September 20, 2024
Birch Bay, Washington
(Reposting from December 6, 2019)
Mike Hodel and Ray Bradbury on “Hour 25 SFTV” (1982) photo by Steve Moore![]()
Synchronicity (German: Synchronizität) is a concept, first introduced by analytical psychologist Carl Jung, which holds that events are “meaningful coincidences” if they occur with no causal relationship yet seem to be meaningfully related.
Bradbury Event No. 1- 1947-8
SUMMER NIGHT
In 1947, just months after the sensational newspaper reportage of the January 15, Elizabeth Short “Black Dahlia Murder” followed three weeks later and linked to a second crime, the February 10, Jeanne French, “Red Lipstick Murder”–Ray Bradbury wrote his mystery-fiction short story- Summer Night.
At the time of the murders, Ray Bradbury had been living and writing in Los Angeles, for over a decade and had decided to make it his permanent residence for the rest of his long and distinguished career.
In Bradbury’s Summer Night, a city is being terrorized by a serial killer who within two weeks has slain two women and left their bodies in public view. In his tale of terror, Bradbury calls his suspect, “The Lipstick Killer” who has left his unique mark on both of his female victims’ bodies by writing using Orange Lipstick.
Shortly after the publication of Bradbury’s short story, it was adapted to radio and aired the following year (1948) as a Suspense radio dramatization starring actress Ida Lupino.
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SUMMER NIGHT (Adaptation from Bradbury short story 1948-click below)
Bradbury Event No. 2- 1953
Ray Bradbury is contacted by legendary film director John Huston (A lifelong and close friend to Dr. George Hill Hodel and formerly married for seven years to George’s ex-wife, Dorothy “Dorero” Huston Hodel, and mother to my two brothers Mike and Kelvin and myself.) Huston hires Bradbury to come to Ireland and write the screenplay for his next film, MOBY DICK. Bradbury agrees and in addition to the script writes his own book, Green Shadows, White Whale: A Novel of Ray Bradbury’s Adventures Making Moby Dick with John Huston in Ireland.
John Huston Dorothy Huston Hodel
Excerpt from Wikipedia on Bradbury’s book, Green Shadows White Whale:
Bradbury Event No. 3- 1982
Mike Hodel interviews Ray Bradbury for the new TV show SF Hour 25
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KPFK Radio Host Mike Hodel’s 1983 Lost Video Promo for Hour 25 SFTV Found (originally posted on my blog 12/2/16 courtesy of a reader “Gothling55”. Click below for 3 min promo.
(Brother Mike, who is narrating this video, sadly died in 1986, at the young age of 47, from brain cancer, just three short years after this video was made.)
Bradbury Event No. 4- 2004
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La Quinta Roundtable West, Palm Desert, with Ray Bradbury and Steve Hodel 2004
In 2004, a year after the publication of my first book, Black Dahlia Avenger: A Genius for Murder, I was honored to co-host a talk at a La Quinta Roundtable West luncheon in Palm Desert, California with novelist Ray Bradbury. We each spoke on our separate writings followed by an audience Q&A.
Steve Hodel and Ray Bradbury co-host luncheon talks
Bradbury/Hodel- A Sixty-Year Synchronicity
What I find fascinating is how three separate “Hodel connections” and four separate events, (let’s call them “meaningless coincidences”) seemingly disconnected from each other would interweave and all connect to the personage of this respected novelist.
1948- Bradbury writes a short story likely based on the 1946 Chicago Lipstick serial killer and or the 1947 Jeanne French Lipstick Murder (both committed by Dr. George Hodel) and his story is aired as a radio drama in 1948.
1953- Bradbury is hired by John Huston (a close friend of Dr. George Hodel) and formerly married to the doctor’s wife to write the Moby Dick screenplay and goes on to write a expose on Huston as a separate book.
1982- Bradbury meets and does an extensive SciFi television interview with Mike Hodel (son of Dr. George Hodel).
2004- Bradbury meets and co-hosts a literary luncheon with fellow writer Steve Hodel (son of Dr. George Hodel).
Below Ray Bradbury receives the National Medal of Arts Award from President George Bush and his wife Laura Bush.
South Pasadena Library Honors 90th Birthday (Bradbury died in 2012 at age 91)
The post Author Ray Bradbury and a Hodel Quartet of Synchronicities- 1948-1953-1982-2004 appeared first on Steve Hodel.