Eleazar Lipsky (September 6, 1911 – February 14, 1993) was a
prosecutor
A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal tria ...
,
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solici ...
,
novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while othe ...
and
playwright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
born in 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 ...
,
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
* '' ...
, United States. He wrote the novels that formed the basis of two very successful films, ''
Kiss of Death
Kiss of Death may refer to:
* Kiss of Judas, Judas's betrayal of Jesus with a kiss identifying him to his executioners
* Kiss of death (mafia), a Mafia signal that someone has been marked for execution
Film and television
* ''Kiss of Death'' ...
'' (based on a 100-page manuscript) and ''
The People Against O'Hara
''The People Against O'Hara'' is a 1951 American crime film noir directed by John Sturges and based on Eleazar Lipsky's novel. The film features Spencer Tracy, Pat O'Brien, John Hodiak, and James Arness.
Plot
James Curtayne ( Tracy) was ...
'' (based on his detective novel).
Other novels include ''Lincoln McKeever'' (1953), ''The Devil's Daughter'' (
Meredith Press
Meredith Press was a publishing company based in New York, with a focus on science fiction and general literature. While Already in 1950 they had y published the Better Homes and Gardens Story Book, they were particularly active in the years 1967 ...
, 1969, based on the legal troubles of
William Sharon
William Tang Sharon (January 9, 1821November 13, 1885) was a United States senator, banker, and business owner from Nevada who profited from the Comstock Lode.
Early life
Sharon was born in Smithfield, Ohio, January 9, 1821, the son of Willi ...
) and ''The Scientists'' (1959), a
Book-of-the-Month Club
Book of the Month (founded 1926) is a United States subscription-based e-commerce service that offers a selection of five to seven new hardcover books each month to its members. Books are selected and endorsed by a panel of judges, and members c ...
selection.
Lipsky, who practiced law until three weeks before his death, was an assistant
district attorney for
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...
in the 1940s and later had a diversified law practice in Manhattan and served as legal counsel to the
Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is an organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City.
The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday.
It presents the Edgar Award, ...
. Lipsky was active in many
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
organizations. In the 1960s, he was the president of the
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) is an international news agency and wire service, founded in 1917, serving Jewish community newspapers and media around the world as well as non-Jewish press, with about 70 syndication clients listed on its web ...
.
References
External links
*
University of Texas in Austin about the death of Eleazar LipskyLipsky Family Papers P-858; American Jewish Historical Society, Boston, MA and New York, NY.
1911 births
1993 deaths
Jewish American dramatists and playwrights
20th-century American novelists
20th-century American dramatists and playwrights
American male novelists
20th-century American lawyers
American male dramatists and playwrights
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American Jews
People from the Bronx
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