L. Ron Hubbard, center second row, with members of New York chapter of the American Fiction Guild. He was president of the Guild when this shot was taken in 1936.

     As a Hollywood screenwriter during this same period, his high-volume production on films such as Columbia’s The Mysterious Pilot and The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok and Warner Bros’ Spider series was likewise notable, while his The Secret of Treasure Island stands as one of the most profitable serials of all time. Nor was that 1930s stint in Hollywood his only contribution to the medium and, in fact, among his last works through the 70s and 80s are several screenplays in a variety of genres.

     Yet, however varied and prodigious his output, no discussion of L. Ron Hubbard’s role in American thirties fiction is complete without considering his hand in both the reshaping of science fiction and his truly indelible stamp on fantasy.