Thorne Smith

James Thorne Smith Jr. ( born March 27, 1892 in Annapolis, Maryland, † June 21, 1934 in Sarasota, Florida) was an American author and screenwriter.

Life

Thorne Smith was the son of Commodore James Thorne Smith Sr. After attending school at St. Luke's High School in Wayne (Pennsylvania ) Smith studied at Locust Dale Academy ( Virginia ), and graduated at Dartmouth College in Hanover (New Hampshire).

During the First World War, Smith served in the U.S. Navy. After the war, he married Celia Sullivan. With her he had two daughters, Marion and June. From 1933 he worked in Hollywood as a screenwriter for Metro -Goldwyn- Mayer. Here, he often used the pseudonym Norman Matson and John D. MacDonald.

At the age of nearly 42 years, Thorne Smith died of a heart attack.

Reception

Thorne Smith was known especially during the Prohibition era with numerous humorous fantasy novels, in which he took the narrow-minded and puritanical life of bourgeois America's targeted. His most famous work Topper (1926 ) was filmed with Cary Grant, on whose success was followed by two more sequels and a television series. More films are The Nightlife of the Gods (1933 ) and I Married a Witch (1942 ).

In Germany, his works were first published in the eighties in the context of the book series Library of fantastic literature of the Fischer Verlag.

Works (selection)

  • Horse in Cond In: Lily Golden ( ed.): The literary horse. Great modern stories about horses. Atlantic Monthly Press, New York 1995.
  • Topper. Modern Library, New York 1999, ISBN 0-375-75305-2 ( Nachdr d ed New York 1926). Topper. Fischer paperback publishing house, Frankfurt / M. 1986, ISBN 3-596-22714-3.
  • Topper goes on tour. Fischer paperback publishing house, Frankfurt / M. In 1986.
  • Biltmore Oswald. The diary of a hapless recruit. Stokes, New York, 1918.
  • Dream's End. McBride Publ, New York, 1927.
  • The Stray Lamb. Sun Dial Press, Garden City 1942 ( EA New York 1929). The confused lamb. Fischer paperback publishing house, Frankfurt / M. 1988, ISBN 3-596-22740-2.
  • The night life of the gods. Fischer paperback publishing house, Frankfurt / M. 1986, ISBN 3-596-22710-0.
  • The world upside down. Fischer paperback publishing house, Frankfurt / M. 1987, ISBN 3-596-22732-1 (former title: The enchanted pair).
  • The fountain of youth. Fischer paperback publishing house, Frankfurt / M. 1987, ISBN 3-596-22729-1.
  • My wife, the witch. Fischer paperback publishing house, Frankfurt / M. 1989, ISBN 3-596-22751-8.
  • The Thorne -Smith three - bagger. Includes " Skin and Bones ", " The glorious pool" and "Topper ". Sun Dial Press, New York 1945.
Annapolis (Maryland) Norman Z. McLeod Topper (film) Topper Takes a Trip Integrated Authority File
428750
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