Lorenzo Elliott Semple III (March 27, 1923 – March 28, 2014), known professionally as Lorenzo Semple Jr., was an American writer. He is best known for his work on the television series ''

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

'', as well as political thriller films ''

The Parallax View ''The Parallax View'' is a 1974 American political thriller film starring Warren Beatty, Paula Prentiss, Hume Cronyn, William Daniels, Kenneth Mars, Walter McGinn, Kelly Thordsen and Jim Davis in support. Produced and directed by Alan ...

'' (1974) and ''

Three Days of the Condor ''Three Days of the Condor'' is a 1975 American spy thriller film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, and Max von Sydow. The screenplay by Lorenzo Semple Jr. and David Rayfiel was based on the ...

'' (1975).

Early life

Semple attended the Brooks School in

North Andover, Massachusetts North Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 30,915. History Native Americans inhabited what is now northeastern Massachusetts for thousands of years prior to European colonizati ...

, graduating in 1940. He then attended

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, but left in 1941 to join the American Field Service in

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, where his boyish beard earned him the nickname "the goat". Aged 19, he was awarded the

Médaille militaire The ''Médaille militaire'' (, "Military Medal") is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...

and

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

for his service as a volunteer ambulance driver with the

Free French Free France () was a resistance government claiming to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third French Republic, Third Republic during World War II. Led by General , Free France was established as a gover ...

forces in Libya.

Wounded in action Wounded in action (WIA) describes combatants who have been wounded while fighting in a combat zone during wartime, but have not been killed. Typically, it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continuing ...

at Bir Hakeim, he returned to the United States where he was drafted into the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

, serving as an

intelligence officer An intelligence officer is a member of the intelligence field employed by an organization to collect, compile or analyze information (known as intelligence) which is of use to that organization. The word of ''officer'' is a working title, not a r ...

in Europe. His time training at

Camp Ritchie Fort Ritchie in Cascade, Maryland was a military installation southwest of Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania and southeast of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, Waynesboro in the area of South Mountain (Maryland and Pennsylvania), South Mountain. Followin ...

's Military Intelligence Training Center puts him among the ranks of nearly 20,000

Ritchie Boys The Ritchie Boys, part of the U.S. Military Intelligence Service (MIS) at the War Department, were an organization of soldiers in World War II with sizable numbers of German and Austrian recruits who were used primarily for interrogation of pri ...

Career

Early work

Semple's writing career started in 1951, as a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

contributor to magazines such as ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...

'' and ''

Collier's Weekly } ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter F. Collier, Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened i ...

''. Semple also tried writing for the theatre and had a play produced 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 Stre ...

, ''Tonight in Samarkand'' (1955), a melodrama adapted from the French. He wrote an episode for ''

The Alcoa Hour ''The Alcoa Hour'' is an American anthology television series sponsored by the Alcoa Corporation that aired live on NBC from October 16, 1955, to September 22, 1957. Overview ''The Alcoa Hour'' is a one-hour live anthology series that primar ...

'' called "Archangel Harrison" (1955). He wrote another play, ''Golden Fleecing'', which was filmed for '' Matinee Theatre'' in 1958 and premiered on Broadway in 1959. Semple wrote "China Boy" for the TV series '' Buckskin'' (1958), "Four Against Three Millions" and "Money Go Round" for ''Target'' (1958), and "Epitaph for a Golden Girl" for ''Pursuit'' (1958). "Golden Fleecing" was bought by

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

and produced under the title '' The Honeymoon Machine'' (1961), starring

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of counterculture of the 1960s, 1960s counterculture, made him a top box office draw for his films of the late ...

, following which Semple relocated to Hollywood and established himself as a writer for several television shows, including '' Kraft Suspense Theatre'' ("Knight's Gambit" 1964), ''Breaking Point'' ("Never Trouble Trouble Till Trouble Troubles You" 1964), '' The Rogues'' ("Death of a Fleming " 1964), '' Theatre of Stars'' ("The Fliers" 1965), '' Burke's Law'' (several episodes).

''Batman''

While living in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

in 1965, Semple was approached by producer

William Dozier William McElroy Dozier (; February 13, 1908 – April 23, 1991) was an American film and television producer, writer and actor. He is best known for two television series, ''Batman'' and '' The Green Hornet''. Early life Dozier was born in Omaha, ...

to develop a television series for

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

based on the

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

''. Semple wrote a

pilot 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 ...

which was promptly picked up, and the series based on it put on the air, with popular success. Semple wrote the first four episodes. Semple also served as Executive Story Editor. At the same time he provided the screenplay for the 1966 ''

'' feature film version. He also wrote one double episode of the television series ''

The Green Hornet The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell (director), James Jewell. Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas i ...

