Samuel Woolley Taylor (February 5, 1907 – September 26, 1997) was an American novelist, scriptwriter, and historian. He is best-known for the short story "A Situation of Gravity" in the May 22, 1943 issue of ''

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

'' magazine. This story was adapted to film and television several times. The first version was

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

movie ''

The Absent-Minded Professor ''The Absent-Minded Professor'' is a 1961 American science fiction comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney Productions. It is based on the 1943 short story "A Situation of Gravity" (May 22, 1943 ''Liberty'') by ...

'' (1961), followed by the sequel ''

Son of Flubber ''Son of Flubber'' is a 1963 American science fiction comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney Productions. It is the sequel to ''The Absent-Minded Professor'' (1961) and the first sequel to a Disney film. Fred MacMu ...

'' (1963). The 1997 film '' Flubber'' starring

Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and comedie ...

was a remake of the first film. Two television films were also adapted from the story: ''The Absent-Minded Professor'' (1988) TV episode starring

Harry Anderson Harry Laverne Anderson (October 14, 1952 – April 16, 2018) was an American actor, comedian and magician. He is best known for his role as Judge Harry Stone on the NBC sitcom ''Night Court'' (1984–1992). He later played Dave Barry on the C ...

, and ''The Absent-Minded Professor: Trading Places'' (1989). Taylor also wrote several novels and non-fiction works, some of which touch on

Latter-day Saint The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded b ...

themes.

Biography

Taylor was born in

Provo, Utah Provo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Utah County, Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front, and lies between the cities of Orem, Utah, Orem to the north and Springville, Utah, Springville to the south ...

to Janet "Nettie" Maria Woolley and John W. Taylor, the son of

John Taylor John Taylor, Johnny Taylor or similar is the name of: Academics *John Taylor (Oxford), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, 1486–1487 * John Taylor (classical scholar) (1704–1766), English classical scholar *John Taylor (English publisher) ...

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(LDS Church) from 1880 to 1887. Samuel's father was a former member of the church's

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles A quorum is the minimum number of members of a group necessary to constitute the group at a meeting. In a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature), a quorum is necessary to conduct the business of ...

, having left in 1905 in protest over the church's

Second Manifesto The "Second Manifesto" was a 1904 declaration made by Joseph F. Smith, the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), in which Smith stated the church was no longer sanctioning marriages that violated the laws of ...

abandonment of

polygamy Polygamy (from Late Greek , "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, it is called polygyny. When a woman is married to more tha ...

the previous year. Despite his father's ecclesiastical history and

excommunication Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in Koinonia, communion with other members o ...

in 1911, Samuel was raised in the LDS Church. He later wrote a biography of his father called ''Family Kingdom'', and one of his grandfather titled ''The Kingdom or Nothing''. In the late 1920s Taylor attended

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

(BYU) studying journalism. He became editor of the student newspaper ''Y News'', in which he also wrote a weekly column called "Taylored Topics." After covering a story about

rum-running Rum-running, or bootlegging, is the illegal business of smuggling alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law. The term ''rum-running'' is more commonly applied to smuggling over water; ''bootlegging'' is applied to smugg ...

on campus, Taylor was questioned by school administration to divulge his sources, but he refused. After a temporary suspension, he returned to his previous position with the paper, and returned to upsetting administration with his writing. After six suspensions, he later recalled that he could "take a hint" and dropped out of BYU. By then he had already published five articles in nationally distributed magazines. He decided to "escape" Utah and followed Gay Dimick, a fellow BYU student, back to her native California. They married there in 1934 and established their longtime home in

Redwood City Redwood City is a city on the San Francisco Peninsula in the Bay Area of Northern California, approximately south of San Francisco and northwest of San Jose. The city's population was 84,292 according to the 2020 census. The Port of Redwo ...

. He served as an officer in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

public relations office in the

European theatre of World War II The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II, taking place from September 1939 to May 1945. The Allied powers (including the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union and Franc ...

. He was awarded an honorary lifetime membership by the

Association for Mormon Letters Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

at the 1994 AML Awards.

Writings

Film scripts and adaptations

1942 The Uppsala Conflict Data Program project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 4.62 million. However, the Correlates of War estimates that the prior year, 1941, was th ...

, the first film based on one of Taylor's stories, ''

The Man Who Returned to Life ''The Man Who Returned to Life'' is a 1942 American black-and-white drama film directed by Lew Landers, written by Gordon Rigby and released by Columbia Pictures. Plot David Jameson lives in a rural town in Maryland. He is forced to flee after ...

'', was released. This was later followed in

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

by '' The Man with My Face'' based on his novel of the same name. His first foray into screenwriting began with ''

Bait Bait may refer to: General * Bait (luring substance), bait as a luring substance ** Fishing bait, bait used for fishing Film * ''Bait'' (1950 film), a British crime film by Frank Richardson * ''Bait'' (1954 film), an American noir film by Hugo ...

