William Woolfolk
William Woolfolk | |
---|---|
Born | Center Moriches, New York, U.S. | June 25, 1917
Died | July 20, 2003 Syracuse, New York, U.S. | (aged 86)
Occupation | Novelist |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | New York University |
Notable awards | Inkpot Award 2002 |
Spouse | Joanna Martine Woolfolk |
Children | Donna Woolfolk Cross |
William Woolfolk (June 25, 1917 – July 20, 2003) was an American writer known for his range of writing output, having achieved success in the areas of comic books, novels, and television screenwriting. A graduate of New York University, Woolfolk went to work in advertising before joining the comic book industry in the 1940s.[1]
Comic books
Woolfolk worked in the comic book business, starting with
After military service in the Army during
At the request of Kable News, he became a periodical publisher in 1955, launching the monthly gossip magazine Inside Story as a rival to Confidential. It eventually became the second best-selling scandal sheet in the trade.[8] He eventually left publishing for novel writing and to work in television.[1]
Woolworth told the anthology Contemporary Authors:
"Writing during the so-called Golden Age of comics, I soon became the best paid and most sought-after writer (there was little competition) in the field. I wrote for all the characters now so nostalgically remembered: Captain Marvel, Superman, Batman, Captain Midnight, Blackhawk, Plastic Man and many others. This work paid so well, was so easy to do, and so much fun, that my versatility might have come to an end forever. But the Golden Age passed, and I moved on."[1]
In 2002, he was awarded the Inkpot Award at
Television writer
Woolfolk became a TV screenwriter, primarily working on the courtroom drama The Defenders, where he also was a script editor. A 1965 episode he wrote, "All the Silent Voices", was one of the first to deal with birth control.[3] In 1964, he was nominated for Writers Guild of America award in 1964[9] for Episodic TV Drama for The Defenders episode "A Book for Burning".[1]
He also worked on the crime drama Arrest and Trial, a show that was a forerunner of Law & Order. In the first half of each 90-minute episode, a detective (Ben Gazzara) investigated a crime, while in the second half, a member of the District Attorney's office (Chuck Connors) tried the case. The series lasted only one season in 1963–1964.[10]
Novelist
Though his first novel, The Naked Hunter, was published in 1953, it was not until 1962 that he published his first hardcover book, when Doubleday issued My Name is Morgan (1962), which was based on the life of Mike Todd.[11] Most of his novels dealt with characters based on actual people, romans à clef limning the lives of celebrities, including "The Beautiful Couple" (1968), a bestseller evocative of the life of Todd's former wife Elizabeth Taylor and her fifth husband Richard Burton; The Builders (1969), based on the construction of the Seagram Building, featured characters based on the Modernist architect William Lescaze and the real estate developer William Zeckendorf; and Maggie (1971), based on the relationship of newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst and his movie star mistress Marion Davies.[1]
Woolfolk wrote TV tie-ins based on the
Woolfolk died of
In his interview with Contemporary Authors, Woolworth summed up his writing career:[1]
No literary monuments have ever been erected that proclaim: 'He was versatile'. No one looks forward to a new book by William Woolfolk because no one, including the author, knows what it will be.
He claimed that his comic books work outshone his other literary production.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Oliver, Myrna (August 10, 2003). "William Woolfolk, 86; Novelist Wrote for Television, Comics". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
- ^ O'Hearn, Martin. "William Woolfolk's Records Book". Who Created the Comic Books?. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Nash, Eric P. (August 9, 2003). "William Woolfolk, 86, Writer Behind Comic-Book Heroes". The New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
- ^ O'Hearn, Martin. "Woolfolk Records 1951/02". Who Created the Comic Books?. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
- ^ Berk, Jon. "One-Shot Wonders (2005 Article)". CGC Comics. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ISBN 0517501880.
- ^ Auctions, Hakes. "MAD HATTER #1, JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1946". Hakes Acutions. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ^ a b Woolfolk, William. "Woolfolk on Weisinger". The Comics Detective. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
- ^ "Awards for William Woolfolk". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-3828-0.
- ^ "MY NAME IS MORGAN By William Woolfolk". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved October 5, 2013.