Robb White
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Robb White III (June 20, 1909 – November 24, 1990) was an American writer of screenplays, television scripts, and adventure novels. Most of the latter had a maritime setting, often the
Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...
Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...
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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. White was best known for juvenile fiction, though he has proven popular with adults as well. Nearly all his books are out of print; nevertheless, White has a devoted following among
baby boomers Baby boomers, often shortened to boomers, are the Western demographic cohort following the Silent Generation and preceding Generation X. The generation is often defined as people born from 1946 to 1964, during the mid-20th century baby boom. ...
, many of whom were introduced to him through inexpensive paperbacks available in American schools in the mid-20th century.


Schools and schooners

Robb White III was born to Episcopal missionaries, Placidia (Bridges) and Robb White, in
Baguio Baguio ( , ), officially the City of Baguio ( ilo, Siudad ti Baguio; fil, Lungsod ng Baguio), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...
,
Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...
, in the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
. At the time, White's father was working with the
Igorots The indigenous peoples of the Cordillera Mountain Range of northern Luzon, Philippines are often referred to using the exonym Igorot people, or more recently, as the Cordilleran peoples. There are nine main ethnolinguistic groups whose domains ar ...
, though he later became an
Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intelligence ...
, and thus the young family—including Robb's brother and two sisters—traveled extensively before settling in Thomasville, Georgia. On a 1958 episode of the television show ''
This Is Your Life This Is Your Life may refer to: Television * ''This Is Your Life'' (American franchise), an American radio and television documentary biography series hosted by Ralph Edwards * ''This Is Your Life'' (Australian TV series), the Australian versio ...
'', White's sister said that "young Bob was the proverbial minister's son, a rebel against all rules and full of deviltry"—as exemplified when the boy rolled eggs off the roof onto a Ladies' Auxiliary meeting on the front lawn. White had no formal education before entering the Episcopal High School in New York City, New York. He later attended the
United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...
at
Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...
, graduated as an ensign in 1931, and then worked briefly as a draftsman and construction engineer for
DuPont DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...
. In his 1953 memoir, ''Our Virgin Island'', White says that by 1937 he "had been halfway round the world and back" and "sailed a
schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoo ...
around the Atlantic for six months." During his stint on a Boston-based "floating school" with only one student, White one night swam ashore from two miles out after the schooner was crippled in a December storm.


Their virgin island

In 1937, White married Rosalie "Rodie" Mason. The couple settled in Sea Cows Bay on the island of
Tortola Tortola () is the largest and most populated island of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands that form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. It has a surface area of with a total population of 23,908, with 9,400 residents in ...
, where the insects were so severe that White put his typewriter in a boat and wrote in the middle of the bay each day. The pair spent weeks sailing daily throughout the islands in search of a more suitable home. One afternoon, after landing on what they thought was large and better-known
Great Camanoe Great Camanoe is a small island just north of Beef Island and northeast of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands that forms part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Great Cama ...
, White walked off in one direction along the beach and Rodie in the other. Meeting less than half an hour later, they realized they had landed on a tiny island, Marina Cay, which they quickly purchased for $60. The Whites spent three years on Marina, hacking a cistern out of the rough, rocky land and shipping in enough concrete to build a small, sturdy house. These adventurous years, during which the couple weathered a
hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Dep ...
, fended off a
Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
skipper, aided Jewish refugees, and survived a surprise visit from White's mother-in-law, are detailed in his memoirs, ''In Privateer's Bay'' (1939), ''Our Virgin Island'' (1953), and ''Two on the Isle'' (1985). White was recalled to military duty when World War II broke out; he flew as a pilot, fought near his birthplace in the
Battle of Leyte Gulf The Battle of Leyte Gulf ( fil, Labanan sa golpo ng Leyte, lit=Battle of Leyte gulf; ) was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. It was fo ...
(1944), and served on battleships, submarines, and aircraft carriers. He earned eight medals and retired with the rank of lieutenant commander after five years of service. At the same time as White's recall, he and Rodie lost Marina Cay. The British government had never issued them a license to hold the land and now formally refused, stating that White's published writings had misrepresented conditions in the
British Virgin Islands ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = Territorial song , song = "Oh, Beautiful Virgin Islands" , image_map = File:British Virgin Islands on the globe (Americas centered).svg , map_caption = , mapsize = 290px , image_map2 = Brit ...
. Today, the house Robb and Rodie built serves as the reading lounge for a modest-sized resort on the island.


