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Joyce Scarbrough
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
704
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 09, 2005 - 09:45 pm: |   |
I received this because I was in Mr. Westheimer's e-mail address book.
Novelist DAVID WESTHEIMER passed away Tuesday, November 8th, 2005 at UCLA Hospital from heart failure. He was 88 years old. Born in Houston, Texas, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rice University in 1937. He began his successful writing career at the Houston Post in 1939 as an assistant editor in the amusement department, then became radio, magazine and television editor before leaving the paper in 1960. He would return to the paper as a columnist in the 1980s.
His first novel, SUMMER ON THE WATER, was published by MacMillan in 1948. During the span of his career he wrote many books. He is perhaps most well known for best sellers VON RYAN’S EXPRESS and MY SWEET CHARLIE. MY SWEET CHARLIE became a Broadway play and later, a TV movie that won Patty Duke an Emmy. Twentieth Century Fox made a film on VON RYAN’S EXPRESS, starring Frank Sinatra. David also wrote numerous teleplays and adapted the screenplay DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES into a popular novel.
David served as Captain in the Air Force between 1941-45, spending three years as a POW in Italian and German prison camps. He remained in the Air Force Reserve, serving as a Lieutenant Colonel until he retired.
He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Dody (also a former Houstonian and graduate of Rice); his two sons, Fred and wife Susan; Eric and wife Karen; five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. No services planned, at his request.
My Sweet Charlie is one of my all-time favorite books, and after I wrote Mr. Westheimer to let him know how much I loved it and had always hoped for a sequel, he gave me permission to write it. Although I'd never attempt such a daunting task, receiving his permission to do so is one of the things of which I'm the proudest.
Toyce
~Joyce Sterling Scarbrough
True Blue Forever
Coming from Authors Ink Books, November 2005
http://www.authorsinkbooks.com
Read the first chapter at http://www.authorsden.com/joycelscarbrough1
Pour yourself a glass of bubbly and check out Champagne Books http://www.champagnebooks.com |
F.E. Mazur
Wandering Member
Post Number:
118
Registered: 02-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, November 10, 2005 - 04:52 am: | |
Screw your courage up yet another notch, Joyce, and reconsider doing the sequel. It would be a nice tribute to Mr. Westheimer. With his permission (and I'm sure he would give his blessing) it would be a winner!
I only ever read his novel VON RYAN'S EXPRESS, which I liked better than the movie that followed, although I saw the film first. The book fell into a pattern that has happened with several books on my shelf: I began it, reading a chapter or two, but occurrences took me away from it and I didn't return to restarting and finishing it until many years later. But I was happy I did.
Spine
The Buckseller |
Joyce Scarbrough
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
707
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 11, 2005 - 08:30 am: | |
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Frank, but I'm sure I could never do justice to the original. The most I would attempt is to write a story with a character whose life was greatly influenced by My Sweet Charlie and let that be my tribute to Mr. Westheimer.
Toyce
~Joyce Sterling Scarbrough
True Blue Forever
Coming from Authors Ink Books, November 2005
http://www.authorsinkbooks.com
Read the first chapter at http://www.authorsden.com/joycelscarbrough1
Pour yourself a glass of bubbly and check out Champagne Books http://www.champagnebooks.com |
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