Occupation writer Movies Damn Yankees Role Novelist | Name Douglass Wallop Nationality American | |
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Born John Douglass Wallop, III8 March 1920Washington D.C. ( 1920-03-08 ) Children (Stepchildren) Taffy, Wendy Died April 1, 1985, Washington, D.C., United States Books The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant, Mixed Singles, Howard's bag, Regatta, The other side of the river, Stone: A Novel Similar People George Abbott, Jerry Ross, Richard Adler, Gwen Verdon, Stephen Douglass |
John Douglass Wallop III (8 March 1920 – 1 April 1985) was an American novelist and playwright.
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Early life
John Douglass Wallop III was born in Washington, DC on 8 March 1920 to John Douglass, Jr., an insurance agent, and Marjorie Wallop (maiden name Ellis).
Wallop graduated from the University of Maryland in 1942, where he served as editor of "The Old Line", a student-run literary and humor magazine.
Writing career
His first novel, 1953's Night Light, concerns a father's search into the background of his child's murderer. Anne Brooks of the New York Herald Tribune Book Review said he "created characters who are both real and colorful, and he has delved into a maniac's mind with considerable understanding." R.G. Peck wrote an article for the Chicago Sunday Tribune and said it was the "first novel that's well constructed, carefully written, and free of painful mannerisms." Al Hine of the Saturday Review said it's a "novel that is moving and tautly interesting from first page to last. Mr. Wallop writes fluently and without affectation, even when he is exploring the subcellars of bop."
Career
He authored 13 works but is most famous for The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant (1954), which was adapted by Wallop and George Abbott into the Tony Award-winning musical Damn Yankees.
Awards
Personal life
On January 6, 1949 he married writer and actress Lucille Fletcher; they remained together until his death. His interests included chess, sailing, music and woodworking.