"A writer's writer"

White was determined to be a writer from the age of 13. While working for DuPont, he returned home each day and wrote from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. In 1931, he quit DuPont after selling his first story to '' The American Boy'' for $100. "A writer's writer, White truly lived his trade". He produced numerous articles and stories for ''
The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely ...
'', ''
Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wif ...
'', ''
The Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'', ''
Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
'', and ''
Boys' Life ''Scout Life'' (formerly ''Boys' Life'') is the monthly magazine of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Its target readers are boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 18. The magazine‘s headquarters are in Irving, Texas. ''Scout Life'' is pub ...
'', as well as the
United States Naval Institute The United States Naval Institute (USNI) is a private non-profit military association that offers independent, nonpartisan forums for debate of national security issues. In addition to publishing magazines and books, the Naval Institute holds se ...
's ''
Proceedings In academia and librarianship, conference proceedings is a collection of academic papers published in the context of an academic conference or workshop. Conference proceedings typically contain the contributions made by researchers at the confer ...
'' and various risqué publications; as he told interviewer Tom Weaver, "I wrote as a woman for ''True Stories'' and got raped in a hayloft about once a month." White also wrote for television, including ''
Men of Annapolis A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromos ...
'' and ''
The Silent Service is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kaiji Kawaguchi. It was published in Kodansha's '' Weekly Morning'' manga magazine from 1988 to 1996 and collected in 32 ''tankōbon'' volumes. The series was adapted into an anime tele ...
'' (both 1957), plus episodes of ''
Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...
'' (1961–1965). In the late 1950s and early 1960s he teamed with horror film director
William Castle William Castle (born William Schloss Jr.; April 24, 1914 – May 31, 1977) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Orphaned at 11, Castle dropped out of high school at 15 to work in the theater. He came to the attenti ...
, best known for gimmicks such as a free "ghost viewer" and a vibrating electrical device mounted beneath the theater seats. White and Castle turned out five films, '' Macabre'', ''
13 Ghosts ''13 Ghosts'' is a 1960 American supernatural horror film produced and directed by William Castle, written by Robb White and starring Rosemary DeCamp, Margaret Hamilton, Charles Herbert, Martin Milner, Jo Morrow, John van Dreelen, and Donald ...
'', '' Homicidal'', ''
The Tingler ''The Tingler'' is a 1959 American horror film produced and directed by William Castle. It is the third of five collaborations between Castle and writer Robb White, and starring Vincent Price. The film tells the story of a scientist who discove ...
'', and ''
House on Haunted Hill ''House on Haunted Hill'' is a 1959 American horror film produced and directed by William Castle, written by Robb White and starring Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart, Richard Long, Alan Marshal, Carolyn Craig and Elisha Cook Jr. Price plays an ...
''—the last two featuring
Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector and gourmet cook. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has two stars on the Hollywood Wal ...
. Despite all this, White is best known for his 24 novels. The early ''Run Masked'' (1938) was White's only effort at a work of adult-themed literature. Most of his books are adventure stories aimed at younger readers — including ''The Lion's Paw'' (1946), '' Deathwatch'' (1972), ''
Up Periscope ''Up Periscope'' is a 1959 World War II submarine film drama directed by Gordon Douglas, produced by Aubrey Schenck and starring James Garner and Edmond O'Brien. The supporting cast features Andra Martin, Alan Hale Jr., Edd Byrnes, Warren Oate ...
'' (1956) (filmed with
James Garner James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including ''The Great Escape (film), The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy ...
in 1959), ''Flight Deck'' (1961), ''Torpedo Run'' (1962), and ''The Survivor'' (1964). The last four of these—and many others—are set in the same Pacific Theater where White served during World War II. Others—''Lion's Paw'', plus the rarer ''Sail Away'' (1948), ''Three Against the Sea'' (1940), and ''Smuggler's Sloop'' (1937)—feature youthful
protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
s working together against the elements. "White is on record saying that young people appreciate his work most. He attributed this to their good, decent and courageous nature, exactly the kind of people about whom he enjoyed writing. White confided to ''Something About the Author'' that he liked stories that dealt with ordinary people who survived in the face of terrible hardship ... White's work is typically hero-driven, a characteristic that emerges most clearly in ''Deathwatch'', where the protagonist battles not only his human persecutor, but the impersonal harshness of the American desert ... ""Robb White Papers"
de Grummond Children's Literature Collection. The University of Southern Mississippi. July 2001. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
Several of his novels were popularized in the school-based Scholastic book-sale program in the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s; now out of print, these 50-cent paperbacks currently sell for up to $50 on the Internet; rarer White hardbacks can fetch ten times that amount. In October 2008, a facsimile edition of ''The Lion's Paw'' was published by White's widow and her daughter.Klinkenberg, Jeff
"The Lion's Paw"
''St. Petersburg Times'', November 9, 2008. Retrieved 2009-07-10


