Wendell Curran Mayes (July 21, 1919 – March 28, 1992) was a Hollywood screenwriter.

Background

Wendell Curran Mayes was born on July 21, 1919, in

Hayti, Missouri Hayti (pronounced "HAY-tie") is a city in eastern Pemiscot County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,493 at the 2020 census. History Hayti was platted in 1894, when the railroad was extended to that point. According to one tradition, ...

. His father, Von Mayes, was a lawyer, and his mother, Irene (née Haynes), was a teacher. Wendell attended primary school in

Caruthersville, Missouri Caruthersville is a city in and the county seat of Pemiscot County, Missouri, United States, located along the Mississippi River in the Bootheel region of the state's far southeast. The population was 5,562, according to the 2020 census. Histor ...

; Battle Ground Academy in Franklin, Tennessee; and Central College in

Fayette, Missouri Fayette is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Missouri, United States. It is part of the Columbia, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 2,803 at the 2020 census. History Fayette was laid out in 1823. The ...

. He had one year of law school at

Cumberland University Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee. It was founded in 1842. The campus's current historic buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896. History 1842-1861 The university was founded by the Cumberlan ...

in Lebanon, Tennessee.

Career

Mayes moved to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

to work as a filing clerk in the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, then to New York, where he worked in the theater. Subsequently he was an exterminator and gold prospector in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, a truck driver in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. 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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

he worked as a welder in a

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

shipyard, and joined the

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 ...

as a petty officer shipbuilder. In 1945 he was discharged from the Navy and moved back to New York.

Screenwriter

Mayes began as an actor, then turned to writing. An episode ''No Riders'' that he wrote for '' Pond's Theater'' received a good review in a

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

newspaper and

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-American filmmaker. His career in Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Classic Hol ...

hired him to work on the script to the film ''

The Spirit of St. Louis The ''Spirit of St. Louis'' (formally the Ryan NYP, registration: N-X-211) is the custom-built, single-engine, single-seat, high-wing monoplane that was flown by Charles Lindbergh on May 20–21, 1927, on the first solo nonstop transatlanti ...

''. For ''

Anatomy of a Murder ''Anatomy of a Murder'' is a 1959 American courtroom drama and crime film produced and directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Wendell Mayes was based on the 1958 novel of the same name written by Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Vo ...

'', Mayes received a

New York Film Critics Circle Award The New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) is an American film critic organization founded in 1935 by Wanda Hale from the New York ''Daily News''. Its membership includes over 30 film critics from New York-based daily and weekly newspapers, magazi ...

for best screenplay in 1959 and an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

nomination in 1960. It is claimed to be one of the best trial movies of all time.

Personal life and death

Wendell Mayes died of cancer aged 72 on March 28, 1992, in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing t ...

. His last script was ''Criminal Behavior'' that starred Farrah Fawcett.Wendell Mayes, 72, Film and TV Writer, New York Times 2 April 1992
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Works

Screenwriting credits include: *''

'' (with

and

Charles Lederer Charles Davies Lederer (December 31, 1910 – March 5, 1976) was an American screenwriter and film director. He was born into a theatrical family in New York, and after his parents divorced, was raised in California by his aunt, Marion Davies, ...

), Warner Brothers, 1957 *''

The Enemy Below ''The Enemy Below'' is a 1957 DeLuxe Color war film in CinemaScope about a battle between an American destroyer escort and a German U-boat during World War II. Produced and directed by Dick Powell, the movie stars Robert Mitchum and Curt J� ...

'', Twentieth Century-Fox, 1957 *''

The Way to the Gold ''The Way to the Gold'' is a 1957 drama film directed by Robert D. Webb and starring Jeffrey Hunter, Sheree North, and Barry Sullivan. It was released by 20th Century-Fox. Plot Joe Mundy (Hunter) is being released from prison and an old convict ...

