Amelio "Mel" Dinelli (6 October 1912,

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

– 28 November 1991,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

) was an American writer for theatre, radio, film and magazines, usually in the suspense genre. He grew up in

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

, and graduated from

Albuquerque High School Albuquerque High School is a public high school near Downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. It is a part of the Albuquerque Public Schools district. Enrollment at AHS stands at 1,741. AHS was named the 43rd best high school in the state ...

. He joined the

Albuquerque Little Theatre The Albuquerque Little Theatre was founded in 1930 by a group of civic-minded citizens led by Irene Fisher, a reporter and the society editor for the ''New Mexico Tribune''. The idea of a local theatre group was born when Fisher attended a lectur ...

company for its inaugural season in 1931, acting in two plays alongside future ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning six seasons. The show starred Lucille Ball, her husband, Desi Arnaz, along with ...

'' star

Vivian Vance Vivian Vance (born Vivian Roberta Jones; July 26, 1909 – August 17, 1979) was an American actress and singer best known for playing Ethel Mertz on the sitcom ''I Love Lucy'' (1951–1957), for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outst ...

. He later studied at the

Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...

school of theater arts and the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

. One of his earliest plays was ''Shubert Alley'', about a young woman's rise to fame 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 Stree ...

, which was notable at the time for its all-female cast. The play was published in 1943 and had reportedly been performed in 385 cities by 1945. Later in the 1940s he wrote for the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

radio drama Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...

series ''

Suspense Suspense is a state of mental uncertainty, anxiety, being undecided, or being doubtful. In a dramatic work, suspense is the anticipation of the outcome of a plot or of the solution to an uncertainty, puzzle, or mystery, particularly as it aff ...

'', including the 1945 episode "To Find Help" which starred

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

in one of his first dramatic roles. Dinelli later adapted the story into a play, ''The Man'', which debuted on Broadway in 1950, and a film, ''

Beware, My Lovely ''Beware, My Lovely'' is a 1952 film noir crime film directed by Harry Horner starring Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan and Taylor Holmes. The film is based on the 1950 play ''The Man'' by Mel Dinelli, who also wrote the screenplay. Plot A widow impulsi ...

''. He wrote a number of other Hollywood screenplays including '' The Spiral Staircase'', '' The Window'', and

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. 6 ...

's ''

House by the River ''House by the River'' is a 1950 American crime melodrama directed by Fritz Lang and starring Louis Hayward, Lee Bowman and Jane Wyatt. It is based on the 1921 novel of the same title by A. P. Herbert. Plot A rich novelist, Stephen Byrne, who ...

''.

Selected credits

Screenplays

*'' The Spiral Staircase'' (1946) *'' The Window'' (1949) *''

The Reckless Moment ''The Reckless Moment'' is a 1949 American film noir melodrama directed by Max Ophüls, produced by Walter Wanger, and released by Columbia Pictures with Burnett Guffey as cinematographer. It starred James Mason and Joan Bennett. The film is based ...

'' (1949) *''

'' (1950) *''

Cause for Alarm! ''Cause for Alarm!'' is a 1951 melodrama suspense film directed by Tay Garnett, written by Mel Dinelli and Tom Lewis, based on a story by Larry Marcus. Ellen (Loretta Young) narrates the tale of "the most terrifying day of my life", how she wa ...

'' (1951) *''

'' (1952) – also based on his play and story, ''The Man'' *''

Jeopardy ''Jeopardy!'' is an American game show created by Merv Griffin. The show is a quiz competition that reverses the traditional question-and-answer format of many quiz shows. Rather than being given questions, contestants are instead given genera ...

'' (1953) *''

Lizzie Lizzie or Lizzy is a nickname for Elizabeth or Elisabet, often given as an independent name in the United States, especially in the late 19th century. Lizzie can also be the shortened version of Lizeth, Lissette or Lizette. People * Elizabeth I ...

'' (1957) *''

Step Down to Terror ''Step Down to Terror'' (also known as ''The Silent Stranger'') is a 1958 American film noir crime film directed by Harry Keller and starring Colleen Miller, Charles Drake (actor), Charles Drake and Rod Taylor. It is a remake of the 1943 Alfred ...

'' (1958)

Plays

*''Shubert Alley'' (1943) *''The Man'' (1950) – original production starred

Dorothy Gish Dorothy Elizabeth Gish (March 11, 1898June 4, 1968) was an American actress of the screen and stage, as well as a director and writer. Dorothy and her older sister Lillian Gish were major movie stars of the silent era. Dorothy also had great s ...

– based on his short story

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dinelli, Mel American male screenwriters 1912 births 1991 deaths Writers from Albuquerque, New Mexico University of Washington alumni Screenwriters from New Mexico 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters