Donald F. Glut

• 1. Amateur Film Origins

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  Donald Frank Glut began making films in 1953 at the age of nine. He continued this hobby until 1969, creating a total of 41 amateur movies during that span. His subjects ranged from dinosaurs to unauthorized adaptations of characters like Superman and Spider-Man. Publicity in Forrest J Ackerman's magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland gave him notoriety based on his work. This attention allowed him to obtain known actors such as Kenne Duncan and Glenn Strange. Glenn Strange reprised his role as the Frankenstein Monster for Glut's projects. The final amateur film was titled Spider-Man and released in 1969. On the 3rd of October 2006, Epoch Cinema released a two-DVD set containing all 41 films under the title I Was A Teenage Moviemaker. The combined running time of both DVDs is 480 minutes. It includes a documentary about the making of those films with interviews from various figures including Randal Kleiser and Bob Burns.

• 2. Television Writing Legacy

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  Glut pursued screenwriting heavily across children's television shows over several decades. He wrote for Shazam! which aired in 1974. Land of the Lost followed in 1975. His credits include Spider-Man, Transformers, Challenge of the GoBots, and Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. DuckTales and Tarzan also featured his writing contributions. Lord of the Jungle and The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians were part of his extensive list. G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and X-Men appeared later in his career. He claimed to have created some characters and much of the back story for the Masters of the Universe toy line. This work served as the basis for the TV show that followed. Space Sentinels arrived in 1977 while Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels ran from 1977 to 1980. The New Shmoo debuted in 1979. The Biskitts and Monchhichis aired in 1983. Mighty Orbots came out in 1984. Sky Commanders and Dino-Riders followed in 1987 and 1988 respectively. RoboCop was adapted into a series in 1988. Transformers: Generation 2 appeared in 1993.

• 3. The Empire Strikes Back Novelization

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  George Lucas approached Glut to write the novelization of A New Hope after they became classmates at the University of Southern California. Glut turned him down due to low pay and because Lucas' name would appear on the cover. He then wrote the novelization of The Empire Strikes Back which released in 1980. While working on the novel he faced difficulty because details of the script were compartmentalized inside Lucasfilm. Descriptions of some characters and scenes in the novel turned out differently from the film. Glut had to base them on concept art by Ralph McQuarrie. This process created discrepancies between his written version and the final movie. The book remains one of his most recognized works despite these challenges.

• 4. Horror And Exploitation Directing

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  Glut began a professional directing career with the release of Dinosaur Valley Girls in 1996. His work has seen him helm several exploitation-style films since that time. The Erotic Rites of Countess Dracula arrived in 2001. The Mummy's Kiss followed in 2003. Countess Dracula's Orgy of Blood was released in 2004. The Mummy's Kiss: 2nd Dynasty appeared in 2006. Blood Scarab came out in 2007. He wrote and directed Dances with Werewolves in 2017. Tales of Frankenstein was released in 2018. These projects marked a shift toward horror and exploitation genres after years of television writing.

• 5. Comic Book Contributions

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  Glut created and wrote several series for Western Publishing's line of Gold Key Comics. Titles included The Occult Files of Dr. Spektor, Dagar the Invincible, and Tragg and the Sky Gods. At Marvel Comics he wrote Captain America, The Invaders, Kull the Destroyer, Solomon Kane, Star Wars, and What If...?. His work for Warren Publishing included Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella. More recently Glut has been working for Warrant Publishing Company. This company publishes magazines as an homage to Warren Publishing's past work using similar layouts and artwork. Glut serves as an associate editor and writer on some of Warrant's titles such as The Creeps and Vampiress Carmilla. Archie Comics featured his work in Chilling Adventures in Sorcery #4 published in 1973. Charlton Comics published Ghost Manor #29 in 1976. DC Comics ran House of Mystery issues from 1974 through 1981. Now Comics released The Twilight Zone #1 in 1990. Skywald Publications issued Psycho #8 in 1972.

• 6. Dinosaurs And Nonfiction Works

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  Glut has written approximately 65 published books including novels and nonfiction works plus numerous children's books based on franchises. Many of his nonfiction books have been about dinosaurs. Dinosaur Dictionary was published in 1972. The Dinosaurs: The Encyclopedia series followed later. The Great Television Heroes appeared in 1975. The Frankenstein Legend: A Tribute to Mary Shelley and Boris Karloff came out in 1973. The Dracula Book was released in 1975. Spawn issue #4 arrived in 1976. The New Dinosaur Dictionary was published in 1982. Classic Movie Monsters appeared in 1991. The Complete Dinosaur Dictionary was released in 1992. Dinosaurs: The Encyclopedia came out in 1997. Chomper was part of the Dinotopia No. 11 series in 2000. Jurassic Classics: A Collection of Saurian Essays and Mesozoic Musings was published in 2000. The Frankenstein Archive: Essays on the Monster, the Myth, the Movies, and More appeared in 2002. True Vampires of History was released in 1971. True Werewolves of History came out in 2004. Shock Theatre, Chicago Style: WBKB-TV's Late Night Horror Showcase, 1957-1959 was published in 2012.