'', Twentieth Century-Fox, 1957 *''

From Hell to Texas ''From Hell to Texas'' is a 1958 American Western film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Don Murray and Diane Varsi. Plot Ruthless cattle baron Hunter Boyd orders his riders to capture a former ranch-hand, Tod Lohman, suspected of murder ...

'' (also known as ''Manhunt'') (with

Robert Buckner Robert Buckner (May 28, 1906 – August 18, 1989) was an American film screenwriter, producer and short story writer. Biography Buckner studied at the University of Virginia and the University of Edinburgh. He began his professional writing ca ...

), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1958 *'' The Hunters'', Twentieth Century-Fox, 1958 *'' The Hanging Tree'' (with Halsted Welles), Warner Brothers, 1959 *''

'', Columbia, 1959 *''

North to Alaska ''North to Alaska'' is a 1960 comedic Western/Northern film directed by Henry Hathaway and John Wayne (uncredited). The picture stars Wayne along with Stewart Granger, Ernie Kovacs, Fabian, and Capucine. The script is based on the 1939 play ' ...

'' (with

John Lee Mahin John Lee Mahin (August 23, 1902, Evanston, Illinois – April 18, 1984, Los Angeles) was an American screenwriter and producer of films who was active in Hollywood from the 1930s to the 1960s. He was known as the favorite writer of Clark Gable an ...

, Martin Rackin, and

Claude Binyon Claude Binyon (October 17, 1905 Chicago, Illinois – February 14, 1978 Glendale, California) was a screenwriter and director. His genres were comedy, musicals, and romances. As a Chicago-based journalist for the ''Examiner'' newspaper, he be ...

), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1960 *''

Advise and Consent Advice and consent is an English phrase frequently used in enacting formulae of bills and in other legal or constitutional contexts. It describes either of two situations: where a weak executive branch of a government enacts something previ ...

'', Columbia, 1962 *''

Von Ryan's Express ''Von Ryan's Express'' is a 1965 World War II adventure film starring Frank Sinatra, Trevor Howard, and Raffaella Carrà, and directed by Mark Robson. Produced in CinemaScope, the film depicts a group of Allied prisoners of war ( POWs) who cond ...

'' (with Joseph Landon), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1965 *''

In Harm's Way ''In Harm's Way'' is a 1965 American epic war film produced and directed by Otto Preminger and starring John Wayne, Kirk Douglas and Patricia Neal, with a supporting cast featuring Henry Fonda in a lengthy cameo, Tom Tryon, Paula Prentiss, Stanle ...

'', Paramount, 1965 *''

Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

'', Warner Brothers, 1967 *''

The Stalking Moon ''The Stalking Moon'' is a 1968 American Western film in Technicolor directed by Robert Mulligan and starring Gregory Peck and Eva Marie Saint. It is based on the novel of the same name by T.V. Olsen. Plot U.S. Army soldiers round up a grou ...

'' (with Alvin Sargent), National General Pictures,1968 *'' The Revengers'', National General Pictures, 1972 *'' The Poseidon Adventure'' (with

Stirling Silliphant Stirling Dale Silliphant (January 16, 1918 – April 26, 1996) was an American screenwriter and producer. He is best remembered for his screenplay for '' In the Heat of the Night'', for which he won an Academy Award in 1967, and for creating ...

), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1972 *'' Death Wish'', Paramount, 1974 *''

Bank Shot ''Bank Shot'' is a 1974 heist film directed by Gower Champion and written by Wendell Mayes. It was loosely based upon Donald E. Westlake's 1972 novel of the same name, which was the second book of his " Dortmunder" series. The film stars Geor ...

'', United Artists, 1974 *'' Go Tell the Spartans'', Avco-Embassy, 1978 *'' Love and Bullets'' (with John Melson), Associated Film Distribution,1979 *''

Monsignor Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...

'', Twentieth Century-Fox, 1982

References

External links

*
Wendell Mayes biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayes, Wendell 1919 births 1992 deaths American male screenwriters People from Hayti, Missouri Screenwriters from Missouri 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters