Ernest Kellogg Gann (October 13, 1910 – December 19, 1991) was an American
aviator
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...
,
author
An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states:
"''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
,
sailor
A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship.
The profession of the s ...
, and
conservationist. He is best known for his novels and memoirs about early aviation and nautical adventures. Some of his more famous aviation novels include ''
The High and the Mighty'' and ''Island in the Sky'', both of which were turned into
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
movies starring
John Wayne
Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...
. Gann's classic memoir of early commercial aviation, ''
Fate Is the Hunter
Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual.
Fate
Although often ...
'', is still in print today and considered by many one of the greatest aviation books ever written.
Some of Gann's nautical-themed novels include ''Fiddler's Green'' and ''Soldier of Fortune'', which were also turned into major motion pictures.
Early life
Gann was born October 13, 1910 in
Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...
to George and Caroline Gann. George was a telephone-company executive in Lincoln, Nebraska; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Chicago, Illinois.
Rebelling against his father's strong desire that he seek a career with the telephone business, Ernest pursued several other interests as he matured.
He was fascinated by topics including photography, movie-making, and aviation. As a young man, he showed little interest in school and performed poorly. His parents decided that he needed discipline and that he should attend a military school. He was sent to the
Culver Military Academy
Culver Academies is a college preparatory boarding school located in Culver, Indiana, which is composed of three entities: Culver Military Academy (CMA) for boys, Culver Girls Academy (CGA), and the Culver Summer Schools and Camps (CSSC). Culver ...
for his high school years.
[ Despite many misadventures and struggles with the harsh academic environment and strict rules at Culver, he graduated at age 19 in 1930. He elected to pursue filmmaking, and matriculated with the ]Yale School of Drama
The David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University is a graduate professional school of Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1924 as the Department of Drama in the School of Fine Arts, the school provides training in e ...
. After two years at Yale, Gann dropped out to pursue a career on Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
. His first job was assistant stage manager, and the minor messenger-boy role for Gilbert Miller
}
Gilbert Heron Miller (July 3, 1884 – January 3, 1969) was an American theatrical producer.
Born in New York City, he was the son of English-born theatrical producer Henry Miller and Bijou Heron, a former child actress. Raised and educated in ...
's play ''Firebird'' starring Judith Anderson
Dame Frances Margaret Anderson, (10 February 18973 January 1992), known professionally as Judith Anderson, was an Australian actress who had a successful career in stage, film and television. A pre-eminent stage actress in her era, she won two ...
.[ After ''Firebird'' closed and unable to find work, Gann went home to Chicago to live with his parents.][ Gann's father stated, ''"You should see what is going on in the world. I suggest a trip around it."''][ Gann spent the next year traveling and writing to a friend from Chicago, Eleanor Helen Michaud. After Gann returned from his travels, he and Eleanor were married on September 18, 1933 in Chicago.
Gann and Eleanor moved to New York where he found work at ]Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...
as a projectionist and later as a commercial movie cartoonist
A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and ...
.[ A chance encounter on the sidewalks of Broadway landed Gann an interview with Roy Larson,][ producer of '']The March of Time
''The March of Time'' is an American newsreel series sponsored by Time Inc. and shown in movie theaters from 1935 to 1951. It was based on a radio news series broadcast from 1931 to 1945. The "voice" of both series was Westbrook Van Voorhis. Pr ...
'', a documentary movie series associated with ''Time'' magazine. While working on the documentary ''Inside Nazi Germany
''Inside Nazi Germany'' is a 1938 short documentary film about Nazi Germany directed by Jack Glenn. It is an episode of the newsreel series ''The March of Time''.
In 1993, ''Inside Nazi Germany'' was deemed "culturally significant" by the Library ...
'' in 1936, Gann fled back to America as Hitler's
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
troops marched into the Rhineland
The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section.
Term
Historically, the Rhinelands ...
