From: dascoser@cybernet.cse.fau.edu (david serchay)
Subject: Re: Terminator
Organization: Cybernet BBS, Boca Raton, Florida
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 06:45:30 GMT

donnell@tuna.micro.umn.edu (BogusMan) writes:

> In article <1992Dec26.182738.1@stsci.edu> jwalters@stsci.edu (Jim Walters) wr
> >In article <9212232324.AA18444@rutgers.edu>, DCHANG@uhccmvs.BITNET (Doreen C
> >> Does anyone know where the idea for the "Terminator" movies originated?
> >> Several video guides cite James Cameron as the author of the screenplay bu
> >> Leonard Maltin's guide claims that the original was based on a Harlan
> >> Ellison short story.  Does anyone know of such a short story?  If so, what
> >> was the title and in what anthology might I be most likely to locate it?
> >> Better yet, any chance of loading it into ASCII or is that a copyright
> >> violation?  If so, forget I asked that last part...  Thanks to whoever
> >> can assist.
> >>                                          dchang@uhccmvs.bitnet
> >
> >I'm not aware of any Harlan Ellison story which can directly translated
> >into "Terminator", but he has written two stories with themes related to
> >"Terminator".  One, called "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" is about a
> >defense computer called AM which became intelligent and started a nuclear
> >war.  AM then spends it time tormenting the handfull of survivors.  It can
> >be found in _Alone Against Tomorrow_.  The other is an _Outer Limits_
> >episode called "Soldier".  I haven't seen it since the 70's, but it
> >involved soldiers from the future time traveling to the 1960's. 
> >
> >I imagine that James Cameron was simply covering his rear by giving Harlan
> >Ellison an acknowledgement in the credits for "Terminator".  After all,
> >H.E. had recently won a copyright infringement suit against ABC (?) because
> >he convinced a jury that the series _Future Cop_ was too close to his short
> >story "Brillo". 
> 
> The "Brillo" case was much older than anything to do with the "Terminator".
> It was settled a year or so before the Terminator case though. And it was
> plagarism of a script that he had shown to ABC, not the short story.
> 
> "Soldier" concerns a soldier of the future, who is accidentally sent back
> to the early 60's. Also, an enemy soldier has also been sent back, leading
> to the inevitable conflict and some interesting speculations on the nature
> of man, as was "The Oyuter Limits" typical style. H.E. produced four pages
> of his original script and when they were compared to the Terminator
> script, were judged to be very near outright plagarism in dialogue, and
> camera direction. H.E. won the case, and settled for credit, which was all
> he wanted in the first place. Cameron didn't cover his ass, he was ordered
> to do it.
> 
> I am still amazed that nobody noticed an even greater similarity to the
> old late night TV favorite "Cyborg 2087", with Michael Rennie. Rennie 
> comes back from a totalitarian future to persuade a scientist to stop
> his research, which will result in cyborgs taking over the planet.
> Two cyborgs are sent back to stop Rennie.
> 
> Scenes of the cyborgs tracking Rennie and the scientist bear a remarkable
> resemblance at times to "Terminator". Cameron got away with this one,
> apparently. If anybody has a copy of this on tape or knows of copies for
> sale, please E-Mail me with the details!
> 
> Have a New Year!
> Pax
> <what opinions are here, are mine and mine alone!>
> 					
> 					--Judex--

There is another Outer Limits episode where a man from a dying Earth
travels back in time to kill the man who caused it. However, he goes back 
to far and encounters the persons parents prior to thier marrage.

Dascoser
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.movies