Darryl Ponicsan (; born May 26, 1938) is an American writer. He is best known as the author of the 1970
novel
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
''The Last Detail,'' which was adapted into a
1973 film starring
Jack Nicholson
John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. In many of his films, he played rebels against the social structure. He received numerous ...
. A sequel, ''
Last Flag Flying
''Last Flag Flying'' is a 2017 American war comedy-drama film directed by Richard Linklater with a screenplay by Linklater and Darryl Ponicsan, based upon the latter's 2005 novel of the same name. It stars Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston, and Laure ...
'', based on his 2005 novel of the same name, was released in 2017 and he also co-wrote the screenplay with
Richard Linklater
Richard Stuart Linklater (; born July 30, 1960) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for films that revolve mainly around suburban culture and the effects of the passage of time. His films include the comedies '' ...
. He also wrote the 1973 novel and
screenplay
''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993.
Background
After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, ...
''
Cinderella Liberty
''Cinderella Liberty'' is a 1973 American drama film adapted by Daryl Ponicsan from his 1973 novel of the same title. The film tells the story of a sailor who falls in love with a prostitute and becomes a surrogate father for her 10-year-old mixe ...
,'' starring
James Caan
James Edmund Caan ( ; March 26, 1940 – July 6, 2022) was an American actor. He came to prominence playing Sonny Corleone in ''The Godfather'' (1972) – a performance which earned him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Suppo ...
. Ponicsan writes mystery novels under the pen name
Anne Argula.
Life and career
Ponicsan was born in
Shenandoah,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...
, the son of Anne (née Kuleck) and Frank G. Ponicsan, a merchant. He attended
Muhlenberg College
Muhlenberg College is a private liberal arts college in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg College is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Muhlenberg, the German patriarch of Luther ...
, (
A.B.
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four ye ...
, 1959) and
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to ...
, (
M.A.
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. ...
, 1965).
He was a high school English teacher in
Owego,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, 1959–62, He served in the
U.S. 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 o ...
from 1962 to 1965 aboard the
USS ''Monrovia'' and
USS ''Intrepid'',
[''The Last Detail'' Ponicsán, Darryl Hachette UK, 28 Sep. 2017] was a social worker for
Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is th ...
,
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
in 1965, and a high school English teacher in
La Cañada, California from 1966 to 1969.
Ponicsan also wrote the screenplays for the
CBS movie ''A Girl Called Hatter Fox'' (1977), the movies ''
Nuts
Nut often refers to:
* Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds
* Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt
Nut or Nuts may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Com ...
'' (1987), ''
School Ties
''School Ties'' is a 1992 American drama film directed by Robert Mandel and starring Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Chris O'Donnell, Randall Batinkoff, Andrew Lowery, Cole Hauser, Ben Affleck, and Anthony Rapp. Fraser plays the lead role as David ...
'' (1992), the HBO movie ''The Enemy Within'' (1992), and the CBS series ''The Mississippi'' (1983). He has worked frequently with producer-director
Harold Becker
Harold Becker (born September 25, 1928) is an American film and television director, producer, and photographer from New York City, associated with the New Hollywood movement and best known for his work in the thriller genre. His body of work ...
, penning scripts for ''
Taps'' (1981), ''
Vision Quest
A vision quest is a rite of passage in some Native American cultures. It is usually only undertaken by young males entering adulthood.
Individual Indigenous cultures have their own names for their rites of passage. "Vision quest" is an English- ...
'' (1985), and ''
The Boost'' (1988).
Bibliography
* ''The Last Detail'' (New York: Dial Press, 1970)
* ''Goldengrove'' (New York: Dial Press, 1971)
* ''Andoshen, Pa.'' (New York: Dial Press, 1973)
* ''
Cinderella Liberty
''Cinderella Liberty'' is a 1973 American drama film adapted by Daryl Ponicsan from his 1973 novel of the same title. The film tells the story of a sailor who falls in love with a prostitute and becomes a surrogate father for her 10-year-old mixe ...
'' (New York: Harper and Row, 1973)
* ''Tom Mix Died for Your Sins'' (New York: Delacorte Press 1975)
* ''The Accomplice'' (New York: Harper and Row, 1975)
* ''The Ringmaster'' (New York: Delacorte Press, 1978)
* ''An Unmarried Man'' (New York: Delacorte Press 1980)
* ''
Last Flag Flying
''Last Flag Flying'' is a 2017 American war comedy-drama film directed by Richard Linklater with a screenplay by Linklater and Darryl Ponicsan, based upon the latter's 2005 novel of the same name. It stars Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston, and Laure ...
'' (New York: Skyhorse Publishing, 2005)
* ''Homicide My Own'' (as
Anne Argula) (New York: Pleasure Boat Studio, 2005)
[
* ''Walla Walla Suite: A Room with No View'' (as Anne Argula) (New York: Ballantine, 2007)
* '' Krapp's Last Cassette'' (as Anne Argula) (Ballantine, 2009) f. ''Krapp's Last Tape'' by Samuel Beckett">Krapp's_Last_Tape.html" ;"title="f. ''Krapp's Last Tape">f. ''Krapp's Last Tape'' by Samuel Beckett]
* ''The Last Romanian'' (as Anne Argula) (New York: Pleasure Boat Studio, 2012)
* ''Eternal Sojourners'' (New York: Skyhorse Publishing, 2019)
* ''I Feel Bad About My Dick: Lamentations of Masculine Vanity and Lists of Startling Pertinence'' (Seattle: Pleasure Boat Studio, 2020)
]
Filmography
*''The Last Detail
''The Last Detail'' is a 1973 American comedy-drama film directed by Hal Ashby, from a screenplay by Robert Towne, based on the 1970 novel of the same name by Darryl Ponicsan. The film stars Jack Nicholson, Otis Young, Randy Quaid, Clifton J ...
'' (1973) (novel)
*''Cinderella Liberty
''Cinderella Liberty'' is a 1973 American drama film adapted by Daryl Ponicsan from his 1973 novel of the same title. The film tells the story of a sailor who falls in love with a prostitute and becomes a surrogate father for her 10-year-old mixe ...
'' (1973) (novel and screenwriter)
*'' The Girl Called Hatter Fox'' (1977) (TV)
*'' Taps'' (with Robert Mark Kamen
Robert Mark Kamen (born October 9, 1947) is an American screenwriter, best known as creator of '' The Karate Kid franchise'', as well as for his later collaborations with French filmmaker Luc Besson, which includes the screenplay for ''The Fift ...
and James Lineberger) (1981)
*''The Mississippi'' (1982) (TV)
*''Vision Quest
A vision quest is a rite of passage in some Native American cultures. It is usually only undertaken by young males entering adulthood.
Individual Indigenous cultures have their own names for their rites of passage. "Vision quest" is an English- ...
'' (1985)
*''Nuts
Nut often refers to:
* Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds
* Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt
Nut or Nuts may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Com ...
'' (with Alvin Sargent
Alvin Sargent (April 12, 1927 – May 9, 2019) was an American screenwriter. He won two Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay, for ''Julia'' (1977), and ''Ordinary People'' (1980). Sargent's other prominent works include screenplays of th ...
and Tom Topor
Tom Topor (born 1938) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. Topor was born in Vienna, Austria, and was brought to London in 1939, where he remained until he came to New York City in 1949. He earned his bachelor's degree at Broo ...
) (1987)
*'' The Boost'' (1988)
*''School Ties
''School Ties'' is a 1992 American drama film directed by Robert Mandel and starring Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Chris O'Donnell, Randall Batinkoff, Andrew Lowery, Cole Hauser, Ben Affleck, and Anthony Rapp. Fraser plays the lead role as David ...
'' (with Dick Wolf
Richard Anthony Wolf (born December 20, 1946) is an American film and television producer, best known for his ''Law & Order'' franchise. Since 1990, the franchise has included six police/courtroom dramas and four international spinoffs. He is al ...
) (1992)
*'' The Enemy Within'' (with Ron Bass Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
) (1994) (TV)
*''Random Hearts
''Random Hearts'' is a 1999 American romantic drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas. Based on the 1984 novel of the same name by Warren Adler, the film is about a police officer and a Congr ...
'' (with Kurt Luedtke
Kurt Luedtke (; September 28, 1939August 9, 2020) was an American screenwriter and executive editor of the ''Detroit Free Press''. He wrote ''Out of Africa'' (1985), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He also wrote ' ...
) (1999)
*''Last Flag Flying
''Last Flag Flying'' is a 2017 American war comedy-drama film directed by Richard Linklater with a screenplay by Linklater and Darryl Ponicsan, based upon the latter's 2005 novel of the same name. It stars Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston, and Laure ...
'' (2017) (novel and screenwriter)
References
* Contemporary Authors Online. The Gale Group, 2002. PEN (Permanent Entry Number): 0000079050.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ponicsan, Darryl
1938 births
20th-century American novelists
21st-century American novelists
American male novelists
American male screenwriters
Living people
People from Shenandoah, Pennsylvania
Novelists from Pennsylvania
Muhlenberg College alumni
Cornell University alumni
People from Owego, New York
Screenwriters from New York (state)
Screenwriters from Pennsylvania
20th-century American male writers
21st-century American male writers
Novelists from New York (state)