Alan Surgal (November 12, 1916http://siham.net/personen/72776.html – January 3, 2017) was an American

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

best known for penning the

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...

for the 1965 surrealistic dramatic film, '' Mickey One'', which was directed by Arthur Penn and starred Warren Beatty.

Early life

Surgal was born in 1916 in Chicago, Illinois, and attended the University of Chicago. He was stationed in London as a writer for the Armed Forces Network and '' Yank'' during World War II.

Career

Surgal worked as a writer for the BBC during the war. He then moved to New York City following the end of World War II, where he wrote scripts for radio (and co-creating the

radio show A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio networ ...

, ''This Is the Underground''), before transitioning to television scripts. He penned several episodes for the early NBC television series, '' Robert Montgomery Presents'', including screen adaptations of '' Arrowsmith'' and ''

The Canterville Ghost "The Canterville Ghost" is a humorous short story by Oscar Wilde. It was the first of Wilde's stories to be published, appearing in two parts in '' The Court and Society Review'', 23 February and 2 March 1887. The story is about an American fa ...

''. Surgal became best known for his screenplay for Arthur Penn's 1965 surrealistic

dramatic film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

, '' Mickey One''. To craft the script for ''Mickey One'', Surgal borrowed from his lengthy career as both a dramatic writer as well as a television

comedy writer Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

for Victor Borge, Bob Hope, Red Skelton, and Danny Thomas. While the film, which was released during a New York newspaper strike, initially flopped at the

box office A box office or ticket office is a place where ticket (admission), tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a Wicket gate, wicke ...

, ''Mickey One'' is now considered a cult classic, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Director Martin Scorsese later supervised the restoration of the film by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. Surgal moved to Los Angeles, California in 1978, where he continued to work as a television producer and writer.

Personal life and death

Surgal married Florence Small, a film producer and the sister of former '' NBC News'' and United Press International president

William J. Small William Jack Small (September 20, 1926 – May 24, 2020) was an American broadcast journalist, executive, author, and educator. Early life and family background William J. Small was born September 20, 1926, in Chicago, Illinois. He served in th ...

. Alan Surgal died at his home in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. B ...

, on January 3, 2017, at the age of 100. He was survived by his wife of 80 years, Florence Small, and their two sons, Jon Surgal and Tom Surgal. Alan and Florence Surgal had recently celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Surgal, Alan 1916 births 2017 deaths Screenwriters from California American television writers American radio writers BBC people American centenarians Men centenarians University of Chicago alumni United States Army personnel of World War II People from Beverly Hills, California