Alan Brown Le May (June 3, 1899 – April 27, 1964) was an American novelist and

screenplay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...

writer. He is most remembered for two classic

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

novels, ''The Searchers'' (1954) and ''The Unforgiven'' (1957).Herzberg, Bob (2008). ''Savages and Saints: The Changing Image of American Indians in Westerns'', pp. 164-65. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. They were adapted into the

motion picture A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...

s ''The Searchers'' (1956; starring

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

and

Jeffrey Hunter Jeffrey Hunter (born Henry Herman McKinnies Jr.; November 25, 1926 – May 27, 1969) was an American film and television actor and producer known for his roles in films such as ''The Searchers'' and ''King of Kings (1961 film), King of Ki ...

, and directed by

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...

) and ''The Unforgiven'' (1960; starring

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor. Initially known for playing tough characters with tender hearts, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-year caree ...

and

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Kathleen Hepburn ( Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress. Recognised as a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from the Classical Holly ...

, and directed by

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics. He rec ...

). He also wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for '' North West Mounted Police'' (1940; directed by Cecil B. DeMille, and starring

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, silent screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...

and

Paulette Goddard Paulette Goddard (born Marion Levy; June 3, 1910 – April 23, 1990) was an American actress and socialite. Her career spanned six decades, from the 1920s to the early 1970s. She was a prominent leading actress during the Golden Age of Hollywood ...

), ''

Reap the Wild Wind ''Reap the Wild Wind'' is a 1942 American adventure film produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Ray Milland, John Wayne, and Paulette Goddard, with a supporting cast featuring Raymond Massey, Robert Preston (actor), Robert Pres ...

'' (1942; directed by Cecil B. DeMille, and starring

Ray Milland Ray Milland (born Alfred Reginald Jones; 3 January 1907 – 10 March 1986) was a Welsh-American actor and film director. He is often remembered for his portrayal of an alcoholic writer in Billy Wilder's ''The Lost Weekend'' (1945), which wo ...

, John Wayne and

), and '' Blackbeard the Pirate'' (1952; directed by

Raoul Walsh Raoul Walsh (born Albert Edward Walsh; March 11, 1887December 31, 1980) was an American film director, actor, founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), and the brother of silent cinema actor George Walsh. He wa ...

, and starring Robert Newton and Linda Darnell). He wrote the original source novel for '' Along Came Jones'' (1945; starring Gary Cooper and

Loretta Young Loretta Young (born Gretchen Michaela Young; January 6, 1913 – August 12, 2000) was an American actress. Starting as a child, she had a long and varied career in film from 1917 to 1989. She received numerous honors including an Academy Awards ...

), as well as a score of other screenplays and an assortment of other novels and short stories. Le May wrote and directed '' High Lonesome'' (1950) starring John Drew Barrymore and

Chill Wills Theodore Childress "Chill" Wills (July 18, 1902 – December 15, 1978) was an American actor and a singer in the Avalon Boys quartet. Early life Wills was born in Seagoville, Texas, on July 18, 1902. Career Wills was a performer from early c ...

and featuring

Jack Elam William Scott "Jack" Elam (November 13, 1920 – October 20, 2003) was an American film and television actor best known for his numerous roles as villains in Western films and, later in his career, comedies (sometimes spoofing his villaino ...

. Le May also wrote and produced (but did not direct) ''

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

'' (1951), also starring John Drew Barrymore.

Biography

He was born in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, to John and Maude Brown Le May. His father was a public school teacher and his maternal grandfather (Daniel L. Brown, Sr.) and uncle (Daniel L. Brown, Jr.) were both lawyers. He first lived with his parents and uncle at his grandparents home at 3229 North Illinois Street in Indianapolis. He moved with his family, including his sister Elizabeth, to

Aurora, Illinois Aurora is a city in northeastern Illinois, United States. It is located along the Fox River (Illinois River tributary), Fox River west of Chicago. It is the List of municipalities in Illinois, second-most populous city in Illinois, with a popul ...

, as a teenager in the 1910s. He attended

Stetson University Stetson University is a private university in DeLand, Florida, United States. Established in 1883 as DeLand Academy, it was later renamed John B. Stetson University in honor of John B. Stetson. The university's main campus in DeLand spans 175 ...

DeLand, Florida DeLand is a city in and the county seat of Volusia County, Florida, United States. The city sits approximately north of the central business district of Orlando, and approximately west of the central business district of Daytona Beach. It is ...

, in 1916. In 1918 he registered for the

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

draft in Aurora, and then enlisted and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. While attending the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

, where he graduated in 1922 with a Bachelor of Philosophy degree, he joined the Illinois National Guard. He was promoted to First Lieutenant Field Artillery for the Illinois National Guard in 1923. He published his first novel, ''Painted Ponies'', in 1927 (about the

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...

and the U. S. Cavalry horse soldiers).

