Jay Cronley (November 9, 1943 – February 26, 2017) was an American newspaper columnist for the ''

Tulsa World The ''Tulsa World'' is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. Tulsa World Media Company is part of Lee Enterprises. The new owners announced in January 20 ...

'' and the author of many works of humorous fiction, including ''Fall Guy'', ''Good Vibes'', ''Quick Change'', and ''Funny Farm''. Cronley became a member of the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame in 2002. Several of Cronley's novels have been made into feature films. ''Good Vibes'' was made into the 1989 comedy ''

Let It Ride Let or LET may refer to: Sports * Let serve, when the served object in certain racket sports hits the net and lands in the correct service court, such as; ** Let (badminton) ** Let (pickleball) ** Let (tennis) * Ladies European Tour, the ladi ...

'', which starred

Richard Dreyfuss Richard Stephen Dreyfuss (; born Dreyfus; October 29, 1947) is an American actor. He is known for starring in popular films during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, including '' American Graffiti'' (1973), '' Jaws'' (1975), '' Close Encounters of th ...

David Johansen David Roger Johansen (sometimes spelled ''David Jo Hansen''; born January 9, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known as a member of the seminal proto-punk band the New York Dolls. He is also known for his work under ...

Richard Edson Richard Edson (born January 1, 1954) is an American actor and musician. Personal life Edson was born in New Rochelle, New York to a Jewish family. He has one brother, Steven, who resides in the Boston area, and two sisters, Andrea, who resides ...

Jennifer Tilly Jennifer Tilly (born Jennifer Ellen Chan; September 16, 1958) is an American–Canadian actress and poker player. Known for her distinctive voice and comedic timing, she has been nominated for an Academy Award, two MTV Movie Awards and three Sat ...

, and

Teri Garr Teri Ann Garr (born December 11, 1944) is an American former actress, dancer, and comedian. She frequently appeared in comedic roles throughout her career, which spans four decades and includes over 140 credits in film and television. Her accola ...

. ''Quick Change'' was the source of two film adaptations, in 1985, and in 1990. The 1985 version, '' Hold-Up'', was directed by

Alexandre Arcady Alexandre Arcady (born 17 March 1947) is a French actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Life and career Alexandre Arcady was born in Algiers, Algeria. He emigrated to France at the age of fifteen. His son is filmmaker Alexandre Aja ...

and was set in Montreal. The 1990 version starred

Bill Murray William James Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his deadpan delivery. He rose to fame on '' The National Lampoon Radio Hour'' (1973–1974) before becoming a national presence on ''Saturday Ni ...

Geena Davis Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis (born January 21, 1956) is an American actor

, and

Randy Quaid Randy Randall Rudy Quaid (born October 1, 1950) is an American actor known for his roles in both serious drama and light comedy. He was nominated for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award for his role in '' The Last Detail'' i ...

; like the novel, it was set in New York City.

George Roy Hill George Roy Hill (December 20, 1921 – December 27, 2002) was an American film director. He is most noted for directing such films as ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' (1969) and ''The Sting'' (1973), both starring Paul Newman and Robert Re ...

directed the 1988 adaptation of ''

Funny Farm Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...

''. The 2004 French film ', directed by

Bob Swaim Robert Frank "Bob" Swaim, Jr. (born November 2, 1943) is an American film director. Life and career Swaim was born in Evanston, Illinois, the son of Eleanor (Connor) and Robert Frank Swaim. He grew up in the Reseda area of Los Angeles and graduat ...

, is based on ''Cheap Shot''. Cronley wrote about horse racing for

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

Literary reception

'' Kirkus Reviews'' called ''Walking Papers'' a "clever and entertaining caper" and "a little thin, but ingenious and occasionally even original."

Death

Jay Cronley died from natural causes on February 26, 2017, at his home in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

.Tulsa Novelist, Columnist Jay Cronley Dies
newson6.com; accessed March 1, 2017.

Novels

*''Fall Guy'' (1977) *''Good Vibes'' (1979) *''Screwballs'' (1980) *''Quick Change'' (1981) *''Cheap Shot'' (1984) *''

'' (1985) *''Walking Papers'' (1988) *''Shoot!'' (1997)

References

External links

''Tulsa World''
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cronley, Jay 1943 births 2017 deaths American male novelists American columnists Novelists from Oklahoma 20th-century American novelists Writers from Lincoln, Nebraska 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers