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 4,559 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Hoke County. History John McRae and A.A. Williford operated a turpentine distillery and general store, respe ...

, the son of Elizabeth Maude (née Belton) of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

descent, and Charles Samuel O'Neal of Irish descent. He attended the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, 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 int ...

, then moved to

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, where he joined an acting troupe that included his future wife, Patricia O'Callaghan. After publishing a short story in ''

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 gentleman ...

'', he decided to forgo performing and turned to screenwriting mostly

B-movie A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...

s, among them ''

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

'', ''

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 chan ...

'', ''

The Missing Juror ''The Missing Juror'' is a 1944 American film noir mystery film directed by Budd Boetticher (as Oscar Boetticher Jr.) and starring Jim Bannon, Janis Carter, George Macready and Jean Stevens.Budd Boetticher: The Last Interview Wheeler, Winston Di ...

'', ''

I Love a Mystery ''I Love a Mystery'' is an American radio drama series that aired 1939–44 and 1949–52, and was written and directed by Carlton E. Morse, about three friends who ran a detective agency and traveled the world in search of adventure. The adve ...

'', ''

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

'', 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 Untouchable or Untouchables may refer to: People * Untouchability, the practice of socially ostracizing a minority group of very low social status * Untouchables, word for the Dalits or Scheduled Castes of India * Untouchables (law enforcement), ...

''. Together with

Abe Burrows Abe Burrows (born Abram Solman Borowitz; December 18, 1910 – May 17, 1985) was an American writer, composer, humorist, director for radio and the stage, and librettist for Broadway musicals. His versatile career in radio, Broadway, and televis ...

, O'Neal adapted his 1949 novel ''The Three Wishes of Jamie McRuin'' for the short-lived 1952 musical '' Three Wishes for Jamie''. The production ran on Broadway March 21–June 7, 1952. O'Neal is the father of actor

Ryan O'Neal Charles Patrick Ryan O'Neal (April 20, 1941 – December 8, 2023) was an American actor. Born in Los Angeles, he trained as an amateur boxer before beginning a career in acting in 1960. In 1964, he landed the role of Rodney Harrington on the ...

and screenwriter/actor Kevin O'Neal and grandfather of Tatum,

Griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (; Classical Latin: ''gryps'' or ''grypus''; Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk ...

Patrick Patrick may refer to: *Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name * Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People *Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint * Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), 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 at ...

'' (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 i ...

''.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) * ''

'' (1945) * ''

The Falcon's Alibi ''The Falcon's Alibi'' is a 1946 American mystery film directed by Ray McCarey and starring Tom Conway, Rita Corday and Vince Barnett. It was the ninth film featuring Conway as The Falcon. After the following film, '' The Falcon's Adventure'', ...

'' (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 as ...

'' (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 Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military or a crew) to oppose, change, or remove superiors or their orders. The term is commonly used for insubordination by members of the military against an officer or superior, ...

'' (1952) * ''Golden Girl'' (1952) * ''

Vice Squad Vice Squad are an English punk rock band formed in 1979 in Bristol. The band was formed from two other local punk bands, The Contingent and TV Brakes. The songwriter and vocalist Beki Bondage (born Rebecca Bond) was a founding member of the b ...

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

The Alligator People ''The Alligator People'' is a 1959 American 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 fil ...

'' (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 organizatio ...

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