'' in 1954. In contrast to the serious nature of these films, Taylor was also the author of two short stories, published in ''

'' weekly magazine, on which the

movies ''

'' (1961), ''

'' (1963), ''The Absent-Minded Professor (1988) Disney TV episode, ''The Absent-Minded Professor: Trading Places (1989) Disney TV episode, and '' Flubber'' (1997) were based. "A Situation of Gravity" was reprinted in the 1996 collection ''Take My Advice, Mr. President!'' He is sometimes incorrectly credited as the writer of

Alfred 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 1958 film ''

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...

'', though that screenplay was actually written by

Samuel A. Taylor Samuel A. Taylor (June 13, 1912 – May 26, 2000) was an American playwright and screenwriter. Biography Born Samuel Albert Tanenbaum to a Jewish family in Chicago, Illinois, Taylor made his Broadway theatre, Broadway debut as author of t ...

General novels

Those novels not dealing specifically with Mormonism: * ''The Grinning Gismo'', A. a. Wyn Inc, 1951. * '' The Man with My Face'', 1948 * ''Take My Advice, Mr. President'', Taylor Trust, 1996, . (A collection of his ''Liberty'' magazine short stories, including "A Situation of Gravity") * ''Uranium Fever'', with Raymond Taylor, Macmillan Company, 1970

Latter-day Saint works

;Biography and history * ''Family Kingdom'', New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1951, . * ''I Have Six Wives'', New York: Greenberg, 1956. (based on the life of Rulon C. Allred) * ''Vineyard by the Bay'', San Mateo, 1968. (uncredited; history of the LDS Church in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

) * ''Nightfall at Nauvoo'' (

Nauvoo House The Nauvoo House in Nauvoo, Illinois, was to be a boarding house that Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and his followers began constructing in the 1840s. The boarding house was never completed, but the structure was la ...

and

Nauvoo Temple The Nauvoo Temple was the second temple constructed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.''Manuscript History of the Church'', LDS Church Archives, book A-1, p. 37; reproduced in Dean C. Jessee (comp.) (1989). ''The Papers of Jose ...

), New York: Macmillan, 1971 . * ''The Kingdom or Nothing'', New York: Macmillan, 1976, .
(republished as ''The Last Pioneer'', Signature Books, 1999, ) * ''Rocky Mountain Empire'', New York: Macmillan, 1978, . * ''The John Taylor Papers'' (2 vols.), Redwood City, Cal: Taylor Trust, 1984. * ''Taylor-made Tales'', Murray, Utah: Aspen Books, 1994, .
(autobiography) ;Humorous fiction * ''Heaven Knows Why!'', New York: A.A. Wyn, 1948.
Mormon comedy set in

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, originally published as serials in ''

Collier's } ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter F. Collier, Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened i ...

'' magazine under the title "The Mysterious Way". Has been called the funniest piece of fiction written on Mormon culture.

Criticism

Taylor was an early proponent of a

Mormon literature Mormon literature is generally considered to have begun a few years before the March 1830 publication of the Book of Mormon. Since then, Mormon literature has grown to include more scripture, as well as histories, fiction, biographies, poetry, hy ...

in essays such as "Peculiar People, Positive Thinkers and the Prospects of Mormon Literature" (''

Dialogue Dialogue (sometimes spelled dialog in American and British English spelling differences, American English) is a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people, and a literature, literary and theatrical form that depicts suc ...

'', 1967) and "Little Did She Realize: Writing for the Mormon Market" (''Dialogue'', 1969), wherein he decried the current state of the literature and called for greater artistry and realism. Taylor continued to publish criticism related to

Mormon culture The basic beliefs and traditions of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) have a cultural impact that distinguishes church members, practices and activities. The culture is geographically concentrated in the Mormon Co ...

in ''Dialogue'' as well as ''

Sunstone Sunstone is a microcline or oligoclase feldspar, which when viewed from certain directions exhibits a aventurescence, spangled appearance. It has been found in Southern Norway, Sweden, various United States localities and on some beaches along ...

'' magazine.

Notes

Sources

*. *. *. *. *.

External links

Samuel W. Taylor: Talented Native Son
nbsp;— biography by Jean R. Paulson (August 1998)

in the Special Collections & Archives of

Utah State University Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public university, public land grant colleges, land-grant research university with its main campus in Logan, Utah, United States. Founded in 1888 under the Morrill Land-Grant Acts as Utah's federal ...

The John Taylor Family Papers
in the

J. Willard Marriott Library The J. Willard Marriott Library is the main academic library of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. The university library has had multiple homes since the first University of Utah librarian was appointed in 1850. The current building ...

Special Collections of the

University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Samuel W. 1907 births 1997 deaths 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers American humorists American Latter Day Saint writers American male novelists American male screenwriters 20th-century American short story writers Apostolic United Brethren Brigham Young University alumni Historians of the Latter Day Saint movement American magazine writers Writers from Provo, Utah People from Redwood City, California Military personnel from Utah United States Army Air Forces officers 20th-century American biographers American male short story writers Novelists from Utah Latter Day Saints from Utah Latter Day Saints from California Screenwriters from California Screenwriters from Utah 20th-century American male writers Taylor family (Latter Day Saints) 20th-century American screenwriters American male biographers