.[ Once back home, Gann moved to ]Rockland County
Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is about from the Bronx at their closest points. The county's population, as of th ...
where a local airport, Christie Airport, rekindled his interest with aviation.[ Gann convinced some of his theater friends, Paul Draper and ]Burgess Meredith
Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907 – September 9, 1997) was an American actor and filmmaker whose career encompassed theater, film, and television.
Active for more than six decades, Meredith has been called "a virtuosic actor" and "on ...
, to join him with flight lessons. Draper and Meredith flying interests tapered off, but Gann thrived in aviation and soon bought a Stinson Reliant
The Stinson Reliant is a popular single-engine four- to five-seat high-wing monoplane manufactured by the Stinson Aircraft Division of the Aviation Manufacturing Corporation of Wayne, Michigan.
Design and development
The Reliant is a high-win ...
which was shortly thereafter lost in a hangar fire. He used the insurance money to purchase his second airplane, a Waco A biplane.[
After earning his pilot certificate, Gann spent much of his free time aloft in the Waco A, flying for pleasure. However, the continuing ]Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
soon cost him his job and dried up employment opportunities in New York. Gann sold his house and airplane and relocated his family to Hollywood, California
Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...
in search for work in the film industry.[ While hunting for movie work, Gann found great pleasure in the "honest work"][ he found in aviation. He worked flight instruction and charter fights for Lewis Air Service at the ]Burbank Airport
Hollywood Burbank Airport, legally and formerly marketed as Bob Hope Airport after entertainer Bob Hope , is a public airport northwest of downtown Burbank, California, Burbank, in Los Angeles County, California, United States.. Federal Aviatio ...
and began to write short stories in his down time.[ Unable to find permanent employment in either the movie industry or the aviation industry, Gann and his family moved back to New York. He was hired as ]Norman Bel Geddes
Norman Bel Geddes (born Norman Melancton Geddes; April 27, 1893 – May 8, 1958) was an American theatrical and industrial designer.
Early life
Bel Geddes was born Norman Melancton Geddes in Adrian, Michigan and was raised in New Philadelp ...
personal assistant which included duties as pilot. Gann was fired after Bel Geddes' play ''Siege'' failed. Gann then found work as the General Manager for Vinton Freedley
Vinton Freedley (November 5, 1891 – June 5, 1969) was an American theater and television producer known for his productions of the works of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers and television shows such as Talent Jackpot and ''Showtim ...
's Broadway musical ''Leave It to Me!
''Leave It to Me!'' is a 1938 musical produced by Vinton Freedley with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The book was a collaborative effort by Samuel and Bella Spewack, who also directed the Broadway production. The musical was based on the play ...
''. Gann was fired during the middle of a play and vowed to leave the theater industry behind for good.[ Gann sold everything he could, and moved into a rental cottage near Christie Airport determined to find work in aviation.][
]
Airline career
Gann made acquaintance with George McCabe, American Airlines
American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...
chief pilot at Newark
Newark most commonly refers to:
* Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States
* Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area
Newark may also refer to:
Places Canada
* Niagara-on-the ...
, and was able to get an interview.[ Gann was hired in 1938][ as First Officer to fly the ]Douglas DC-2
The Douglas DC-2 is a 14-passenger, twin-engined airliner that was produced by the American company Douglas Aircraft Company starting in 1934. It competed with the Boeing 247. In 1935, Douglas produced a larger version called the DC-3, which b ...
and Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner
manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II.
It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...
aircraft for American. For several years Gann flew routes in the northeast and had finally found his "life's work".[ During 1942, many U.S. airlines' pilots and aircraft were absorbed into the ]Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command (ATC) was a United States Air Force unit that was created during World War II as the strategic airlift component of the United States Army Air Forces.
It had two main missions, the first being the delivery of supplies and ...
of the United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
to assist with the war effort. Gann and many of his co-workers at American volunteered to join the group. He flew Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner
manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II.
It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...
s, Douglas C-47
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in f ...
s, Douglas C-54
The Douglas C-54 Skymaster is a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and the Korean War. Like the Douglas C-47 Skytrain derived from the DC-3, the C-54 Skymaster was derived from a civilian a ...
s and Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express
The Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express was a transport derivative of the B-24 Liberator heavy bomber built during World War II for the United States Army Air Forces. A total of 287 C-87s were officially delivered from Consolidated Aircraft pla ...
transports for the Air Transport Command. Gann was based out of Gander, Newfoundland
Gander is a town located in the northeastern part of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, approximately south of Gander Bay, south of Twillingate and east of Grand Falls-Windsor. Located on the no ...
; Goose Bay, Labrador
Happy Valley-Goose Bay (Inuit: ''Vâli'') is a town in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
Located in the central part of Labrador on the coast of Lake Melville and the Churchill River, Happy Valley-Goose Bay is the largest popul ...
; and Presque Isle, Maine
Presque Isle is the commercial center and largest city in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 8,797 at the 2020 Census. The city is home to the University of Maine at Presque Isle, Northern Maine Community College, Husso ...
flying the North Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe and ...
to Europe with stops at Narsarsuaq Air Base
Bluie West One, later known as Narsarsuaq Air Base and Narsarsuaq Airport, was built on a glacial moraine at what is now the village of Narsarsuaq, near the southern tip of Greenland. Construction by the United States Army began in June 1941. The ...
in Greenland
Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...
and Reykjavik, Iceland.[ Later, he was also based out of ]Natal, Brazil
Natal ( ) is the capital and largest city of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, located in northeastern Brazil. According to IBGE's 2021 estimate, the city had a total population o896,708 making it the 19th largest city in the country. Natal is a ...
flying routes in the South Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
. These flight would take him from Natal to Ascension Island
Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island, 7°56′ south of the Equator in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is about from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America. It is governed as part of the British Overseas Territory o ...
; Accra, Ghana
Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...
; Kano, Nigeria
Kano (Ajami: كانو) is a city in northern Nigeria and the capital of Kano State. It is the second largest city in Nigeria after Lagos, with over four million citizens living within ; located in the Savanna, south of the Sahel, Kano is a m ...
; Khartoum, Sudan
Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing nor ...
; Gura, Eritrea
Gura ( ti, ጉራዕ) or Gura’e is a settlement in Eritrea's Debub region in northeast Africa. It is located in the eponymous Gura Valley in the southeastern Eritrean highlands. It is about SE of Dekemhare and about SSE of the capital Asmara. ...
; Aden, Yemen
Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...
; Salala, Oman
Salalah ( ar, صَلَالَة, Ṣalālah) is the capital and largest city of the southern Omani governorate of Dhofar. Its population in 2009 was about 197,169.
Salalah is the third-largest city in the Sultanate of Oman, and the largest city ...
; Karachi, India; Gaya, India
Gaya ( IAST: ) is a city, municipal corporation and the administrative headquarters of Gaya district and Magadh division of the Indian state of Bihar. Gaya is south of Patna and is the state's second-largest city, with a population of 470,839 ...
; and finally to Chabua, Assam, India.[ Chabua is where ]The Hump
The Hump was the name given by Allied pilots in the Second World War to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains over which they flew military transport aircraft from India to China to resupply the Chinese war effort of Chiang Kai-shek and t ...
airlift flights across the Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
and into Kunming
Kunming (; ), also known as Yunnan-Fu, is the capital and largest city of Yunnan province, China. It is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province as well as the seat of the provincial government. The headquar ...
, China originated. Flying The Hump at 16,000 ft through Himalayan valleys, Gann found the conditions to be, "''simply and truthfully the worst weather in the world.''"[ When Gann found down-time during these flights, he continued to write and published ''Island in the Sky'' in 1944, a novel about the search-and-rescue of a downed Air Transport Command airplane in ]Labrador, Canada
, nickname = "The Big Land"
, etymology =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Canada
, subdivision_type1 = Provinces and territories of C ...
