Alabama Book Covers (16): William P. McGivern

At some point in the dim mists of the past I ran across the Wikipedia entry for fiction and television writer William P. McGivern, which noted that although born in Chicago, he "grew up in Mobile, Alabama." Let's investigate.

McGivern was indeed born in Chicago in 1918. We can find him there in the 1920 U.S. Census, along with older brother Francis and their parents Peter and Julia. The family lived at 4903 Forrestville Avenue and the father was superintendent at a brewery.   

The future writer served in the Army in World War II and then studied in England. He spent two years as a police reporter in Philadelphia before his first novel, But Death Runs Faster [AKA The Whispering Corpse] appeared in 1948. McGivern was off and running. By the time he died in 1982 he had published more than 20 novels, mostly mystery and crime thrillers, numerous short stories and various television scripts.

Several of his novels have been adapted as films including Fritz Lang's The Big Heat [1953] starring Glenn Ford and Gloria Grahame and Rogue Cop [1954] with Robert Taylor and Janet Leigh. A particular favorite of mine is Odds Against Tomorrow [1959] in which Harry Belafonte and Robert Ryan try to rob a bank without killing each other. Shelley Winters and Gloria Grahame also star. McGivern's time as a police reporter adds a realism to his crime writing and that is carried over into these films.

In addition to the crime novels, McGivern also wrote a number of short stories, including some science fiction. He wrote a World War II novel and two books with his wife Maureen, including a memoir of the family's world travels. In the 1960's and 1970's McGivern wrote scripts for a number of television series such as The Virginian, Ben Casey, Adam-12 and Kojak. He also wrote a novel as "Bill Peters". 

Ok, but what about the "grew up in Mobile, Alabama" business? Beats me where that came from. You'll find it stated in a number of places across the web, all of which seem to originate with that Wikipedia entry. Yet the 1930 and 1940 U.S. Census records show McGovern living with his family in Chicago. In 1930 father Peter is listed as a real estate salesman; by 1940 he has moved to insurance sales. Perhaps the family moved to Mobile for some years between the census taking and then returned to Chicago.

Oh, well, perhaps I'll find documentation some day....

UPDATE October 16, 2021

I recently stumbled across some of that documentation. McGivern published a story "Adopted Son of the Stars" in the March 1941 issue of Fantastic Adventures and also included in that issue is an "Introducing the Author" piece written by McGivern. The opening paragraph: "I was born at a very early age in Chicago, and for the next few years took little interest in anything but vitamins. Upon reaching the abuse of reason I learned that my family had transplanted me to Mobile, Alabama, a sunny little place hidden right down in the southernmost tip of the state." 

He goes on to note that there he "blasted my fond parents' hope in me by planting six of a neighbor's chick three feet in the ground" hoping to grow chicken trees. He mentions remembering his father play piano and singing, and the time he ate three bowls of chicken gumbo. Before too long the family moved back to Chicago. The rest of the piece describes McGivern's further education and early writing career, and includes a photograph of the young author. See below for both pages. 

My guess is that the McGiverns lived in Mobile either between the 1920 and 1930 censuses or the 1930 and 1940 ones. Some further research in city directories and so forth may one day produce an actual address. 

Two individual subscribers to the PulpMags@groups.io discussion list are largely responsible for this further bit of McGivern documentation. Steve Ericson is a dealer in used, rare and collectible book, pulps, etc,, specializing in science fiction and fantasy. You can find him at Books from the Crypt. He regularly posts pulp covers and contents to the list, and I noted this issue in a recent posting. Another collector and dealer on the list, Curt Phillips, kindly provided me with scans of McGivern's note. 

Since this piece was originally posted, I've written about the film Odds Against Tomorrow. Now we can say for sure it has two Alabama connections, McGivern and his novel and the appearance of Birmingham native Wayne Rogers in a very early role. 

William P. McGivern [1918-1982]

Source: Wikipedia

Source: FictionMags Index

Fantastic Adventures [v3 #2, March 1941] (20¢, 148pp, pulp, cover by J. Allen St. John) 8 · Slaves of the Fish Men [Venus] · Edgar Rice Burroughs · na 48 · Harnessing the Sahara · Jack West · ms 50 · Death Walks in Washington [Oscar] · James Norman · nv 78 · The Thought Robot · John York Cabot · ss 90 · Beyond the Time Door · David Wright O’Brien · ss 98 · Adopted Son of the Stars · William P. McGivern · ss 106 · Secret of the Stone Doll · Don Wilcox · nv 128 · Twenty-Fifth Century Sherlock · Duncan Farnsworth · ss 131 · Introducing the Author: William P. McGivern · William P. McGivern · bg Source: FictionMags Index

Movies with Alabama Connections: Odds Against Tomorrow

Released in 1959, Odds Against Tomorrow is often cited as one of the last entries of

film noir's classic period that began in the late 1930's. Harry Belafonte, Ed Begley,
Jr. and Robert Ryan star in this dark and gritty piece about a small town bank
robbery. Shelley Winters and Gloria Grahame are also in the cast. 

