeared chronologically in three different magazines:
DETECTIVE BOOK (Winter 1948)
ELLERY QUEEN'S MYSTERY MAGAZINE (January 1953)
CAVALIER (February 1960)
It was also adapted in EC's CRIME SUSPENSTORIES #17 (April–May 1953) as "Touch and Go", with script and art by Johnny Craig.
The obsessive-compulsive killer, a staple of crime fiction since Poe's 'The Tell-Tale Heart' (1843), and possibly earlier if we delve into mythology.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, for those who have neither the original EC comics nor the hardcover reprint volumes, I would strongly recommend Dark Horse's paperback reprints, each volume of which reproduces a half-dozen issues of classic suspense and horror.
DeleteHard to say what inspired him to create this story, but there were plenty of precedents to draw from.
ReplyDeleteThe 1988 tv adaptation adds an (in my view) unnecessary and arguably damaging final scene, in which one of Huxley's neighbours -- who also happens to be his doctor -- tells a police officer the guy only had a month to live. Given this character is played by an uncredited Ray Bradbury, he may possibly have suggested the new twist and certainly went along with it.
DeleteDark Horse has historically always done an excellent job on their reprints--sharp repros and great colors.
ReplyDeleteAs I understand it, Bradbury himself wrote all the scripts for his show, so he must have wanted to do something different with it.