Works

Novels

* ''Painted Ponies'' (1927) * ''Old Father of Waters'' (1928) * ''Pelican Coast'' (1929) * ''One Of Us Is A Murderer'' (1930) * ''Gunsight Trail'' (1931) * ''Bug Eye'' (1931) * ''Winter Range'' (1932) * ''Cattle Kingdom'' (1933) * ''Thunder in the Dust'' (1934) – Adapted in '' The Sundowners'', AKA ''Thunder in the Dust'' (1950), directed by George Templeton * ''The Smoky Years'' (1935) * '' Wild Justice'' (1935) * ''Empire for a Lady'' (1937) * ''The Story of Dr. Wassell'' (1943) * ''Useless Cowboy'' (1944) – Adapted in '' Along Came Jones'' (1945), directed by Stuart Heisler * ''Winter Range'' (1948) * ''The Searchers'' (1954) – Adapted in ''

The Searchers ''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas–Indian wars, and stars John Wayne as a middle-aged Civil War v ...

'' (1956), directed by

* ''The Unforgiven'', AKA ''Kiowa Moon'' (1957) – Adapted in '' The Unforgiven'' (1960), directed by

* ''By Dim and Flaring Lamps'' (1962)

Short story collections

* ''Spanish Crossing'' (1998). Contains 14 short stories: ** "The Wolf Hunter" (1929) ** "Just a Horse of Mine" (1930) ** "Hell on wheels" (1934) ** "Kindly Kick Out Bearer" (1930) ** "The Biscuit Shooter" (1931) ** "Guns Flame in Peaceful Valley" ** "And Him Long Gone" (1932) ** "Saddle Bum" (1931) ** "Delayed Action" (1931) ** "Bronc Fighter's Girl" (1932) ** "The Young Rush In" (1929) ** "A Shot in the Dark" ** "Lost Dutchman O'Riley's Luck" ** "Spanish Crossing" (1933) * ''The Bells of San Juan'' (2001). Contains 12 short stories: ** "The Little Kid" (1938) ** "Lawman's debt" (1934) ** "Gray rider" ** "Trail Driver's Luck" (1930) ** "The Loan of a Gun" (1929) ** "Eyes of doom" (1932) ** "Tombstone's daughter" ** "Star on his heart" (1944) ** "The Battle of Gunsmoke Lode" (1930) ** "The Braver Thing" (1931) ** "Sundown corral" (1938) ** "The Bells of San Juan" (1927) * ''West of Nowhere'' (2002). Contains 13 short stories: ** "Death rides the Trionte" (1937) ** "Mules" (1931) ** "The Killer in the Chute" (1932) ** "Sentenced to Swing" (1929) ** "The Fourth Man" (1926) ** "The Fiddle in the Storm" (1933) ** "Terlegraphy and the Bronc'" (1925) ** "Gun Fight at Burnt Corral" (1934) ** "A Horse for Sale" (1931) ** "Pardon Me, Lady" (1932) ** "Six-Gun graduate" (1931) ** "Range Bred" (1933) ** "West of Nowhere" (1939) * ''Painted Rock'' (2004). Contains 11 short stories: ** "Whack-Ear's Pup" ** "Strange Fellow" ** "Gunnies from Gehenna" ** "Hard-boiled" ** "Next door to hell" ** "Feud Fight" (1940) ** "Thanks to a Girl in Love" (1932) ** "Man with a Future" (1937) ** "Old Thunder Pumper" (1930) ** "The Nester's Girl" (1933) ** "Fight at Painted Rock" (1939) * ''Tonopah Range: Western Stories'' (2006). Contains 6 short stories: ** "Tonopah Range" ** "One charge of powder" (1930) ** "Blood moon" ** "Empty guns" ** "A Girl is Like a Colt" (1932) ** "Dead Man's Ambush" (1944)