.
At the end of World War II, the Air Transport Command released the civilian pilots and aircraft to their airlines. American Airlines was assigned its pre-war routes, which were domestic routes only. The number-one senior pilot at American, E.L. "Slonnie" Sloniger, quit American and became the Chief Pilot at Matson Airlines, a new venture of the Matson Steamship Line.[ Sloniger recruited Gann, and after years of flying the oceans to far-away destinations, the idea of flying domestic routes came as a disappointment, so he resigned from American and accepted Sloniger's offer.][ Gann flew a triangle route across the Western Pacific between ]Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
, San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
, and Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
in DC-4
The Douglas DC-4 is an American four-engined (piston), propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. Military versions of the plane, the C-54 and R5D, served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s ...
aircraft. This experience created ideas that were developed into one of his best-known works, '' The High and the Mighty'', about a DC-4 flight from Honolulu to San Francisco. Matson ultimately ceased operations in its failed bid to break Pan Am
Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...
's monopoly on international routes. Gann spent time collecting unemployment before landing a job with Transocean Airlines
Transocean Air Lines was established in 1946 as ONAT (Orvis Nelson Air Transport Company) based in Oakland, California. The airline was renamed to Transocean Air Lines the same year. The Transocean name was also used in 1989 by another US-ba ...
, which flew unscheduled charter flights throughout the Pacific. Transocean used the same hangars at the Oakland airport
Oakland International Airport is an international airport in Oakland, California, United States, 10 miles (16 km) south of downtown located in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is owned by the Port of Oakland and has domestic passenger f ...
that Matson used, and like Matson Airlines, soon ceased operations and left Gann unemployed.[
Gann would fly for one more airline, many years in the future. After becoming a very successful novelist and screenwriter, Gann had the desire for one more aviation adventure. He ferried a DC-3 from California to Honolulu to ]Apia
Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō ...
, Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
for Polynesian Airlines
Samoa Airways, formerly Polynesian Airlines, is the state-owned flag carrier airline of Samoa.
The airline was founded in 1959 as "Polynesian Airlines", providing domestic and international flights throughout the South Pacific. International op ...
. Gann spent time in Samoa flying the line and teaching the pilots to fly the DC-3. However, the heat of the tropics and homesickness got to him, and his last airline experience came to an end.[
]
Sailing and conservationism
During his tenure with Matson, Gann moved his family to San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
, and tried his luck at commercial fishing during the end of his airline career. Gann started the Western Ocean Fishing Company and purchased a 40 ft. fishing boat which was renamed the ''Fred Holmes'' after his major investor.[ This venture was short lived, leaving Gann once again unemployed. Gann's father moved to the famed ]17-Mile Drive
17-Mile Drive is a scenic road through Pebble Beach and Pacific Grove on the Monterey Peninsula in California, much of which hugs the Pacific coastline and passes famous golf courses, mansions and scenic attractions, including the Lone Cypress, ...
in Pebble Beach
Pebble Beach is an unincorporated community on the Monterey Peninsula in Monterey County, California. The small coastal residential community of mostly single-family homes is also notable as a resort destination, and the home of the golf course ...
for his retirement.[ In the early 1950's, Gann began to write ''Soldier of Fortune'' in a room at the ]Sundial Lodge
The Sundial Lodge, also known today as the L’Auberge Carmel, a Relais & Châteaux property, is a historic Medieval Revival hotel in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. It was designed by architect Albert L. Farr of San Francisco Bay Area and was buil ...
, and his typist used the large dressing room as a sleeping room.
