John Van Alstyne Weaver, Jr. (July 17, 1893 – June 14, 1938, often credited as John V. A. Weaver) was an American poet, novelist and screenwriter whose poems attracted the approbation of

H. L. Mencken Henry Louis Mencken (September 12, 1880 – January 29, 1956) was an American journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic, and scholar of American English. He commented widely on the social scene, literature, music, prominent politicians, ...

, whose works were produced on stage and on film, and who had several screenwriting credits for work on properties where he was not the author of the original work.

Background

Weaver was born 17 July 1893 in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, the son of John Van Alstyne Weaver, Sr. and Anne Randolph Tate Weaver. He married American actress

Peggy Wood Mary Margaret Wood (February 9, 1892 – March 18, 1978) was an American actress of stage, film, and television. She is best remembered for her performance as the title character in the CBS television series ''Mama'' (1949–1957), for which sh ...

in 1924 and the couple had one son, David Weaver, in 1927. Weaver was educated at

Hamilton College Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...

, graduating in 1914. His literary career began with employment at the ''Chicago Daily News'' in 1919 as a book editor, and continued with employment at the ''Brooklyn Daily Eagle''. He ceased newspaper work around in 1924 to pursue a purely literary career. He moved to work for

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

in 1928. Weaver attracted notice for his adaptation of American vernacular to iambic pentameter rhythms. His financial success came from successful adaptations of his work on stage and in films and, later, from screenwriting. He died 15 June 1938 of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (See

Tuberculosis treatment in Colorado Springs The town of Colorado Springs, Colorado played an important role in the history of tuberculosis in the era before antituberculosis drugs and vaccines. Tuberculosis management before this era was difficult and often of limited effect. In the 19th c ...

Works

*''In American: poems'' (1921; also: John Van Alstyne Weaver, ''In American: the collected poems of John V. A. Weaver'', ed.

(1939) *"Bootleg", in ''Nonsensorship; sundry observations concerning prohibitions, inhibitions, and illegalities'', by (edited by) Heywood Broun, G. P. Putnam's (1922) * ''Margey wins the game'' (1922) *''Finders: more poems in American'' (1923) *''Love 'em and leave 'em; a comedy in three acts'' (1926) (with

George Abbott George Francis Abbott (June 25, 1887 – January 31, 1995) was an American theatre producer, director, playwright, screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned eight decades. Early years Abbott was born in Forestville, New Yo ...

); adapted from a verse novel by Weaver; also done as the 1926 silent film '' Love 'Em and Leave 'Em'' and later as a talking picture under the title ''The Saturday Night Kid'' in 1929. *''Her knight comes riding'' (1928) *''To youth'' (1928) *''Turning Point'' (1930) *''More "In American" poems'' (1930) *''Trial balance, a sentimental inventory'' (1932) *''Joy-girl'' (1932)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Weaver, John Van Alstyne 1893 births 1938 deaths 20th-century American novelists American male novelists 20th-century American poets American male screenwriters Hamilton College (New York) alumni 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American male poets American male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American male writers Screenwriters from New York (state) 20th-century American screenwriters