Charles Byron Griffith, the legendary screenwriter, was born on September 23, 1930, in Chicago. His mother and grandmother starred in the famous radio show "Myrt and Marge," which was later adapted into a soap opera.
After serving in the army, Griffith moved to California to live with his grandmother, Myrtle Vail. Before he started writing scripts, he and his cousin Ron Fellows were part of a stage act called "Tsk, Tsk, Pare!" alongside famous comedians Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson.
Griffith's first attempt at writing was a proposed television version of "Myrt and Marge." He then met and became friends with actor Jonathan Haze, who was working for producer/director Roger Corman on the film "Monster From The Ocean Floor" (1954). Haze helped Griffith get his scripts to Corman, who hired him and turned his third script into the western film "Gunslinger" (1956).
Griffith's next film for Corman was the sci-fi classic "It Conquered the World" (1956),in which he also acted as Dr. Pete Shelton. He later wrote "The Undead" (1957) for Corman, a fascinating journey into reincarnation.
