Charles Eldridge O'Neal (January 6, 1904 – August 29, 1996) was an American film and television screenwriter and novelist.

Life and career

Charles Eldridge O'Neal was born in

Raeford, North Carolina Raeford is a city in Hoke County, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 4,611 at the 2010 census, and in 2018, the estimated population was 4,962. It is the county seat of Hoke County. History John McRae and A.A. Williford operated ...

, the son of Elizabeth Maude (née Belton) of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

descent, and Charles Samuel O'Neal of

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

descent. He attended the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

, then moved to

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

, where he joined an acting troupe that included his future wife, Patricia O'Callaghan. After publishing a short story in '' Esquire'', he decided to forgo performing and turned to screenwriting mostly B-movies, among them ''

The Seventh Victim ''The Seventh Victim'' is a 1943 American horror film noir directed by Mark Robson and starring Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Isabel Jewell, Kim Hunter, and Hugh Beaumont. Written by DeWitt Bodeen and Charles O'Neal, and produced by Val Lewton f ...

'', ''

Cry of the Werewolf ''Cry of the Werewolf'' is a 1944 American horror film directed by Henry Levin and starring Nina Foch, Stephen Crane, Osa Massen, Blanche Yurka and Barton MacLane. Plot A Romani princess descended from Marie LaTour has the ability to change in ...

'', '' The Missing Juror'', '' I Love a Mystery'', ''

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

'', and '' Golden Girl''. O'Neal's television credits include ''

The 20th Century Fox Hour ''The 20th Century Fox Hour'' is an American drama anthology series televised in the United States on CBS from 1955 to 1957. Some of the shows in this series were restored, remastered and shown on the Fox Movie Channel in 2002 under the title ' ...

'' and ''

The Untouchables Untouchables or The Untouchables may refer to: American history * Untouchables (law enforcement), a 1930s American law enforcement unit led by Eliot Ness * ''The Untouchables'' (book), an autobiography by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley * ''The U ...

''. Together with

Abe Burrows Abe Burrows (born Abram Solman Borowitz; December 18, 1910 – May 17, 1985) was an American humorist, author, and director for radio and the stage. He won a Tony Award and was selected for two Pulitzer Prizes, only one of which was awarded. Ear ...

, O'Neal adapted his 1949 novel ''The Three Wishes of Jamie McRuin'' for the short-lived 1952 musical ''

Three Wishes for Jamie ''Three Wishes for Jamie'' is a musical with a book by Charles O'Neal and Abe Burrows and music and lyrics by Ralph Blane. Based on O'Neal's 1949 novel ''The Three Wishes of Jamie McRuin'', the fantasy focuses on the title character, a young ...

''. The production ran on Broadway March 21–June 7, 1952. O'Neal is the father of actor

Ryan O'Neal Ryan O'Neal (born April 20, 1941) is an American actor and former boxer. He trained as an amateur boxer before beginning his career in acting in 1960. In 1964, he landed the role of Rodney Harrington on the ABC nighttime soap opera '' Peyton Pla ...

and screenwriter/actor Kevin O'Neal and grandfather of Tatum, Griffin, Patrick, Redmond O'Neal. He died in Los Angeles, California at the age of 92.

Selected filmography

Actor

* ''

The Hearts of Age ''The Hearts of Age'' is an early film made by Orson Welles. The film is an eight-minute short that he co-directed with friend William Vance in 1934. The film stars Welles's first wife, Virginia Nicolson, and Welles himself. He made the film whil ...

'' (1934) Brady, Frank, ''Citizen Welles: A Biography of Orson Welles''. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1989

Writer

Selected feature film credits are listed in ''

The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures The ''AFI Catalog of Feature Films'', also known as the ''AFI Catalog'', is an ongoing project by the American Film Institute (AFI) to catalog all commercially-made and theatrically exhibited American motion pictures from the birth of cinema in ...

''.Charles O'Neal
at the ''AFI Catalog of Motion Pictures''. Retrieved 2014-02-18. * ''You're Telling Me'' (1942, credited as Charles O'Neil) * ''

'' (1943) * ''The Missing Juror'' (1944) * ''

'' (1944) * '' I Love a Mystery'' (1945) * '' The Falcon's Alibi'' (1946) * '' The Unknown'' (1946) * ''

The Devil's Mask ''The Devil's Mask'' is a 1946 American crime film directed by Henry Levin and starring Anita Louise, Jim Bannon and Michael Duane. The film was the second of three B pictures based on the popular radio series '' I Love a Mystery''. As well a ...

'' (1946) * ''

Something in the Wind ''Something in the Wind'' is a 1947 American musical comedy film directed by Irving Pichel and starring Deanna Durbin, Donald O'Connor, and John Dall. Durbin's third husband Charles David said she "hated" making her last three films and that she ...

'' (1947) * ''

Return of the Bad Men ''Return of the Bad Men'', also known as ''Return of the Badmen'', is a 1948 American Western film directed by Ray Enright and starring Randolph Scott, Robert Ryan and Anne Jeffreys.Jarlett p.192-93 A loose sequel to the 1946 film ''Badman's T ...

'' (1948) * ''

'' (1950) * '' Mutiny'' (1952) * ''Golden Girl'' (1952) * ''

Vice Squad A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tr ...

'' (1953) * ''Johnny Trouble'' (1957) * ''

The Alligator People ''The Alligator People'' is a 1959 CinemaScope science-fiction horror film directed by Roy Del Ruth.''Midnight Marquee Actors Series: Lon Chaney, Jr.'' by Gary Svehla It stars Beverly Garland, Bruce Bennett, and Lon Chaney Jr. This film was th ...

'' (1959) * '' Lassie's Great Adventure'' (1963)

Awards

O'Neal received the first

Christopher Award The Christopher Award (established 1949) is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, films and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit". It is given by The Christophers, a Christian organization ...

for his debut novel ''The Three Wishes of Jamie McRuin'' (1949).

References

External links

*
Papers of Charles O'Neal 1938–1982
Special Collections Department,

Libraries {{DEFAULTSORT:Oneal, Charles 1904 births 1996 deaths 20th-century American novelists American male novelists American people of English descent American people of Irish descent American male screenwriters People from Raeford, North Carolina 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American male dramatists and playwrights Screenwriters from North Carolina 20th-century American male writers University of Iowa alumni 20th-century American screenwriters