James P. Cavanagh (1922 – September 25, 1971) was an American television writer. He wrote numerous episodes for ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'' and won a Primetime Emmy in 1957 for his teleplay ''Fog Closing In''. Cavanagh wrote the first script for the 1960 film ''Psycho''. Though the script was rejected by Hitchcock it contained many similarities with the final version, written by

Joseph Stefano Joseph William Stefano (May 5, 1922 – August 25, 2006) was an American screenwriter, known for adapting Robert Bloch's novel as the script for Alfred Hitchcock's film '' Psycho'', and for being the producer and co-writer of the original ''The ...

Biography

Cavanagh was born in 1922. His work on teleplays included ''The Opposite Virtues'', a 1962 episode of ''

Bus Stop A bus stop is a place where Public transport bus service, buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelter (building), shelters ...

'', and the 1963 Miss Marple film ''

Murder at the Gallop ''Murder at the Gallop'' (1963) is the second of four Miss Marple films made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was based on the 1953 novel ''After the Funeral'' by Agatha Christie, with Margaret Rutherford as Miss Jane Marple, Charles "Bud" Tingwell a ...

''. Cavanagh worked frequently on the ''

'' television series including the 1956 episodes ''The Hidden Thing'' and ''The Creeper'', which were praised by producer Joan Harrison for their macabre comedy. Cavanagh won a 1957 Primetime Emmy for "Best Teleplay Writing, Half Hour or Less" for his episode ''Fog Closing In''. Cavanagh wrote the first screenplay for

Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

's 1960 film ''Psycho''. He had been recommended to Hitchcock by Harrison and was appointed on June 8, 1959, it was Cavanagh's first movie script. Cavanagh's script bore striking similarities to Cavanagh's ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' 1957 teleplay ''One More Mile to Go'' about a henpecked husband who, after his wife dies, packs her body into the trunk of his car and goes on the run, intending to dispose of her body in a lake. He is pursued by a dogged police officer. Hitchcock's script supervisor

Peggy Robertson Margaret Robertson (née Singer; 13 September 1916 6 February 1998) was a British script supervisor and personal assistant to Alfred Hitchcock from the 1940s to the 1970s during which time she worked on his films '' Under Capricorn'' (1948) and ''S ...

thought Cavanagh's writing for ''Psycho'' was dull and it was rejected by Hitchcock, who paid Cavanagh a severance of $7,166 on July 27. Robert Philip Kolker writing in 2004 considered that Cavanagh's script was caught between a television episode and a feature-length film and lacked the "self-confidence, insouciance and black wit" that Cavanagh had demonstrated in his television work. The final ''Psycho'' script was written by

though it included elements of Cavanagh's work such as the theft of money by

Marion Crane Marion Crane (originally known as Mary Crane, also by the alias Marie Samuels) is a fictional character of Robert Bloch's 1959 thriller novel '' Psycho'' and portrayed by Janet Leigh in Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film adaptation. She was later pl ...

to allow her to marry her boyfriend, the car journey she makes (including trading in the vehicle) and stopping the night at the motel run by

Norman Bates Norman Bates is a fictional character created by American author Robert Bloch as the main protagonist in his 1959 horror novel '' Psycho''. He has an alter, Mother, who takes the form of his abusive mother, and later victim, Norma, who in hi ...

. Cavanagh also wrote Crane dining with Bates before deciding to return the money, much of the iconic shower murder scene and Bates' disposal of Crane's car in a swamp. Much of Cavanagh's dialogue between Crane and Bates is preserved in the finished film. His later teleplays for ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' included the episodes ''Coming, Mama'' (1961) and ''Where Beauty Lies'' (1962). Cavanagh adapted

Susan Glaspell Susan Keating Glaspell (July 1, 1876 – July 28, 1948) was an American playwright, novelist, journalist and actress. With her husband George Cram Cook, she founded the Provincetown Players, the first modern American theatre company. First know ...

's 1917 play ''

Trifles ''Trifles'' is a one-act play by Susan Glaspell. It was first performed by the Provincetown Players at the Wharf Theatre in Provincetown, Massachusetts, on August 8, 1916. In the original performance, Glaspell played the role of Mrs. Hale. The ...

'' for the series, as the episode ''A Jury of Her Peers''. The move was described as surprising given that the play was thought to be critical of patriarchy and the legal system. Cavanagh had experience in adapting plays for television through work on ''

Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' is an American television anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 134 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of t ...

'' and ''

Kraft Television Theatre ''Kraft Television Theatre'' is an American anthology drama television series running from 1947 to 1958. It began May 7, 1947, on NBC, airing at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday evenings until December of that year. It first promoted MacLaren's Impe ...

''. Cavanagh retained very little of Glaspell's dialogue, renamed some characters and inserted additional scenes. Cavanagh died on September 25, 1971.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cavanagh, James P. 1922 births 1971 deaths American male screenwriters American television writers Primetime Emmy Award winners