Drexel Jerome Lewis Bixby
Pen Name: Jerome Bixby
Born: January 11, 1923
Died: April 28, 1998
📚 Literary Career of Jerome Bixby
Jerome Bixby (1923–1998) was a prominent figure in mid-20th-century American science fiction, best known for his cerebral short stories and screenwriting contributions to several iconic franchises. He served as an editor for Planet Stories and Space Stories, two influential pulp magazines that helped shape the golden age of sci-fi. Bixby's work is noted for its imaginative concepts, tight psychological tension, and philosophical undercurrents.
🔹 “It’s a Good Life” (1953)
First published in Star Science Fiction Stories No. 2, edited by Frederik Pohl, “It’s a Good Life” is Bixby’s most celebrated short story. It introduces Anthony Fremont, a god-like child capable of reading minds and reshaping reality. Isolated in a small town he has cut off from the rest of the world, Anthony becomes a symbol of unchecked power and fear. The townspeople, under constant surveillance, must only think "good thoughts" or risk being "wished away" into oblivion.
📺 Legacy
- Adapted into a legendary 1961 episode of The Twilight Zone, starring Billy Mumy.
- Revisited in Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983).
- A sequel, “It’s Still a Good Life”, aired in 2003 and featured Mumy reprising his role alongside his real-life daughter.
🎬 Screenwriting Highlights
In addition to his fiction, Bixby left a lasting mark in television and film:
- Star Trek: The Original Series
- “Mirror, Mirror”: Introduced the "mirror universe" — now a staple concept in sci-fi.
- “Day of the Dove”, “By Any Other Name”, “Requiem for Methuselah”: All thoughtful explorations of identity, conflict, and morality.
- Fantastic Voyage (1966): Bixby contributed to the story for this Oscar-winning film, which follows a miniaturized team sent into the human body.
Final Work: The Man from Earth (2007)
Bixby's last and most ambitious work was the screenplay for The Man from Earth, completed on his deathbed and released posthumously. The film explores a 14,000-year-old Cro-Magnon man who has survived through history by relocating every ten years. The entire story unfolds through dialogue in a single room, blending sci-fi, philosophy, and theology.
Cult Status: Despite its minimalist production, the film gained a strong following for its intellectual depth and Socratic storytelling.
🏆 Legacy
Jerome Bixby is remembered as a versatile and cerebral storyteller whose influence bridges the gap between pulp fiction, television classics, and thought-provoking cinema. “It’s a Good Life” remains one of the most terrifying and iconic short stories in speculative fiction, often compared to the work of Ray Bradbury and Shirley Jackson. His impact continues to resonate in science fiction narratives that grapple with power, morality, and the human condition.