'' called "Beautiful Dreamer," which was broadcast in October 1966. He co-wrote a TV movie '' Thompson's Ghost'' (1966) and did episodes of ''

The Rat Patrol ''The Rat Patrol'' is an American action and adventure television series that aired on ABC between 1966 and 1968. The show follows the exploits of four Allied soldiers – three Americans and one British – who are part of a long-range deser ...

'' (1966) and wrote "You're Only Young Twice" for '' Vacation Playhouse'' (1967).

Film career

From the late 1960s onwards, Semple concentrated on films. With the success of the ''Batman'' film, he and director Leslie Martinson re-teamed on ''

Fathom A fathom is a unit of length in the imperial and the U.S. customary systems equal to , used especially for measuring the depth of water. The fathom is neither an international standard (SI) unit, nor an internationally accepted non-SI unit. H ...

'' (1967), a spy spoof for

Raquel Welch Jo Raquel Welch (; September 5, 1940 – February 15, 2023) was an American actress. Welch first gained attention for her role in ''Fantastic Voyage'' (1966), after which she signed a long-term contract with 20th Century Fox. They lent her con ...

. His script for the critically acclaimed

cult film A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...

'' Pretty Poison'' (1968) won the award of the

New York Film Critics Circle The New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) is an American film critic Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: Academic criticism by film scho ...

Awards as best screenplay of its year. He rewrote

Larry Cohen Lawrence George Cohen (July 15, 1936 – March 23, 2019) was an American filmmaker. He originally emerged as the writer of blaxploitation films such as ''Black Caesar (film), Black Caesar'' and ''Hell Up in Harlem'' (both 1973), before becomin ...

's script '' Daddy's Gone A-Hunting'' (1969), and wrote the little-seen '' The Sporting Club'' (1971). ''

The Marriage of a Young Stockbroker ''The Marriage of a Young Stockbroker'' is a 1971 American romantic comedy-drama film produced and directed by Lawrence Turman (in his directorial debut) and written by Lorenzo Semple Jr., based on a novel of the same title by Charles Webb. ...

'' (1971) was an attempt to match the success of ''The Graduate''. Semple was one of several writers on the box office hit '' Papillon'' (1973). He received writing credit on a series of thrillers: '' The Super Cops'' (1974), ''

'' (1974), ''

The Drowning Pool ''The Drowning Pool'' is a 1950 mystery novel by American writer Ross Macdonald, then writing under the name John Ross Macdonald (and simply John Macdonald in the UK). It is his second book in the series revolving around the cases of private de ...

'' (1975) and ''

'' (1975).

Dino De Laurentiis

''Three Days of the Condor'' had been produced by

Dino De Laurentiis Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis (; 8 August 1919 – 10 November 2010) was an Italian film producer and businessman who held both Italian and American citizenship. Following a brief acting career in the late 1930s and early 1940s, he moved into f ...

, who hired Semple repeatedly over the next few years. He wrote the popular but critically assailed ''

King Kong King Kong, also referred to simply as Kong, is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. The character has since become an international pop culture icon,Erb, Cynthia, 1998, ''Tracking Kin ...

'' remake (1976); ''

Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...

'' (1979), a major

box office A box office or ticket office is a place where ticket (admission), tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a Wicket gate, wicket. ...

flop Floating point operations per second (FLOPS, flops or flop/s) is a measure of computer performance in computing, useful in fields of scientific computations that require floating-point calculations. For such cases, it is a more accurate measur ...

starring

Mia Farrow Maria de Lourdes Villiers "Mia" Farrow ( ; born February 9, 1945) is an American actress. She first gained notice for her role as Allison MacKenzie in the television soap opera ''Peyton Place (TV series), Peyton Place'' and gained further recogn ...

, on which Semple is also credited as Executive Producer; and ''

Flash Gordon Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established ''Buck Rogers'' ...

'' (1980), again a comic strip derivative, done in a deliberately over-the-top style reminiscent of the "Batman" sensibility. As with his ''Batman'', serious comic-strip devotees attacked Semple for the allegedly disrespectful approach he took to the printed originals. After ''

Never Say Never Again ''Never Say Never Again'' is a 1983 spy film directed by Irvin Kershner. The film is based on the 1961 James Bond novel ''Thunderball (novel), Thunderball'' by Ian Fleming, which in turn was based on an original story by Kevin McClory, Jack Wh ...