In a bid to help his son and keep the grandkids nearby, he bought Gann a cottage a mile down the road in Pebble Beach. This cottage is where Gann's writing really took-off, finishing the ''High and the Mighty'', ''Fiddler's Green'', ''Soldier of Fortune'' and working the associated movie deals. As Gann's fortunes grew, Eleanor's health began to fade. His marriage began to suffer and Eleanor eventually decided to divorce Gann. She was afflicted with numerous health problems, including severe rheumatoid arthritis, and following several years of declining health, she died on December 23, 1966 at Pebble Beach. Gann would endure several more tragedies in his personal life, including the death of his eldest son, George, who was swept overboard in a storm while working on an oil tanker
An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk transport of oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crud ...
in the Gulf of Alaska
The Gulf of Alaska (Tlingit: ''Yéil T'ooch’'') is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the east, ...
in 1973.[
]
Gann had a lifelong love of sailing
Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cour ...
. He owned many boats of various types and sizes during his lifetime, which were chronicled in his memoir ''Song of the Sirens''. Eventually, after years of planning and preparations, Gann purchased his 16th boat the '' Albatros'' (Dutch spelling with one "s"), a metal schooner
A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
in Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
, Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. Albatros had been a pilot boat in the North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
, a radio station ship for the Germans in World War II, and finally as a Dutch cadet training vessel.[ Along with his family and a few friends he sailed the boat across the Atlantic Ocean, through the ]Panama Canal
The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...
to the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the big cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland.
San Francisco Bay drains water from a ...
. ''Albatros'' was put through a major overhaul and converted to a square-sailed brigantine
A brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail (behind the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts.
Older ...
.[ Gann then sailed it around the South Pacific over the next three years. He later leased the ship to a movie company to be used as the major prop in a movie based upon his book ''Twilight for the Gods.'' Soon after the production ended, ''Albatros'' was sold and became a school vessel. It was later lost in the ]Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...
. Its sinking is the topic of a 1996 movie named ''White Squall
A white squall is a sudden and violent windstorm at sea which is not accompanied by the black clouds generally characteristic of a squall. It manifests as a sudden increase in wind velocity in tropical and sub-tropical waters, and may be a mic ...
'' starring Jeff Bridges
Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.
Bridges comes from a prominent a ...
.
As his family life deteriorated, Gann began spending time with a friend, Dodie Post
Doris Barbara “Dodie” Post Gann (1922-2012) was an alpine skier in the 1948 and 1952 Winter Olympics. Post later became an accomplished sailor and conservationist with her husband, author and screenwriter Ernest K. Gann.
Ski racing
Post wa ...
, whom he later married. Both before and after they were married they were partners in adventure, travel, and later, environmental causes. In 1966 they purchased Red Mill Farm, an ranch on San Juan Island
San Juan Island is the second-largest and most populous of the San Juan Islands in northwestern Washington (state), Washington, United States. It has a land area of 142.59 km2 (55.053 sq mi) and a population of 6,822 as of the United States ...
in the state of Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
. This was the beginning of his next great passion, environmental conservation
Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws.
Conservation may also refer to:
Environment and natural resources
* Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...
. For that purpose, they later donated the entirety of their ranch to the San Juan Preservation Trust The San Juan Preservation Trust is a private, non-profit and membership-based land trust dedicated to helping people and communities conserve land on the San Juan Islands in Washington state. Noted for its $6.4 million purchase of Vendovi Island in ...
after Post's death.
Literary career
Gann described his writing methods as torturous; he would often literally chain himself to his desk until he finished a certain amount of text. He suffered long periods of writer's block, and frequently worried that he would run out of ideas. Despite his successful career, he continued to have strong feelings of self-doubt and often expressed surprise at the critical praise he received.
Gann's major works include the novel '' The High and the Mighty'' and his aviation memoir ''Fate Is the Hunter
Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual.
Fate
Although often ...
'' (regarded by many as one of the best-ever books about aviation).[ Notes and short stories scribbled during long layovers on his journeys across the North Atlantic became the source for his first serious fiction novel, ''Island in the Sky'' (1944), which was inspired by an actual ]Arctic
The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...
rescue mission. It became an immediate best-seller as did ''Blaze of Noon
''Blaze of Noon'' is a 1947 aviation adventure film directed by John Farrow and based on writer and aviator Ernest K. Gann's best-selling novel ''Blaze of Noon'' (1946), a story about early air mail operations. The screenplay was from well-known w ...
