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Series of events honoring author Ray Bradbury begins today
A weeklong series of events paying tribute to author Ray Bradbury in connection with his 90th birthday begins tonight with a staged reading of "The Better Part of Wisdom" at the Writers Guild of America, West headquarters in the Fairfax District.
Academy Award nominee James Cromwell is among the cast members scheduled to appear in the production of the one-act dramedy written by Bradbury, set in 1950s London about a dying 80-year-old man enduring a farewell tour of relatives who discovers that his beloved grandson is gay.
The reading begins at 7 p.m. Admission is free by sending an e-mail to diversity@wga.org with "Wisdom" in the subject line.
Other events during "Ray Bradbury Week" include a screening of "Fahrenheit 451" at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills, preceded by a discussion featuring Bradbury and Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner and a play based on "Fahrenheit 451" adapted and performed by children to be presented at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Fiesta Hall at Plummer Park in West Hollywood.
The 1998 film "The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit" will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Richard J. Riordan Central Library, followed by star Joe Mantegna discussing the making of the film and working with Bradbury.
The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills will present "Ray Bradbury on Television" Saturday, a daylong television retrospective based on Bradbury's works, including "The Banshee," "Any Friend of Nicholas Nickleby is a Friend of Mine," and "The Electric Grandmother."
Bradbury, who turned 90 Sunday, moved to Los Angeles with his family in 1934 at the age of 13 and graduated from Los Angeles High School in 1938. His best-known books include "The Martian Chronicles," "The Illustrated Man," "Fahrenheit 451" and "Something Wicked This Way Comes."
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