'' (1983), a non-

Eon Productions Eon Productions Limited is a British film production company that primarily produces the ''James Bond'' film series. The company is based in London's Piccadilly and also operates from Pinewood Studios in the UK. ''James Bond'' films Eon wa ...

film in the ''James Bond'' series which brought

Sean Connery Sir Thomas Sean Connery (25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to Portrayal of James Bond in film, portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond (literary character), James Bond in motion pic ...

back to the role for the last time, Semple wrote a final comic book adaptation, '' Sheena'' (1984), based on the comic book ''

Sheena, Queen of the Jungle Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, is a fictional American comic book jungle girl heroine during the Golden Age of Comic Books. She originally debuted in the British magazine ''Wags'' #46 (January 1938). and later made her first American appearance i ...

''. He wrote a TV movie, '' Rearview Mirror'' (1984), and an Imperial war film that was never completed, ''The Bengal Lancers!'' (1984). He was credited on ''

Never Too Young to Die Never may refer to: Music Albums *Never (Micachu and the Shapes album), ''Never'' (Micachu and the Shapes album), 2012 *Never (Mie album), ''Never'' (Mie album), 1982 Songs *Never (Heart song), "Never" (Heart song), 1985 *Never (Jaheim song), "N ...

'' (1986) and the TV movie ''Rapture'' (1993).

Later career

Subsequently, Semple and retired agent and producer Marcia Nasatir reviewed movies on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

as the Reel Geezers. In September 2008, he was hailed by the Writers Guild of America as a Living Legend. In 2010, the American Cinemateque presented a two-night retrospective of his movies in Santa Monica. In January 2013, author Jon Dambacher dedicated his short novel "A Strange, Sickly Beauty" to him.

Death

Semple died of natural causes on March 28, 2014, at his home in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, one day after his 91st birthday. He was survived by his wife, three children, including writer Maria Semple, and six grandchildren.

Filmography

Screenplays

* ''

'' (1966) * ''

'' (1967) * '' Pretty Poison'' (1968) * '' Daddy's Gone A-Hunting'' (with

) (1969) * '' The Sporting Club'' (1971) * ''

'' (1971) * '' Papillon'' (with

Dalton Trumbo James Dalton Trumbo (December 9, 1905 – September 10, 1976) was an American screenwriter who scripted many award-winning films, including ''Roman Holiday'' (1953), '' Exodus'', ''Spartacus'' (both 1960), and '' Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' (194 ...

) (1973) * '' The Super Cops'' (1974) * ''

'' (with

David Giler David Kevin Giler (July 23, 1943 – December 19, 2020) was an American filmmaker who had been active in the film industry since the early 1960s. Career Television Giler's father Bernie (1908–1967) was a writer. Giler began his career collabor ...

) (1974) * ''

'' (1975) * ''

'' (with David Rayfiel) (1975) * ''

'' (1976) * ''

'' (with

Tracy Keenan Wynn Tracy Keenan Wynn (born February 28, 1945) is an American screenwriter and producer, whose credits include '' The Longest Yard'', '' The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman'' (both 1974), and '' The Deep'' (1977). Early and personal life Wynn wa ...

and

Walter Hill Walter Hill (born January 10, 1942) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer known for his action films and revival of the Western (genre), Western genre. He has directed such films as ''The Driver'', ''The Warriors (film), The ...

) (1977) * ''

'' (with Michael Allin) (1980) * ''

'' (1983) * '' Sheena'' (with David Newman) (1984) * ''

'' (with Gil Bettman) (1986)

Television

* ''

'' (1955) * ''Target'' (1958) * ''Pursuit'' (1958) * '' The Rogues'' (1964) * '' Burke's Law'' (1964) * ''

'' (1966) * '' Thompson's Ghost'' (1966) * ''

'' (1966) * ''

'' (1966) * ''Rearview Mirror'' (1984) * ''Rapture'' (1993)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Semple, Lorenzo Jr. 1923 births 2014 deaths American Field Service personnel of World War II American male screenwriters American male television writers American television writers Brooks School alumni Military personnel from New York (state) American recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the Médaille militaire (France) Ritchie Boys Screenwriters from New York (state) United States Army officers United States Army personnel of World War II Writers from New Rochelle, New York Yale University alumni DC Comics people