Whit Masterson was a

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

for a partnership of two American authors, Robert Allison Wade (June 8, 1920 – September 30, 2012) and H. Bill Miller (May 11, 1920 – August 21, 1961). The two also wrote under several other pseudonyms, including Wade Miller and Will Daemer. Mammoth detective 194609

Together they wrote more than thirty novels, of which several were adapted for film. Most famously, their novel ''

Badge of Evil ''Badge of Evil'' is a novel written by Whit Masterson (a pseudonym used by the authors Robert Allison “Bob” Wade and H. Bill Miller) and published in 1956.

'' was adapted into the

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

film ''

Touch of Evil ''Touch of Evil'' is a 1958 American film noir written and directed by Orson Welles, who also stars in the film. The screenplay was loosely based on the contemporary Whit Masterson novel ''Badge of Evil'' (1956). The cast included Charlton Hes ...

''. Other works filmed were ''

Guilty Bystander ''Guilty Bystander'' is a 1950 American crime drama directed by Joseph Lerner, and starring Zachary Scott and Faye Emerson. The film was shot on location entirely in New York City. It also marked the last motion picture screen appearances for ch ...

'' (1950), '' A Cry in the Night'' (1956) based on ''All Through the Night'', ''

The Yellow Canary ''The Yellow Canary'' is a 1963 American thriller film directed by Buzz Kulik and starring Pat Boone and Barbara Eden. It was adapted by Rod Serling from a novel by Whit Masterson, who also wrote the novel that was the basis for Orson Welles' '' ...

'' (1963) based on ''Evil Come, Evil Go'', ''

Kitten with a Whip ''Kitten with a Whip'' is a 1964 American crime drama film directed by Douglas Heyes, who co-wrote the screenplay with Whit Masterson, a pseudonym for writers Robert Allison “Bob” Wade and H. Bill Miller, who also wrote the novel on which the ...

'' (1964) based on the novel of the same name, ''

Warning Shot In military and police contexts, a warning shot is an intentionally harmless artillery shot or gunshot with intent to enact direct compliance and order to a hostile perpetrator or enemy forces. It is recognized as signalling intended confronta ...

'' based on ''711--Officer Needs Help'' and ''

The Death of Me Yet ''The Death of Me Yet'' is a 1971 television film directed by John Llewellyn Moxey and starring Doug McClure and Darren McGavin. It based on the 1970 novel of the same name by Whit Masterson. The movie appeared on the ''ABC Movie of the Week'' ...

'' (1971) based on the 1970 novel of the same name. Wade and Miller met at violin lessons when they were both 12. From an interview with Wade: "The Wade Miller collaboration worked successfully largely because it began so early. We teamed up at the age of 12." They went on to attend college together at San Diego State, leaving in their senior year of college to enlist in the US Air Force

Anthony Boucher William Anthony Parker White (August 21, 1911 – April 29, 1968), better known by his pen name Anthony Boucher (), was an American author, critic, and editor who wrote several classic mystery novels, short stories, science fiction, and radio d ...

reviewed their first novel, ''Deadly Weapon'', in the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' in 1946. He described their writing as having "machinegun tempo, tight writing, unexaggerated hardness" and said it was a "highly satisfactory debut of new publishers and new writing team." A more recent reading by Richard Moore found that "modern readers would need to overcome instinctive reactions to racial and other slurs" but that "This was a stunning

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

. It would be a shame if the language of the times kept it from revival." After Miller's death from a heart attack on August 21, 1961, Wade went on to a solo career as a movie and television scriptwriter. In 1988, Wade was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Private Eye Writers of America. Wade also received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the

San Diego Public Library The San Diego Public Library is a public library system serving the city of San Diego, California. History The San Diego Public Library was established on May 19, 1882, by an elected board of library trustees, one of whom was civic leader a ...

in 199

and the Ellen Nehr award from the American Crime Writers League in 2004, for his work reviewing crime fiction for the

San Diego Union-Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...

Robert Wade died, at age 92, on Sept 30, 2012

References

*http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0557767/ *http://www.mysteryfile.com/Wade/Miller.html *http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/filmography.html?p_id=318535 *http://www.mysteryfile.com/Wade/Miller.html#Crider

External links

*http://www.hardcasecrime.com/books_bios.cgi?entry=bk11
Obituary - Robert Wade
{{DEFAULTSORT:Masterson, Whit Collective pseudonyms 20th-century American male writers