Evan Hunter, born Salvatore Albert Lombino,(October 15, 1926 – July 6, 2005) was an American author and screenwriter best known for his

87th Precinct The 87th Precinct is a series of police procedural novels and stories by American author Ed McBain (a writing pseudonym of Evan Hunter). McBain's 87th Precinct works have been adapted, sometimes loosely, into movies and television on several o ...

novels, written under his Ed McBain pen name, and the novel upon which the film '' Blackboard Jungle'' was based. Hunter, who legally adopted that name in 1952, also used the pen names John Abbott, Curt Cannon, Hunt Collins, Ezra Hannon, and Richard Marsten, among others. His 87th Precinct novels have become staples of the police procedural genre.

Life

Early life

Salvatore Lombino was born and raised in New York City. He lived in East

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

until age 12, when his family moved to the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

. He attended Olinville Junior High School (later Richard R. Green Middle School #113), then Evander Childs High School (now Evander Childs Educational Campus), before winning an Art Students League scholarship. Later, he was admitted as an art student at Cooper Union. Lombino served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

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 ...

and wrote several short stories while serving aboard a destroyer in the Pacific. However, none of these stories was published until after he had established himself as an author in the 1950s. After the war, Lombino returned to New York and attended Hunter College, where he majored in English and psychology, with minors in dramatics and education, and graduated

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

in 1950. He published a weekly column in the Hunter College newspaper as "S.A. Lombino". In 1981, Lombino was inducted into the Hunter College Hall of Fame, where he was honored for outstanding professional achievement. While looking to start a career as a writer, Lombino took a variety of jobs, including 17 days as a teacher at Bronx Vocational High School in September 1950. This experience would later form the basis for his novel ''The Blackboard Jungle'' (1954), written under the pen name Evan Hunter, which was adapted into the film '' Blackboard Jungle'' (1955). In 1951, Lombino took a job as an executive editor for the Scott Meredith Literary Agency, working with authors such as

Poul Anderson Poul William Anderson (November 25, 1926 – July 31, 2001) was an American fantasy and science fiction author who was active from the 1940s until the 21st century. Anderson wrote also historical novels. His awards include seven Hugo Awards and ...

, Arthur C. Clarke,

Lester del Rey Lester del Rey (June 2, 1915 – May 10, 1993) was an American science fiction author and editor. He was the author of many books in the juvenile Winston Science Fiction series, and the editor at Del Rey Books, the fantasy and scienc ...

Richard S. Prather Richard Scott Prather (September 9, 1921 – February 14, 2007) was an American mystery novelist, best known for creating the "Shell Scott" series. He also wrote under the pseudonyms David Knight and Douglas Ring. Biography Prather was born i ...

, and P.G. Wodehouse. He made his first professional

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

sale that same year, a science-fiction tale titled "Welcome, Martians!", credited to S. A. Lombino.

Name change and pen names

Soon after his initial sale, Lombino sold stories under the pen names Evan Hunter and Hunt Collins. The name ''Evan Hunter'' is generally believed to have been derived from two schools he attended, Evander Childs High School and Hunter College, although the author himself would never confirm that. (He did confirm that Hunt Collins was derived from Hunter College.) Lombino legally changed his name to Evan Hunter in May 1952, after an editor told him that a novel he wrote would sell more copies if credited to Evan Hunter than to S. A. Lombino. Thereafter, he used the name Evan Hunter both personally and professionally. Evan Hunter 5312

As Evan Hunter, he gained notice with his novel ''The Blackboard Jungle'' (1954) dealing with juvenile crime and the New York City public school system. The film adaptation followed in 1955. During this era, Hunter also wrote a great deal of genre fiction. He was advised by his agents that publishing too much fiction under the Hunter byline, or publishing ''any'' crime fiction as Evan Hunter, might weaken his literary reputation. Consequently, during the 1950s Hunter used the pseudonyms Curt Cannon, Hunt Collins, and Richard Marsten for much of his crime fiction. A prolific author in several genres, Hunter also published approximately two dozen science fiction stories and four science-fiction novels between 1951 and 1956 under the names S. A. Lombino, Evan Hunter, Richard Marsten, D. A. Addams, and Ted Taine. Ed McBain, his best known pseudonym, was first used with ''

Cop Hater ''Cop Hater'' (1956) is the first 87th Precinct police procedural novel by Ed McBain. The murder of three detectives in quick succession in the 87th Precinct leads Detective Steve Carella on a search that takes him into the city's underworld and ...

'' (1956), the first novel in the

crime series. Hunter revealed that he was McBain in 1958 but continued to use the pseudonym for decades, notably for the 87th Precinct series and the

Matthew Hope Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497 * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Ch ...

detective series. He retired the pen names Addams, Cannon, Collins, Marsten, and Taine around 1960. From then on crime novels were generally attributed to McBain and other sorts of fiction to Hunter. Reprints of crime-oriented stories and novels written in the 1950s previously attributed to other pseudonyms were reissued under the McBain byline. Hunter stated that the division of names allowed readers to know what to expect: McBain novels had a consistent writing style, while Hunter novels were more varied. Under the Hunter name, novels steadily appeared throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s, including ''Come Winter'' (1973) and ''Lizzie'' (1984). Hunter was also successful as screenwriter for film and television. He wrote the screenplay for the Hitchcock film '' The Birds'' (1963), loosely adapted from

Daphne du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her grandfather was Geo ...

