Shepherd Mead
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Shepherd Mead, born Edward Mead (April 26, 1914 – August 15, 1994) was an American
writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...
and is best known as the author of ''
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' may refer to: * ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' (book), a 1952 book written by Shepherd Mead and the inspiration for the musical of the same name. * ''How to Succeed in Bu ...
,'' which was adapted into a hit Broadway show and
motion picture A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
.


Biography

Mead, a native of
St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
,
Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
, graduated with an A.B. from
Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
in 1936. He joined the
Benton & Bowles Benton & Bowles (B&B) was a New York-based advertising agency founded by William Benton and Chester Bowles in 1929. One of the oldest agencies in the United States, and frequently one of the 10 largest, it merged with D'Arcy-MacManus Masius in ...
advertising agency in 1936 as a mail-room clerk, and worked his way up to a vice-presidency by the time he left in 1956 to pursue a writing career. In 1957 Mead moved to Switzerland and in the following year to Great Britain, where he worked as an advertising consultant. He went on to write 19 novels, including ''The Big Ball of Wax: A Story of Tomorrow's Happy World'' (1954) describing life in the future year 1993, and ''The Carefully Considered Rape of the World: A Novel about the Unspeakable'' (1965), in which all of Earth's fertile women are simultaneously impregnated by baboon-like
extraterrestrials Extraterrestrial life, colloquially referred to as alien life, is life that may occur outside Earth and which did not originate on Earth. No extraterrestrial life has yet been conclusively detected, although efforts are underway. Such life might ...
. In 1968 he moved back to Switzerland, but then returned to Great Britain in 1978. He died in London in August 1994.


''How to Succeed...''

Mead's best known book has no plot; it is a satire of an instructional manual, very similar in form and subject matter to
Stephen Potter Stephen Meredith Potter (1 February 1900 – 2 December 1969) was a British writer best known for his parodies of self-help books, and their film and television derivatives. After leaving school in the last months of the First World War he wa ...
's ''
Gamesmanship Gamesmanship is the use of dubious (although not technically illegal) methods to win or gain a serious advantage in a game or sport. It has been described as "Pushing the rules to the limit without getting caught, using whatever dubious methods po ...
''. Mead's book was inspired by his corporate experiences; ''How to Succeed'' satirized contemporary office life in the United States in the guise of a
self-help Self-help or self-improvement is a self-guided improvement''APA Dictionary of Physicology'', 1st ed., Gary R. VandenBos, ed., Washington: American Psychological Association, 2007.—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a subst ...
book. Published in 1952, it was written in his spare time - before work and on weekends. Its subtitle was "The dastard's guide to fame and fortune." The book was a best-seller, and in 1961 it was adapted into a
musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
by
Frank Loesser Frank Henry Loesser (; June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals ''Guys and Dolls'' and ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', among others. He won a Tony ...
, with book by
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 ...
. the play differs significantly from the book. It satirizes Mead's own career by depicting the rise of eager young J. Pierrepont Finch ... a window-washer who joins a huge corporation by starting in the mail room, and becomes chairman of the board a week later. The play starred
Robert Morse Robert Alan Morse (May 18, 1931 – April 20, 2022) was an American actor, who starred in ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', both the 1961 original Broadway production, for which he won a Tony Award, and its 1967 film adaptati ...
as the young striver J. Pierrepont Finch and
Rudy Vallee Rudy or Rudi is a masculine given name, sometimes short for Rudolf, Rudolph, Rawad, Rudra, Ruairidh, or variations thereof, a nickname and a surname which may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Rudolf Rudy Andeweg (born 1952), Dutch poli ...
as the company president J.B. Biggley. The play was a smash hit, with a Broadway run of 1,417 performances between October 1961 and March 1965. It won eight
Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...
s and the 1962
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
for best drama. During the run of the play, Mead appeared as himself, along with two impostors, on the panel game show '' To Tell the Truth''. The Broadway production was adapted into a
movie A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
, also starring Morse and several other members of the Broadway cast, in 1967. It was successfully revived on Broadway in 1995, starring
Matthew Broderick Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is an American actor. His roles include the Golden Globe-nominated portrayal of the title character in ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (1986), the voice of adult Simba in Disney's ''The Lion King'' (1994), ...
as Finch. A 2011 revival starred
Daniel Radcliffe Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born 23 July 1989) is an English actor. He rose to fame at age twelve, when he began portraying Harry Potter in the film series of the same name; and has held various other film and theatre roles. Over his career, Rad ...
. In Brazil, the book, titled in Portuguese ''Como Vencer na Vida sem Fazer Força'', was translated by Brazilian dramaturgist Glaucio Gil and published in 1963. The book got two Brazilian prefacies written by
Sérgio Porto Sérgio Marcus Rangel Porto (January 11, 1923 – September 30, 1968) was a Brazilian columnist, writer, broadcaster and composer. He was better known by his pen name Stanislaw Ponte Preta. Porto was born in Rio de Janeiro, and began his journali ...
using the pseudonym "Stanislaw Ponte Preta" and the name of his fictitious cousin "Altamirando".


Quote

"Not even computers will replace committees, because committees buy computers." — Shepherd Mead, quoted in ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'', June 18, 1964.


Works

*''Magnificent MacInnes''. (1949) *''Tessie, the Hound of Channel One''. (1951) *''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying; the Dastard’s Guide to Fame and Fortune''. (1952) (1st Fireside edition) (1995) *''Big Ball of Wax; A Story of Tomorrow’s Happy World'' (Novel, 1954) *''How to Get Rich in TV Without Really Trying.'' (1956) *'' How to Succeed with Women Without Really Trying; the Dastard’s Guide to the Birds and Bees''. (1957) *''Admen''. (1958) *''Four Window Girl; or, How to Make More Money than Men; a Novel''. (1959) *''"Dudley, There is No Tomorrow!" "Then How About this Afternoon?"'' (Novel, 1963) *''How to Live Like a Lord Without Really Trying''. (1964) *''The Carefully Considered Rape of the World : A Novel About the Unspeakable.'' (1965) *''How to Succeed at Business Spying by Trying; A Novel about Industrial Espionage.'' (1968) *''ER; or, The Brassbound Beauty, the Bearded Bicyclist, and the Gold-Colored Teen-age Grandfather'' (Novel, 1969) *''How to Stay Medium-Young Practically Forever Without Really Trying.'' (1971) *''Free the Male Man!'' (1972) *''How to Get to the Future Before It Gets to You.'' (1974) *''Tennessee Williams: An Intimate Biography'' (with Dakin Williams, 1983) *''How to Succeed in Tennis Without Really Trying: The Easy Tennismanship Way to Do All the Things No Tennis Pro Can Teach You.'' (1977)


References


External links

*
The Shepherd Mead Papers at Washington University in St. Louis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mead, Shepherd Washington University in St. Louis alumni 20th-century American novelists American male novelists American satirists 1914 births 1994 deaths American male non-fiction writers 20th-century American male writers