Eugene Vale (11 April 1916 – 2 May 1997) was a

best-selling A bestseller is a book or other media noted for its top selling status, with bestseller lists published by newspapers, magazines, and book store chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and specialties (novel, nonfiction book, cookb ...

American novelist. He was also a screenwriter, a playwright, and the author of an influential volume on screenwriting.

Biography

Vale was born in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, but worked in Paris during the 1930s. He moved to the United States after the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Vale worked in Hollywood and also as a lecturer on film and television writing at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

. In Joseph McBride's biography of Frank Capra, Vale is quoted as saying that he wrote much of Capra's 1971 autobiography The Name Above the Title ("I'm responsible for the book"). In 1997, Vale died at home in Los Angeles at age 81.

Works

Screenplays

Vale's

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 ...

s included ''

The Second Face ''The Second Face'' is a 1950 romantic drama film directed by Jack Bernhard and starring Ella Raines as a plain woman whose life is drastically changed by plastic surgery. Plot Claire Elwood runs to her car and speeds away. Phyllis Holmes chases ...

'' (1950),

Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a mystic Italian Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most venerated figures in Christianit ...

'' (1961) and

A Global Affair ''A Global Affair'' is a 1964 American comedy film directed by Jack Arnold (director), Jack Arnold, and starring Bob Hope, Michèle Mercier, Yvonne De Carlo, and Elga Andersen. Plot A baby is abandoned at the United Nations headquarters in New ...

'' (1964). His 1956 short documentary, ''"

The Dark Wave ''The Dark Wave'' is a 1956 American short documentary film directed by Jean Negulesco about a young girl with severe epilepsy. The short stars Charles Bickford and features Nancy Davis, the actress who would later become First Lady of the Uni ...

"'', was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

. As well as writing screenplays, Vale in 1944 wrote a textbook, ''"The Technique of Screen & Television Writing"''. In this book, Vale provided many rules for writing screenplays, including that the "primary purpose of every film scene is to transition into the future".

Novels

Vale's debut novel, ''The 13th Apostle'' (pub. 1959) was reviewed favorably in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. The reviewer said in part "Mr. Vale is the only contemporary novelist of recent years, to my knowledge, who has made so ambitious an attempt to encompass in a single fabric every clue to modern man's devious retreat from engagement. The novel immediately following, ''Chaos Below Heaven'' (pub. 1966), was also a best seller.

Plays and television

Vale's play ''"Devils Galore"'' was produced on Broadway in 1945. He also wrote for several early television shows, including ''

Four Star Playhouse ''Four Star Playhouse'' is an American anthology series that ran from 1952 to 1956. Four Star Playhouse was owned by Four Star International. Its episodes ranged anywhere from surreal mysteries, such as "The Man on the Train", to light comedies ...

'', ''

The 20th Century Fox Hour ''The 20th Century Fox Hour'' is an American drama anthology series televised in the United States on CBS from 1955 to 1957. Some of the shows in this series were restored, remastered and shown on the Fox Movie Channel in 2002 under the title ''Ho ...

'', and

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars ''Schlitz Playhouse of Stars'' is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS. Offering both Television comedy, comedies and Dramatic programming, drama, the series was sponsored by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. The ti ...

References

External links

* https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0883884/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Vale, Eugene 1916 births 1997 deaths 20th-century American novelists American male novelists 20th-century American male writers Screenwriting instructors American male screenwriters American male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American screenwriters Swiss expatriates in France Swiss emigrants to the United States