's eponymous 1952 novelette. Following ''The Birds'', Hunter was again hired by Hitchcock to complete an in-progress script adapting

Winston Graham Winston Mawdsley Graham OBE, born Winston Grime (30 June 1908 – 10 July 2003), was an English novelist best known for the Poldark series of historical novels set in Cornwall, though he also wrote numerous other works, including contemporary ...

's novel ''

Marnie ''Marnie'' is an English crime novel, written by Winston Graham and first published in 1961. It has been adapted as a film, a stage play and an opera. Plot ''Marnie'' is about a young woman who makes a living by embezzling her employers' funds, ...

''. However, Hunter and the director disagreed on how to treat the novel's rape scene, and the writer was sacked. Hunter's other screenplays included '' Strangers When We Meet'' (1960), based on his own 1958 novel; and '' Fuzz'' (1972), based on his eponymous 1968 87th Precinct novel, which he had written as Ed McBain. After having 13 87th Precinct novels published from 1956 to 1960, further 87th Precinct novels appeared at a rate of approximately one a year until his death. Additionally,

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

ran a police drama called ''

'' during the 1961–62 season, based on McBain's work. From 1978 to 1998, McBain published a series about lawyer Matthew Hope; books in this series appeared every year or two, and usually had titles derived from well-known children's stories. For about a decade, from 1984 to 1994, Hunter published no fiction under his own name. In 2000, a novel called ''Candyland'' appeared that was credited to both Hunter ''and'' McBain. The two-part novel opened in Hunter's psychologically based narrative voice before switching to McBain's customary police procedural style. Aside from McBain, Hunter used at least two other pseudonyms for his fiction after 1960: ''Doors'' (1975), which was originally attributed to Ezra Hannon before being reissued as a work by McBain, and ''Scimitar'' (1992), which was credited to John Abbott. Hunter gave advice to other authors in his article "Dig in and get it done: no-nonsense advice from a prolific author (aka Ed McBain) on starting and finishing your novel". In it, he advised authors to "find their voice for it is the most important thing in any novel".

Dean Hudson controversy

Hunter was long rumored to have written an unknown number of pornographic novels, as Dean Hudson, for William Hamling's publishing houses. Hunter himself adamantly and consistently denied writing any books as Hudson right up to his death. However, apparently his agent Scott Meredith sold books to Hamling's company as Hunter's work and received payments for these books in cash. While notable, this in and of itself is not definitive proof: Meredith almost certainly forwarded novels to Hamling by any number of authors, claiming these novels were by Hunter simply to make a sale. Ninety-three novels were published under the Hudson name between 1961 and 1969, and even the most avid proponents of the Hunter-as-Hudson theory do not believe Hunter is responsible for all 93.

Personal life

He had three sons: Richard Hunter, an author, speaker, advisor to CIOs on business value and risk issues, and harmonica player; Mark Hunter, an academic, educator, investigative reporter, and author; and Ted Hunter, a painter, who died in 2006.

Death

A heavy smoker for many decades, Hunter had three heart attacks over a number of years (his first in 1987) and needed a heart operation. A precancerous lesion was found on his larynx in 1992. This was removed, but the problem later returned, and Hunter died from laryngeal cancer in 2005, aged 78, in

Weston, Connecticut Weston is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 10,354 at the 2020 census with the highest median household income in Connecticut. The town is served by Route 57 and Route 53, both of which run through the ...

Awards

*Edgar Award nomination for Best Short Story, "The Last Spin" (''Manhunt'', Sept. 1956)
Edgar Award nomination
for Best Motion Picture, ''The Birds'' (1964) *Edgar Award nomination for Best Short Story, "Sardinian Incident" (''Playboy'', Oct. 1971) *Grand Master, Mystery Writers of America (1986) *Diamond Dagger, British Crime Writers Assn (first American recipient, 1998)

for Best Series of the Century (2000) *Edgar Award nomination for Best Novel, ''Money, Money, Money'' (2002)

Works

Novels

Collections

*1956: '' The Jungle Kids (Short Stories)'' (short stories by Evan Hunter) *1957: ''The Merry, Merry Christmas'' *1957: '' On the Sidewalk Bleeding'' *1960: '' The Last Spin & Other Stories'' *1962: ''The Empty Hours'' (87th Precinct short stories by Ed McBain) *1965: ''

Happy New Year, Herbie Happiness, in the context of Mental health, mental or emotional states, is positive or Pleasure, pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishin ...