'' (1946), a story about early airmail
Airmail (or air mail) is a mail transport service branded and sold on the basis of at least one leg of its journey being by air. Airmail items typically arrive more quickly than surface mail, and usually cost more to send. Airmail may be the ...
operations. His comprehensive autobiography entitled ''A Hostage to Fortune'' was published in 1978.[
Although many of his 21 best-selling novels reveal Gann's devotion to aviation, others, including '']Twilight for the Gods
''Twilight for the Gods'' is a 1958 American Eastmancolor adventure film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Rock Hudson and Cyd Charisse. The story is based on the novel ''Twilight for the Gods'' by Ernest K. Gann (though the opening credits ...
'', and ''Fiddler's Green
Fiddler's Green is an after-life where there is perpetual mirth, a fiddle that never stops playing, and dancers who never tire.
In 19th-century English maritime folklore, it was a kind of after-life for sailors who had served at least fifty ye ...
'' display his love of the sea. His experiences as a fisherman, skipper and sailor, all contributed storylines and depth to his nautical fiction
Nautical fiction, frequently also naval fiction, sea fiction, naval adventure fiction or maritime fiction, is a genre of literature with a setting on or near the sea, that focuses on the human relationship to the sea and sea voyages and highligh ...
. He later wrote a memoir of his sailing life named ''Song of the Sirens.''[
Gann wrote, or adapted from his books, the stories and screenplays for several movies and television shows. For some of these productions he also served as a consultant and technical adviser during filming. Although it received positive reviews, Gann was displeased with the movie version of '']Fate Is the Hunter
Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual.
Fate
Although often ...
'', and removed his name from the credits. (He later lamented that this decision cost him a "fortune" in royalties, as the movie played repeatedly on television for years afterward.) He wrote the story for the television miniseries ''Masada
Masada ( he, מְצָדָה ', "fortress") is an ancient fortification in the Southern District of Israel situated on top of an isolated rock plateau, akin to a mesa. It is located on the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert, overlooking the Dea ...
'', based on ''The Antagonists'', and the story for the 1980 Walt Disney movie, ''The Last Flight of Noah's Ark
''The Last Flight of Noah's Ark'' is a 1980 American family adventure film produced by Walt Disney Productions starring Elliott Gould, Geneviève Bujold and Ricky Schroder. The film was released by Buena Vista Distribution on July 9, 1980. A f ...
''.
Painting
Gann had a chicken coop on his Red Mill farm converted into an artist studio and writing office. He painted nautical scenes and aviation related paintings. Some of the dust jackets on his novels feature his original art work. Gann considered painting his "second career" and hoped to inspire other senior citizens to continue the pursuit of their interests.[
]
Death and honors
During the autumn of 1991, Gann again took to the skies to mark the 50th anniversary of his promotion to Captain for American Airlines; it would be his last flight. On December 19, 1991, Gann died in Friday Harbor, San Juan Island
San Juan Island is the second-largest and most populous of the San Juan Islands in northwestern Washington (state), Washington, United States. It has a land area of 142.59 km2 (55.053 sq mi) and a population of 6,822 as of the United States ...
, Washington, at the age of 81 from kidney failure.
The Experimental Aircraft Association
The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States. Since its inception, it has grown internationally with over 200,000 members and nearly 1,000 chapt ...
(EAA) moved Gann's entire chicken coop studio, including the barber's chair Gann used at his desk, to the EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where it is on public display.
Gann was a member or honorary member of the Society of Flight Test Engineers, Order of Daedalians
The Order of Daedalians is a fraternal and professional order of American military pilots. The namesake of the order is Daedalus who according to Greek mythology was the first person to achieve heavier-than-air flight.
History
The idea of a fr ...
