William Peter McGivern (December 6, 1918 – November 18, 1982) was an American novelist and television scriptwriter. He published more than 20 novels, mostly mysteries and crime thrillers, some under the pseudonym Bill Peters. His novels were adapted for a number of films, including ''

Odds Against Tomorrow ''Odds Against Tomorrow'' is a 1959 film noir produced and directed by Robert Wise and starring Harry Belafonte. Belafonte selected Abraham Polonsky to write the script, which is based on a novel of the same name by William P. McGivern. Blac ...

'' (1959), a noir tale of three losers, starring

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...

; ''

The Big Heat ''The Big Heat'' is a 1953 American film noir crime film directed by Fritz Lang starring Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, and Jocelyn Brando about a cop who takes on the crime syndicate that controls his city. William P. McGivern's serial in ''The ...

'' (1953), starring

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was a Canadian-American actor who often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-offi ...

as a cop who will do anything to get his man; '' Shield for Murder'', about an honest cop going bad; and ''

Rogue Cop ''Rogue Cop'' is a 1954 American film noir directed by Roy Rowland, based on the novel by William P. McGivern, and starring Robert Taylor, Janet Leigh, and George Raft.Everett Aaker, ''The Films of George Raft'', McFarland & Company, 2013 p 159 ...

'' (1954), a film noir directed by Roy Rowland, about a crooked cop trying to redeem himself. ''The Big Heat'' received an Edgar Award in 1954 as Best Motion Picture, which McGivern shared as author of the original novel. He also published more than 100 science-fiction stories during the 1940s and 1950s. In the 1960s, he moved to Los Angeles, where he wrote for television and film.

Biography

Born in Chicago to an Irish-American family, McGivern grew up in Mobile, Alabama. After serving in the Army in World War II as a sergeant where he was awarded the

Soldier's Medal The Soldier's Medal is an individual decoration of the United States Army. It was introduced as Section 11 of the Air Corps Act, passed by the Congress of the United States on July 2, 1926., Appendix 5, p. 126. The Army' Soldier's Medal is equiv ...

and studying at the University of Birmingham in England, McGivern returned to the U.S. He worked for two years as a police reporter for the '' Philadelphia Bulletin'' and later as a writer for ''The Evening Bulletin''. In 1947, he married

Maureen Daly Maureen Daly (March 15, 1921 – September 25, 2006) was an Irish-born American writer who wrote the 1942 novel '' Seventeenth Summer'' while still in her teens. Originally marketed for adults, it described a contemporary teenage romance and drew ...

, a journalist and author of the bestseller '' Seventeenth Summer'' (1942). William and Maureen McGivern co-wrote ''Mention My Name in Mombasa: the Unscheduled Adventures of an American Family Abroad'', which covered their times and adventures living overseas, including Ireland, Kenya, and Torremolinos, Spain. His first novel was published in 1948. In the early 1960s, McGivern moved to Los Angeles to write for film and television. His credits include the TV series ''

Ben Casey ''Ben Casey'' is an American medical drama series that aired on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols "♂, ♀, ✳, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member Sam Jaff ...

'', '' Adam-12'', and ''

Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American action crime drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theodopolis "Theo" Kojak. Taking the time slot of the popular ''Cannon'' series, ...

''; the

William Castle William Castle (born William Schloss Jr.; April 24, 1914 – May 31, 1977) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Orphaned at 11, Castle dropped out of high school at 15 to work in the theater. He came to the attenti ...

film ''

I Saw What You Did ''I Saw What You Did'' is a 1965 American thriller film released by Universal Pictures and starring Joan Crawford and John Ireland. The plot follows two teenage girls who find themselves in serious danger after making a prank phone call to a man ...

'' (1965); the

Matt Helm Matt Helm is a fictional character created by American author Donald Hamilton (1916-2006). Helm is a U.S. government counter-agent, a man whose primary job is to kill or nullify enemy agents—not a spy or secret agent in the ordinary sense of t ...

film '' The Wrecking Crew'' (1968); and the John Wayne film '' Brannigan'' (1975).

Personal life and death

McGivern died in Palm Desert, California in 1982, aged 63. The couple had two children, Megan McGivern Shaw (1948–1983) and Patrick McGivern (1952–2012).

Novels

*''But Death Runs Faster'' (1948) aka ''The Whispering Corpse'' *''Heaven Ran Last'' (1949) *''Very Cold for May'' (1950) *''Shield for Murder'' (1951) ( filmed in 1954) *''Blondes Die Young'' (1952) (as by Bill Peters) *''The Crooked Frame'' (1952) *''The Big Heat'' (1953) ( filmed in 1953) *''Margin of Terror'' (1953) *''Rogue Cop'' (1954) ( filmed in 1954) *''The Darkest Hour'' (1955) aka ''Waterfront Cop'' (filmed in 1955 as ''

Hell on Frisco Bay ''Hell on Frisco Bay'' is a 1956 American CinemaScope film noir crime film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Alan Ladd, Edward G. Robinson and Joanne Dru. It was made for Ladd's own production company, Jaguar. The film featured an early ...

'') *''The Seven File'' (1956) aka ''Chicago-7'' *''Night Extra'' (1957) *''Odds Against Tomorrow'' (1957) ( filmed in 1959) *''Mention My Name in Mombasa'' (1958) (with Maureen McGivern) *''Savage Streets'' (1959) *''Seven Lies South'' (1960) *''The Road to the Snail'' (1961) *''A Pride of Place'' (1962) *''A Choice of Assassins'' (1963) (filmed as ''Un choix d'assassins''in 1967) *''The Caper of the Golden Bulls'' (1966) ( filmed in 1967) *''Lie Down, I Want to Talk to You'' (1967) *''Caprifoil'' (1972) *''Reprisal'' (1973) *''Night of the Juggler'' (1975) ( filmed in 1980) *''Soldiers of '44'' (1979) *''The Seeing'' (1980) (with Maureen McGivern) *''Summit'' (1982) *''War Games'' (1984) *''A Matter of Honor'' (1984) (with Maureen McGivern)

Short stories

*"Killer on the Turnpike" (1961) (filmed as '' Nightmare in Chicago'') *"Send Along a Wreath" (2019)

References

* "Unnatural Law: William McGivern's Rogue Cops", James Rodgers, Matthew O'Brien (eds), ''After the Flood: Irish America 1945-1960''. Dublin Irish Academic Press (2009)

Notes

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:McGivern, William P. 1918 births 1982 deaths American people of Irish descent American mystery writers Edgar Award winners 20th-century American novelists American male novelists American television writers American male television writers Writers from Los Angeles Writers from Mobile, Alabama Alumni of the University of Birmingham American male screenwriters 20th-century American male writers Novelists from Alabama Screenwriters from California Screenwriters from Alabama 20th-century American screenwriters United States Army personnel of World War II