'' (short stories by Evan Hunter) *1972: '' The Easter Man (a Play) And Six Stories'' (by Evan Hunter) *1982: ''The McBain Brief'' (Short stories by Ed McBain) *1988: ''McBain's Ladies'' (87th Precinct short stories by Ed McBain) *1992: ''McBain's Ladies, Too'' (87th Precinct short stories by Ed McBain) *2000: '' Barking at Butterflies & Other Stories'' (by Evan Hunter) *2000: '' Running from Legs'' (by Evan Hunter) *2006: ''Learning to Kill'' (short story collection by Ed McBain, published posthumously, featuring works written 1952-57)

Autobiographical

*1998: '' Me & Hitch!'' (by Evan Hunter) *2005: ''Let's Talk'' (by Evan Hunter)

Plays

*'' The Easter Man'' (1964) *'' The Conjuror'' (1969)

Screenplays

*'' Strangers When We Meet'' (1960) *'' The Birds'' (1963) *'' Fuzz'' (1972) *'' Walk Proud'' (1979)

Teleplays

*''

The Chisholms ''The Chisholms'' is a CBS western miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used inter ...

'', CBS miniseries starring Robert Preston (1979) *'' The Legend of Walks Far Woman'' (1980) *'' Dream West'' (1986)

As editor

*2000: '' The Best American Mystery Stories'' (by Evan Hunter) *2005: ''Transgressions'' (collection of crime novellas by various authors edited by Ed McBain)

Incomplete novels

* ''Becca in Jeopardy'' (Near completion at the time of Hunter's death. Apparently to remain unpublished.)

Film adaptations

*'' Blackboard Jungle'' (1955) by

Richard Brooks Richard Brooks (May 18, 1912 – March 11, 1992) was an American screenwriter, film director, novelist and film producer. Nominated for eight Academy Awards, Oscars in his career, he was best known for ''Blackboard Jungle'' (1955), ''Cat on a ...

, from ''Blackboard Jungle'' *'' High and Low'' (1963) by

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...

, from ''King's Ransom'' *'' Mister Buddwing'' (1966) by

Delbert Mann Delbert Martin Mann Jr. (January 30, 1920 – November 11, 2007) was an American television and film director. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film '' Marty'' (1955), adapted from a 1953 teleplay of the same name which he ...

, from ''Buddwing'' *''

Last Summer ''Last Summer'' is a 1969 teen drama film about adolescent sexuality based on the 1968 novel of the same name by Evan Hunter. Director Frank Perry filmed at Fire Island locations. It stars Catherine Burns, Barbara Hershey, Bruce Davison and R ...

'' (1969) by

Frank Perry Frank Joseph Perry Jr. (August 21, 1930 – August 29, 1995) was an American stage director and filmmaker. His 1962 independent film '' David and Lisa'' earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay (written ...

, from ''Last Summer'' *'' Sans mobile apparent'' (1971) by

Philippe Labro Philippe Labro (born 27 August 1936) is a French author, journalist and film director. He has worked for RTL, ''Paris Match'', TF1 and Antenne 2. He is a laureate of the Prix Interallié, a French literary distinction founded in 1930, whic ...

, from ''Ten Plus One'' *'' Every Little Crook and Nanny'' (1972) by Cy Howard, from ''Every Little Crook and Nanny'' *'' Blood Relatives'' (1978) by Claude Chabrol, from ''Blood Relatives'' *'' Lonely Heart'' (1981) by

Kon Ichikawa was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His work displays a vast range in genre and style, from the anti-war films '' The Burmese Harp'' (1956) and '' Fires on the Plain'' (1959), to the documentary '' Tokyo Olympiad'' (1965), which won ...

, from ''Lady, Lady, I Did It''

References

Leonard Lopate Leonard Lopate (born September 23, 1940) is an American radio personality. He is the host of the radio talk show ''Leonard Lopate at Large'', broadcast on WBAI, and the former host of the public radio talk show ''The Leonard Lopate Show'', broad ...

WNYC WNYC is the trademark and a set of call letters shared by WNYC (AM) and WNYC-FM, a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations located in New York City. WNYC is owned by New York Public Radio (NYPR), a nonprofit organization that ...

(archived)
2005 interview
with

David Bianculli David Bianculli is an American TV critic, columnist, radio personality, non-fiction author and university professor. Bianculli has served as the television critic for NPR's radio show ''Fresh Air'' since the Philadelphia-based show went national ...

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Evan 1926 births 2005 deaths 20th-century American novelists American male novelists 20th-century American short story writers American male screenwriters Hunter College alumni Cooper Union alumni American television writers American children's writers American mystery writers 20th-century American memoirists Novelists from New York (state) People from East Harlem People from the Bronx American writers of Italian descent Deaths from laryngeal cancer Cartier Diamond Dagger winners Edgar Award winners Deaths from cancer in Connecticut American male short story writers 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American male television writers American male dramatists and playwrights Screenwriters from New York (state) American male non-fiction writers 20th-century American male writers United States Navy personnel of World War II 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century pseudonymous writers 21st-century pseudonymous writers