, Black Birds, OX-5 Aviation Pioneers, Secret Order of Quiet Birdmen, Colgate President's Club, Washington Athletic Club
The Washington Athletic Club, founded in 1930, is a private social and athletic club located in downtown Seattle. The 21-story WAC clubhouse opened in December 1930, and was designed in the Art Deco style by Seattle architect Sherwood D. Ford.
...
, Grey Eagles Club, 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, Retired Eastern Pilots Association, and American Fighter Pilots Association.
Washington Governor Gary Locke
Gary Faye Locke (born January 21, 1950) is an American politician and diplomat serving as the interim president of Bellevue College, the largest of the institutions that make up the Washington Community and Technical Colleges system. Locke serv ...
posthumously awarded the Medal of Merit (the state's highest honor) to Gann on July 9, 2003.
A cafe at Friday Harbor Airport
Friday Harbor Airport is a public use airport located just southwest of the town center of Friday Harbor on San Juan Island in the U.S. state of Washington. It is owned by the Port of Friday Harbor.
Although most U.S. airports use the same thr ...
is named "Ernie's Cafe" in his honor.
''Flying
Flying may refer to:
* Flight, the process of flying
* Aviation, the creation and operation of aircraft
Music
Albums
* ''Flying'' (Grammatrain album), 1997
* ''Flying'' (Jonathan Fagerlund album), 2008
* ''Flying'' (UFO album), 1971
* ''Fl ...
'' magazine ranked Gann thirty-fourth in its 2013 list of the 51 heroes of aviation.
Bibliography
Novels
* ''Island in the Sky''.† New York: Viking, 1944
* ''Blaze of Noon''.† New York: Holt, 1946
* ''Benjamin Lawless''. Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York: Sloane, 1948
* ''Fiddler's Green''. Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York: Sloane, 1950
* '' The High and the Mighty''. Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York: Sloane, 1953
* ''Soldier of Fortune''. Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York: Sloane, 1953
* ''Twilight for the Gods''. Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York: Sloane, 1956
* ''Trouble with Lazy Ethel''. Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York: Sloane, 1958
* ''Of Good and Evil''. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1962
* ''In the Company of Eagles''. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1966
* '' The Antagonists'', AKA ''Masada''.‡ New York: Simon & Schuster, 1970
* ''Band of Brothers''. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1973
* ''Brain 2000''. New York: Doubleday, 1980
* ''The Aviator''. Farmington Hills, Michigan: GK Hall, 1981
* ''The Magistrate''. Westminster, Maryland: Arbor House, 1982
* ''Gentlemen of Adventure''. Westminster, Maryland: Arbor House, 1983
* ''The Triumph''.‡ New York: Simon & Schuster, 1986
* ''The Bad Angel''. Westminster, Maryland: Arbor House, 1987
† Published as Armed Services Editions
Armed Services Editions (ASEs) were small paperback books of fiction and nonfiction that were distributed in the American military during World War II. From 1943 to 1947, some 122 million copies of more than 1,300 ASE titles were distributed to s ...
‡ Two-part series
Nonfiction
;Articles:
* Gann contributed numerous articles to the aviation magazine ''Flying
Flying may refer to:
* Flight, the process of flying
* Aviation, the creation and operation of aircraft
Music
Albums
* ''Flying'' (Grammatrain album), 1997
* ''Flying'' (Jonathan Fagerlund album), 2008
* ''Flying'' (UFO album), 1971
* ''Fl ...
''. In one series, he described his exotic travels with Dodie in their Cessna 310
The Cessna 310 is an American four-to-six-seat, low-wing, twin-engine monoplane produced by Cessna between 1954 and 1980. It was the first twin-engine aircraft that Cessna put into production after World War II.
Development
The 310 first fle ...
, the ''Noon Balloon'', named because of its typically late departure time.
;Autobiographies:
* ''Fate Is the Hunter
Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual.
Fate
Although often ...