Short stories

Uncollected short stories. * "Circles in the Sky" (1919) * "Out of the Swamp" (1920) * "Ghost Lanterns" (1922) * "Hullabaloo" (1922) * "The Brass Dolphin" (1922) * "Needin' Help Bad" (1924) * "His Better Idea" (1925) * "Mustang Breed" (1925) * "The Contest Man" (1925) * "The Legacy Mule" (1925) * "Baldy at the Brink" (1926) * "Long Bob from 'Rapahoe" (1926) * "Facts an' Figgers on Cayuses" (1927) * "Old Father of Waters" (1927) * "Painted Ponies" (1927) * "The Dedwood Coach Brakes Down" (1927) * Bug Eye series: *# "Bug Eye Neerly Starves" (1927) *# "Bug Eye Loses Hisself" (1927) *# "Bug Eye Gets Hisself in Jale" (1928) *# "Bug Eye Among the Soo" (1928) *# "Hank Joins the Vijiluntys" (1928) *# "Hank's Other Pardner" (1928) *# "Hank Arrives Back Ware He Cum Frum" (1929) * "Are You There, Bug Eye?" (1928) * "Bug Eye's Wandering Partner" (1928) * "The Cross Eyed Bull" (1928) * "Help, Bug Eye—I Own the Town" (1929) * "Cowboys Will Be Cowboys" (1930) * "Gambler's Suicide" (1930) * "Horse Laugh" (1930) * "One of Us Is a Murderer" (1930) * "The Creeping Cloud" (1930) * "The Jungle Terror" (1930) * "The Short Short Story" (1930) * "To Save a Girl" (1930) * "Under Fire" (1930) * "A Neat, Quick Case" (1931) * "Gunsight Trail" (1931) * "The Jungle of the Gods" (1931) * "A romance of the rodeos" (1932) * "A Short Short Story" (1932, with Lyman Bryson) * "Bronc-Fighter's Secret" (1932) * "Eyes of Doom" (1932, with Lyman Bryson) * "Have One on Me" (1932) * "A Passage to Rangoon" (1933) * "Cold Trails" (1933) * "Fated Trails" (1933) * "They Sometimes Come Back" (1933) * "After the Hounds" (1934) * "Out of the Whirlpool" (1934) * "Death on the Rimrock" (1935) * "Deepwater Island" (1935) * "Fight Back or Die" (1935) * "Horses" (1935) * "Needin' Some Help" (1935) * "Pardners" (1935) * "The Blessed Mule" (1935) * "A Cowboy in San Juan" (1936) * "Dark Tropic Sea" (1936) * "Death Rides the Border" (1936) * "From an Old Timer in the Black Hills" (1936) * "Iron Paws" (1936) * "Outlaw Cavalcade" (1936) * "The Man from Arapahoe" (1936) * "Ghost at His Shoulder" (1937) * "Night by a Wagon Trail" (1937) * "A Short Short Story" (1938) * "Impersonation" (1938) * "Pinto York" (1938) * "Uncertain Wings" (1938) * "Aces Is His Hair" (1939) * "Interrupted Take-Off" (1939) * "Hell For Breakfast" (1947) * "Wild Justice" (1948) * "The Avenging Texans" (1954) * "Missing in Action" (1956)

Screenplays

* '' North West Mounted Police'' (1940), directed by Cecil B. DeMille * ''

'' (1942), directed by Cecil B. DeMille * '' The Story of Dr. Wassell'' (1944), directed by Cecil B. DeMille * '' The Adventures of Mark Twain'' (1944), directed by

Irving Rapper Irving Rapper (16 January 1898 – 20 December 1999) was a British-born American film director. Biography Born to a British Jews, Jewish family in London, Rapper emigrated to the United States and became an actor and a stage director on Broadwa ...

* ''Trailin' West'' (1944), directed by George Templeton * '' Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945), directed by

William Wellman William Augustus Wellman (February 29, 1896 – December 9, 1975) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and military pilot. He was known for his work in Crime film, crime, Adventure film, adventure, and Action film, a ...

. Uncredited * ''

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

'' (1945), directed by David Butler and, uncredited,

Robert Florey Robert Florey (September 14, 1900 – May 16, 1979) was a French-American director, screenwriter, film journalist and actor. Florey directed more than 50 films, the best known likely being the Marx Brothers first feature ''The Cocoanuts'' (1929 ...

and

* ''

'' (1947), directed by

* '' Gunfighters'' (1947), directed by George Waggner * '' Tap Roots'' (1948), directed by

George Marshall George Catlett Marshall Jr. (31 December 1880 – 16 October 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army under pres ...

* '' The Walking Hills'' (1949), directed by John Sturges * '' The Sundowners'', a.k.a. ''Thunder in the Dust'' (1950), directed by George Templeton * '' High Lonesome'' (1950), directed by Alan Le May * ''

Rocky Mountain The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

'' (1950), directed by

William Keighley William Jackson Keighley (August 4, 1889 – June 24, 1984) was an American stage actor and Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood film director. Career After graduating from the Ludlum School of Dramatic Art, Keighley began acting at the age of ...

* ''

'' (1951), directed by George Templeton * '' I Dream of Jeanie'', a.k.a. ''I Dream of Jeanie (with the Light Brown Hair)'' (1952), directed by

Allan Dwan Allan Dwan (born Joseph Aloysius Dwan; April 3, 1885 – December 28, 1981) was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer, and screenwriter. Early life Born Joseph Aloysius Dwan in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Dwan was ...

* '' Blackbeard the Pirate'' (1952), directed by

* '' Flight Nurse'', a.k.a. ''Angels Take Over'', a.k.a. ''Angels over Korea'' (1953), directed by

* '' The Vanishing American'' (1955), directed by

Joseph Kane Jasper Joseph Inman Kane (March 19, 1894, San Diego – August 25, 1975, Santa Monica, California) was an American film director, film producer, film editor and screenwriter. He is best known for his extensive directorship and focus on Western ...

References

External links

* *
Alan Le May
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on ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Le May, Alan 1899 births 1964 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists American male novelists American male screenwriters 20th-century American screenwriters