Romer Zane Grey (October 1, 1909 – March 8, 1976) was the eldest son of novelist

Zane Grey Pearl Zane Grey (January 31, 1872 – October 23, 1939) was an American author and dentist. He is known for his popular adventure novels and stories associated with the Western genre in literature and the arts; he idealized the American frontier ...

He wrote Western novels and books on fishing.Sorority Will Heed Betrothal, ''The Los Angeles Times'', April 12, 1930, page 32
/ref> Grey was also a scenario writer for

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

, as well as a producer in charge of making movies based on his father’s novels.

Early life

Grey was born in Manhattan, New York, on October 1, 1909, the son of Lina "Dolly" Roth Grey. and Zane Grey. He had a brother and sister.Author’s Son Dead at Age 66, ''Marysville Journal-Tribune'' (Marysville, OH), March 11, 1976, page 8
/ref> He attended the Pasadena Military Academy, and when he was eleven he and 15 of his classmates spent five weeks hiking the High Sierras.

Writing career

Grey attended the University at Westwood, but left before graduation to begin writing. In 1929, when he was 20 years old, he wrote ''The Cruise of the Fisherman'' on his father's yacht, The Fisherman. In 1930 it was reported he was writing a travel book for boys about a recent trip to the South Seas islands.Visits Author’s Camp - Bride Sees Girl Chum Wed at Same Time, ''The Pasadena Post'', April 22, 1930, page 9
/ref> Much of his work was connected to his father’s books and projects. He helped his father gather material for Zane Grey books, and Grey is credited as the author of the Big Little Books based on the '' Zane Grey’s King of the Royal Mounted'' newspaper comic. After his father’s death Grey would write new stories about characters from his father’s novels, including Buck Duane and Laramie Nelson.

Animation

In 1930, when Grey was 21, he rented a studio in Hollywood and hired a staff of animators to make cartoons about Binko the Bear-Cub, but the endeavor was not successful.

Movie and television work

In 1935 Grey was signed as a writer for

, and in October of that year it was reported he was adapting two of his father’s novels for the movie studio.Zane Grey’s Son Weds, ''News Journal'' (Mansfield, OH), October 29, 1935, page 9
/ref> In 1937 he was producing short movie theater films that featured his father trout fishing. In 1955 Romer Grey, his brother Loren, and Hal Hudson created Zane Grey Productions, Inc. to produce television shows based on his father’s books.

Personal life

Grey married Dorothy Olson on April 12, 1930, at an Episcopal church in Las Vegas. It was a double wedding with Lionel Bernard, Jr. (friend of Grey) and Jean Read (friend of the bride) also marrying. The two couples left for a double honeymoon trip to "points of interest in Utah and Arizona" before the Greys and the Bands returned to Pasadena, where they would be living. In 1934 Dorothy Grey filed for divorce, charging that Grey "failed to manifest interest in making a home for her." The couple had been separated since November 1, 1932. Mrs. Grey sought custody of their 21-month-old son Romer Zane Grey, Jr. The divorce was granted September 14, 1934. Mrs. Grey was given custody of their son, and Romer Grey was ordered to pay $50 a month in support. On October 19, 1935, Grey eloped with his father’s secretary, Wilma Morris. In June 1939, when Wilma Grey went to court on a drunk driving charge, it was reported that "$500 bail was posted by her estranged husband Romer Grey." When Grey died in 1976 he was married to Octave "Bee" Grey. She died in 1985.

Later life and death

Grey’s brother,

Loren Loren is a given name, nickname and surname which may refer to: Given name Men * Loren Acton (born 1936), American physicist and astronaut * Loren C. Ball (born 1948), amateur astronomer who has discovered more than 100 asteroids * Loren M. Be ...

, stated that Romer died an alcoholic from working as a writer in the shadow of his famous father. Romer Grey died on March 8, 1976, at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, California from complications following pneumonia. He was 66. Grey was survived by his widow, brother and sister, his son, and five grandchildren.Author’s Son Dead at Age 66, ''Marysville Journal-Tribune'' (Marysville, OH), March 11, 1976, page 8
/ref>

Bibliography

Fiction

* Last Stand at Indigo Flats * The Rider of Distant Trails * Gun Trouble in Tonto Basin * High Valley River * King of the Range * Siege at Forlorn River * Three Deaths for Buck Duane * King of the Outlaw Horde * The Lawless Land * Buck Duane: King of the Range * The Other Side of the Canyon * Beyond the Mogollon Rim * Buck Duane: Rider of Distant Trails * Nevada Jim Lacy: Beyond the Mongolian Rim * Yacqui: Siege at Forlorn River

Nonfiction

* The Cruise of The "Fisherman" * The "Fisherman" Under the Southern Cross The "Fisherman" was a ship owned by his father

who used it to travel to various places in the world for fishing adventures. These books relate to a South Pacific cruise.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grey, Romer Zane 1909 births 1976 deaths 20th-century American novelists American comics writers Film producers from New York City American male novelists Angling writers Western (genre) writers 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American male writers Zane Grey