'' (memoir). New York: Simon & Schuster, 1961
* ''A Hostage to Fortune'' (autobiography). New York: Knopf, 1978
* ''Song of the Sirens'' (memoir). New York: Simon & Schuster, 1969
;Guides:
* ''Sky Roads''. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1940
* ''All American Aircraft''. 1941
* ''Getting Them into the Blue''. 1942
* ''Ernest K. Gann's Flying Circus''. Macmillan, 1974
* ''The Black Watch: The Men Who Fly America's Secret Spy Planes''. New York: Random House, 1989
Adaptations
Feature films
*''Blaze of Noon
''Blaze of Noon'' is a 1947 aviation adventure film directed by John Farrow and based on writer and aviator Ernest K. Gann's best-selling novel ''Blaze of Noon'' (1946), a story about early air mail operations. The screenplay was from well-known w ...
'' (1947) (novel)
*''The Raging Tide
''The Raging Tide'' is a 1951 American film noir and crime film directed by George Sherman and starring Shelley Winters, Richard Conte, Stephen McNally, Charles Bickford and Alex Nicol. The screenplay was by Ernest K. Gann based on his 1950 ...
'' (1951) (novel ''Fiddler's Green'', screenplay)
*'' Island in the Sky'' (1953) (novel, screenplay)
*'' The High and the Mighty'' (1954) (novel, screenplay)
*'' Soldier of Fortune'' (1955) (novel, screenplay)
*''Twilight for the Gods
''Twilight for the Gods'' is a 1958 American Eastmancolor adventure film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Rock Hudson and Cyd Charisse. The story is based on the novel ''Twilight for the Gods'' by Ernest K. Gann (though the opening credits ...
'' (1958) (novel, screenplay)
*''Fate Is the Hunter
Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual.
Fate
Although often ...
'' (1964) (memoir)
*''The Last Flight of Noah's Ark
''The Last Flight of Noah's Ark'' is a 1980 American family adventure film produced by Walt Disney Productions starring Elliott Gould, Geneviève Bujold and Ricky Schroder. The film was released by Buena Vista Distribution on July 9, 1980. A f ...
'' (1980) (story)
*'' The Aviator'' (1985) (novel)
Television
*''Masada
Masada ( he, מְצָדָה ', "fortress") is an ancient fortification in the Southern District of Israel situated on top of an isolated rock plateau, akin to a mesa. It is located on the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert, overlooking the Dea ...
'' (1981, TV miniseries) (novel ''The Antagonists'')
References
* Gann, Ernest K. ''Ernest K. Gann's Flying Circus''. New York: Macmillan (1974)
* Gann, Ernest K. and Lazlo Pal. ''A Gentleman Of Adventure – Ernest K. Gann'' (DVD). Seattle: Pal Productions, Inc. (1996) ASIN B00004Y55X
* ''The High and the Mighty'' (Collector's Edition) DVD. Burbank, California: Paramount Home Entertainment (2005)
* Maltin, Leonard. "Ernest K. Gann – Adventurer, Author & Artist (film documentary)." ''The High and the Mighty'' (Collector's Edition) DVD. Burbank, California: Paramount Home Entertainment (2005)
External links
Nebraska Center for Writers - Ernest K. Gann
Fantastic Fiction - Ernest K. Gann
IMDb - Ernest K. Gann
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gann, Ernest K.
1910 births
1991 deaths
20th-century American novelists
American aviators
20th-century American memoirists
American male novelists
American historical novelists
American male screenwriters
American aviation writers
Aviators from Nebraska
Writers from Lincoln, Nebraska
People from Friday Harbor, Washington
Yale School of Drama alumni
Commercial aviators
Novelists from Nebraska
Novelists from Washington (state)
20th-century American male writers
American male non-fiction writers
Screenwriters from Washington (state)
Screenwriters from Nebraska
Writers of historical fiction set in antiquity
Culver Academies alumni
20th-century American screenwriters
American Airlines people
American aviation historians