In addition to that great cast and a tight story, the film has a couple of other pluses.
There's a side conflict between Ryan's racist character and Belafonte that adds
even more tension as the plot unfolds. Odds also has a wonderful musical score
written by pianist John Lewis of the Modern Jazz Quartet. In addition to band mates
Percy Heath [bass], Milt Jackson [vibraphone], and Connie Kay [drums], the
orchestration includes the fabulous Bill Evans on piano and Jim Hall on guitar.

The MJQ released a soundtrack album the same year.

This film has a possible Alabama connection and another certain one. The novel
that started it all by William P. McGovern was first published in 1957. I've
explored McGivern's supposed Mobile connections in a blog post. 

The other Alabama connection appears about midway through the movie. Robert
Ryan goes into a bar for a drink, and a soldier and his girl are horsing around. Ryan
takes offense and the final result is a fight in which the soldier ends up on the floor.
The soldier is played by none other than Wayne Rogers. 

He was born in Birmingham on April 7, 1933. After graduating from Princeton and a
stint in the Navy, Rogers began appearing in small roles in Hollywood. His debut was
auspicious, although credited only as a main character's "tennis opponent" in the
Alfred Hitchcock classic 1951 Strangers on a Train. His IMDB credits show a gap until
1959, when he made appearances on the TV soap opera Search for Tomorrow and
as that guy in the bar in Odds. In the 1960's he had numerous roles in TV shows
ranging from Have Gun Will Travel to Gunsmoke and Honey West. He even appeared
with fellow Alabama native Jim Nabors on Gomer Pyle USMC. 

Of course, Rogers went on to great fame in the popular M*A*S*H TV show where 
he was a regular for three seasons 1972-1975. He continued acting in
films and TV movies and shows until 2003. In one of those roles he played Alabama
native and attorney Morris Dees in the 1996 film Ghosts of Mississippi. 

Rogers died on New Year's Eve 2015.

Here are the three leads: Harry Belafonte, Ed Begley, Sr., and Robert Ryan

Robert Ryan and Wayne Rogers are about to mix it up in the bar scene.

Marshall Buell--Comedian, Murder Victim, Ghost?

Occasionally I run across someone who has an apparent Alabama connection, but after doing a bit of research the connection seems to vanish. See my post on author William P. McGivern, for instance. Marshall Buell is another good example. 

I recently stumbled upon an article about the Odd Fellow's Hall/Opera House in Westminster, Maryland. The building, opened in 1858, served as an entertainment venue after the Civil War and well into the twentieth century. One incident probably in the 1870's has contributed to its reputation as one of the "haunted theatres of Maryland." 

Sometime during the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant, i.e. 1869-1877, a comedian named Marshall Buell appeared at the Opera House. During his performance he affected a broad Southern accent and proceeded to make crude fun of Grant. The audience reacted violently, tossing rocks and other items toward the stage. Buell fled but was later found murdered near the theater. The Sheriff had supposedly offered a night in jail as protection; Buell refused. His killer was never caught, and he was buried in an unmarked grave in Westminster Cemetery. Every account of this matter identifies Buell as a comedian from Alabama.

These accounts all seem to be secondary. I first came across the story in an article by Kevin Dayhoff, "The Odd Fellow's Hall Opera House in Westminster a witness to history for over 165 years" published in the Baltimore Sun on April 16, 2021. He mentions an article by Mary Ellen Grabill published in the Sun on June 3, 2007, and an earlier lengthy one by Jesse Glass in the Carroll County Times November 3, 1978. Dayhoff's article does not mention any sources contemporary to the Buell incident, so this story may be a case study in building folklore--a real event transmuted far beyond its origins.

I made some effort to track down Martin Buell, but Ancestry.com and the Library of Congress' Chronicling America collection of 19th century newspapers coughed up nothing. I did find a Martin Buell working in the General Land-Office of the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1878, but he was born in Massachusetts. Of course, Buell may not have been his real name, and perhaps he wasn't really from Alabama. Nevertheless, Buell is said to haunt the locale of his last performance. Perhaps a seance could be held to ascertain the true facts. 

Source:  Eastern Entities

The Opera House in Westminster, Maryland

Source: Historical Marker Project

Source: Historical Marker Project

Westminster Cemetery

Westminster, Maryland

Source: Find-A-Grave