John Hermes Secondari (November 1, 1919 – February 8, 1975) was an American

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 ...

and

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television show, television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television net ...

. Secondari's 1952 novel ''

Coins in the Fountain ''Coins in the Fountain'' is a 1990 American made-for-television romantic comedy film based on the 1952 novel '' Coins in the Fountain'' by John H. Secondari, which was previously filmed in 1954 as '' Three Coins in the Fountain''. It was directe ...

'' was made into the 1954

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 ...

-winning film '' Three Coins in the Fountain'', and then in 1964, to his disappointment, remade as the Twentieth Century-Fox film '' The Pleasure Seekers''.Secondari, John G. (son). Personal Communication. 2015-07-11. He went on to write plays for Playhouse 90 and was the founding Washington Bureau Chief and White House Correspondent for the

ABC Television Network The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the ABC Entertainment Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, Califor ...

. In 1963, he produced the

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-nominated and

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

-winning ABC

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

Saga of Western Man ''Saga of Western Man'' is a historically themed anthology series television series that aired on ABC Television from 1963 to 1969. Each episode focused on a particular year, person, or incident that producer John H. Secondari felt significantly i ...

''.

Biography

John H. Secondari was born in 1919 in

Rome, Italy , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (Romulus and Remus, legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg ...

. In May 1924, he emigrated to the United States with his mother, Linda Secondari, on board the S.S. ''Providence'', which sailed from

Naples, Italy Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, and arrived at the Port of New York on June 4, whereupon they were immediately detained at

Ellis Island Ellis Island is a federally owned island in New York Harbor, situated within the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, that was the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United States. From 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 mi ...

as being in "excess of quota". They were released on June 11 and settled in

Framingham, Massachusetts Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers with a popu ...

. According to the passenger list, John Secondari was born in Rome. He was delivered by his father, Epaminonda Secondari, the last surviving founding member of the

American College of Cardiology The American College of Cardiology (ACC), based in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit medical association established in 1949. It bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet its qualifications. Education is a core component of the ...

. John Secondari received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from

Fordham University Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...

in 1939 and an

M.S. A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

in Journalism from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1940. He joined the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

in 1941 and commanded a

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unit and a tank company in combat during

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 ...

in France, Germany, and Austria. He was honorably discharged in 1946 with the rank of captain. Secondari married Rita Hume in 1948, but she died in a car accident in Mallorca, Spain. They had a son, John Gerry. In 1961, John H. married

Helen Jean Rogers Helen Jean Rogers Secondari (September 27, 1928 – March 28, 1998) was an American television producer. She won five Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards with her fellow producer and husband John H. Secondari. Biography Helen Jean Rogers graduate ...

, with whom he co-produced ''Saga of Western Man''. They had a daughter, Linda Helen. Secondari started his own production company in 1969. He died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

at the age of 55 in

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Filmography

*1951 - ''

Goodyear Television Playhouse ''Goodyear Television Playhouse'' is an American anthology series that was telecast live on NBC from 1951 to 1957 during the first Golden Age of Television. Sponsored by Goodyear, Goodyear alternated sponsorship with Philco, and the ''Philco Tel ...

'' (episode writer) *1954 - '' Three Coins in the Fountain'' (novel) *1957 - ''

The Alcoa Hour ''The Alcoa Hour'' is an American anthology television series that was aired live on NBC from 1955 to 1957. The series was sponsored by Alcoa. Overview Like the ''Philco Television Playhouse'' and ''Goodyear Television Playhouse'' that had prec ...

'' - "Hostages to Fortune" (episode writer) *1957 - '' Open Hearing'' (TV series - moderator) *1963 - ''

'' (producer, writer) *1964 - '' The Pleasure Seekers'' (novel) *1967 - '' Christ Is Born'' (1967) (producer) *1969 - '' The Ellis Island Experience'' (1969) (producer) *1990 - ''

'' (novel)

Bibliography

*1952 - ''

'' (novel) *1954 - '' Temptation for a King'' (novel) *1955 - '' Spinner of the Dream'' (novel)

References

External links

*
''John H. Secondari''
at

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Secondari, John 1919 births 1975 deaths 20th-century American novelists American male novelists American television producers United States Army personnel of World War II Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumni Fordham University alumni Works by John Secondari Italian emigrants to the United States 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American male writers United States Army officers