Later life

*White was a member of the 1950
Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
anthropological expedition to the Middle East. *Robb and Rodie White divorced in 1964; they had three children—Robb, Barbara, and June. *Robb White IV (1941–2006) was a well-known Georgia boat-builder and author of ''How to Build a Tin Canoe: Confessions of an Old Salt'' (2003). *June, better known as
Bailey White June Bailey White (born May 31, 1950) is an American author and a regular radio commentator for the National Public Radio program ''All Things Considered''. Biography June Bailey White was born in Thomasville, Georgia, May 31, 1950. She is the ...
, is a commentator for
NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
and author of ''Mama Makes Up Her Mind'' (1993), ''Sleeping at the Starlight Motel'' (1995), and ''Quite a Year for Plums'' (1998). In her audio book "Ostrich Farmer and Other Stories", Bailey reminisces about her father's movie career in her story "Father's Feet". *In the mid-1960s, White married Joan Gannon, a
Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...
stockbroker. According to the Laurel Leaf paperback edition of ''Deathwatch''—the only White book still in print—he was married to Mrs. Alice White at the time of his death in 1990. *He lived in Thomasville, Georgia, where he and Rodie settled after returning from the Caribbean, in Malibu and
Montecito, California Montecito (Spanish for "Little mountain") is an unincorporated town and census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California.McCormack, Don (1999). ''McCormack's Guides Santa Barbara and Ventura 2000''. Mccormacks Guides. p. 58. . Located ...
, England, Ireland, Scotland, the West Indies and the French Riviera, as well as
Lake Havasu City, Arizona Lake Havasu City (, ) is a city in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 57,144, up from 52,527 in 2010. It is served by Lake Havasu City Airport. History The community first started as a ...
—the setting for ''Deathwatch''. White died in 1990 as a result of head injuries suffered in a car accident.


Bibliography


Awards

*1937 New York Herald Tribune prize for best older boys' book of the year, ''Smuggler's Sloop'' *1972 ALA Best of the Best Books for Young Adults, ''Deathwatch'' *1972 New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year, ''Deathwatch'' *1973
Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...
for Best Juvenile Mystery of the Year, ''Deathwatch''


Film adaptations

Some of White's works have been adapted to motion pictures. *''Our Virgin Island'' was filmed as ''
Virgin Island The Virgin Islands ( es, Islas Vírgenes) are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Rico Trench and St. Croi ...
'' in 1958; it starred
John Cassavetes John Nicholas Cassavetes ( ; December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. First known as a television and film actor, Cassavetes also helped pioneer American independent cinema, writing and direc ...
, Sidney Poitier, and Ruby Dee *''
Up Periscope ''Up Periscope'' is a 1959 World War II submarine film drama directed by Gordon Douglas, produced by Aubrey Schenck and starring James Garner and Edmond O'Brien. The supporting cast features Andra Martin, Alan Hale Jr., Edd Byrnes, Warren Oate ...
'' was directed by Gordon Douglas in 1959, with
James Garner James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including ''The Great Escape (film), The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy ...
,
Edmond O'Brien Eamon Joseph O'Brien (September 10, 1915 – May 9, 1985) was an American actor and film director. His career spanned almost 40 years, and he won one Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. O'Brien w ...
, Frank Gifford, and
Edd Byrnes Edward Byrne Breitenberger (July 30, 1932 – January 8, 2020), known professionally as Edd Byrnes, was an American actor, best known for his starring role in the television series '' 77 Sunset Strip.'' He also was featured in the 1978 film '' Gr ...
*''Deathwatch'' was made for television as '' Savages'' in 1974; it featured
Andy Griffith Andy Samuel Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012) was an American actor, comedian, television producer, southern gospel singer and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his Southern drawl, his characte ...
as the villain *The 2015 thriller ''
Beyond the Reach ''Beyond the Reach'' is a 2014 American thriller film directed by Jean-Baptiste Léonetti and written by Stephen Susco. It is based on the 1972 novel '' Deathwatch'' by Robb White and stars Michael Douglas, Jeremy Irvine, Hanna Mangan-Lawrence, ...
'', starring
Michael Douglas Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the AF ...
,
Jeremy Irvine Jeremy William Fredric Smith (born 18 June 1990), known professionally as Jeremy Irvine, is an English actor who made his film debut in the epic war film ''War Horse'' (2011). In 2012, he portrayed Philip "Pip" Pirrip in the film adaptation of ...
and
Ronny Cox Daniel Ronald Cox (born July 23, 1938) is an American actor, singer and songwriter. His best-known roles include Drew Ballinger in ''Deliverance'' (1972), George Apple in ''Apple's Way'' (1974–75), Ozark Bule in '' Bound for Glory'' (1976), Co ...
, was a revamped and updated version of ''Deathwatch'' White's original screenplays for ''
House on Haunted Hill ''House on Haunted Hill'' is a 1959 American horror film produced and directed by William Castle, written by Robb White and starring Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart, Richard Long, Alan Marshal, Carolyn Craig and Elisha Cook Jr. Price plays an ...
'' and ''
13 Ghosts ''13 Ghosts'' is a 1960 American supernatural horror film produced and directed by William Castle, written by Robb White and starring Rosemary DeCamp, Margaret Hamilton, Charles Herbert, Martin Milner, Jo Morrow, John van Dreelen, and Donald ...
'' were both adapted for remakes.


References


External links


Complete bibliography
*
Website for Robb White IVPhoto of Marina Cay & info on Pusser'sOfficial site for ''The Lion's Paw'' and other Robb White information
*Magazine stories http://www.philsp.com/homeville/FMI/s2238.htm#A86827 {{DEFAULTSORT:White, Robb 1909 births 1990 deaths 20th-century American novelists American male novelists American expatriates in the Philippines United States Navy officers Edgar Award winners 20th-century American male writers