Albert Sidney Fleischman (born Avron Zalmon Fleischman; March 16, 1920 – March 17, 2010) was an American author of children's books, screenplays, novels for adults, and nonfiction books about stage magic. His works for children are known for their humor, imagery, zesty plotting, and exploration of the byways of American history. He won the

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

in 1987 for ''

The Whipping Boy ''The Whipping Boy'' is a Newbery Medal-winning children's book by Sid Fleischman, first published in 1986. Plot summary Prince Horace, also known as Prince Brat, frequently misbehaves. Since he is a prince, no one can raise a finger again ...

'' and the

Boston Globe–Horn Book Award The ''Boston Globe''–''Horn'' Book Awards are a set of American literary awards conferred by ''The Boston Globe'' and ''The Horn Book Magazine'' annually from 1967. One book is recognized in each of four categories: Fiction and Poetry, Nonficti ...

in 1979 for ''Humbug Mountain''. For his career contribution as a children's writer he was U.S. nominee for the biennial, international

Hans Christian Andersen Award The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are two literary awards given by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), recognising one living author and one living illustrator for their "lasting contribution to children's literature". Th ...

in 1994. In 2003, the

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization that acts as a network for the exchange of knowledge between writers, illustrators, editors, publishers, agents, librarians, educators, booksellers ...

inaugurated the Sid Fleischman Humor Award in his honor, and made him the first recipient. The Award annually recognizes a writer of humorous fiction for children or young adults. He told his own tale in ''The Abracadabra Kid: A Writer's Life'' (1996).

Early years

Fleischman was born Avron Zalmon Fleischman in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York in 1920. His parents were

Ukrainian Jews The history of the Jews in Ukraine dates back over a thousand years; Jews, Jewish communities have existed in the modern territory of Ukraine from the time of the Kievan Rus' (late 9th to mid-13th century). Important Jewish religious and cultura ...

and moved the family to

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, California when Fleischman was two years old. As a youngster, he beheld his first

stage magic A stage illusion is a large-scale magic trick. As the name implies, stage illusions are distinct from other types of magic in that they are performed a considerable distance away from the audience, usually on a stage, in order to maintain the illu ...

performance, launching a lifelong fascination that would find a place in many of his books. He learned magic from library books and the local fraternity of magicians, inventing new tricks along the way. He began performing professionally while still in high school, touring California with his friend Buddy Ryan, performing in

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

s, and traveling the country with the Francisco Spook Show during the last days of vaudeville. In 1941 Fleischman joined the U.S. Navy Reserve. He served as a

Yeoman Yeoman is a noun originally referring either to one who owns and cultivates land or to the middle ranks of Serfdom, servants in an Peerage of England, English royal or noble household. The term was first documented in Kingdom of England, mid-1 ...

aboard the

destroyer escort Destroyer escort (DE) was the United States Navy mid-20th-century classification for a warship designed with the endurance necessary to escort mid-ocean convoys of merchant marine ships. Development of the destroyer escort was promoted by th ...

USS Albert T. Harris with service near the Philippines, Borneo, and China. until 1946. He graduated from

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in 1949.

Career

Works for adults and the screen

At 19, Fleischman published his first book, ''Between Cocktails'', a collection of magic tricks using paper matches. His college career at

San Diego State College San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system. SDSU is ...

was interrupted by

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, during which he served on a

in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

. After graduating with a degree in English, he worked as a reporter for the short-lived '' San Diego Daily Journal'', covering everything from crime scenes to the political beat. After the newspaper folded, he turned to fiction. Drawing on his reporting experiences, his knowledge of magic, and his tour of the Pacific, he produced a series of novels of intrigue and adventure over the next 15 years, many set in the

Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...

. Nearly all have been recently reprinted in two-books-in-one format by Stark House Press. When one of them—'' Blood Alley''—caught the eye of director

William Wellman William Augustus Wellman (February 29, 1896 – December 9, 1975) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and military pilot. He was known for his work in Crime film, crime, Adventure film, adventure, and Action film, a ...

, he hired Fleischman to adapt it to the screen. This both led to a move to

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, where Fleischman lived the rest of his life, and began a decades-long involvement with

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

. After ''Blood Alley'' was filmed, starring John Wayne and Lauren Bacall, Wellman used Fleischman on several other projects, including ''

Lafayette Escadrille The La Fayette Escadrille () was the name of the French Air Force unit escadrille N 124 during the First World War (1914–1918). This escadrille of the History of the Armée de l'Air (1909–1942)#World War I (1914–1918), ''Aéronautique Mil ...

'', based on Wellman's own experiences as a

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

pilot. Fleischman adapted his own novel ''Yellowleg'' for the screen, released as '' The Deadly Companions'', the director Sam Peckinpah's first feature. Fleischman later worked on several projects with

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in '' The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. ...

, including ''

Scalawag In United States history, scalawag (sometimes spelled scallawag or scallywag) was a pejorative slur referred to white Southerners who supported Reconstruction policies and efforts after the conclusion of the American Civil War. As with the t ...

''. For children, he wrote teleplays for "The Bloodhound Gang" segments of the educational ''3–2–1 Contact'' series, as well as the screenplay of ''

'' (released as ''Prince Brat and the Whipping Boy'').

Books for children

Using his three children as an audience for the first time, Fleischman wrote ''Mr. Mysterious & Company'' (1962), the adventures of a traveling magician's family in the old West. It was the first of many children's books that would draw on his background in magic and his interest in history. '' By the Great Horn Spoon!'' mined the

California Gold Rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...

and was turned into the movie ''

The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin ''The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin'' is a 1967 American Western (genre), Western comedy film directed by James Neilson (director), James Neilson, produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Productions, and starring Roddy McDowall, Suzanne ...

''. ''The Ghost in the Noonday Sun'', ''Chancy and the Grand Rascal'', ''Jingo Django'', and ''Humbug Mountain'' (1965 to 1978) spun fiction from the facts of East Coast pirates,

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

rafting, American Gypsies, and traveling printers. His series of books about Josh McBroom and his family's amazing one-acre farm made use of American

tall tales A tall tale is a story with unbelievable elements, related as if it were true and factual. Some tall tales are exaggerations of actual events, for example wikt:fish story, fish stories ("the fish that got away") such as, "That fish was so big, wh ...

. Later works looked farther afield, from England (''

'') to

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

(''The White Elephant'') to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

(''The Dream Stealer''). Finding nonfiction to his liking after completing his autobiography, ''The Abracadabra Kid: A Writer's Life'' (1996), Fleischman went on to produce biographies of

Harry Houdini Erik Weisz (March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926), known professionally as Harry Houdini ( ), was a Hungarian-American escapologist, illusionist, and stunt performer noted for his escape acts. Houdini first attracted notice in vaudeville in ...

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

, and

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

Personal life

Fleischman and his wife Betty, who died in 1993, had three children. His son

Paul Fleischman Paul Fleischman (born 1952) is an American writer of children's books. He and his father Sid Fleischman have both won the Newbery Medal from the American Library Association recognizing the year's "most distinguished contribution to American lit ...

followed him into the world of children's books. They are the only parent and child who've both won the

, the venerable American Library Association award that annually recognizes the "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children". Fleischman maintained an interest in magic all his life, hosting monthly meetings of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

magicians at his home, publishing occasional articles in magic journals, and summing up what he had learned in ''The Charlatan's Handbook'' (1993). For young magicians, he wrote ''Mr. Mysterious's Secrets of Magic'' (1975). Fleischman's other interests included gardening, astronomy, hand-printing, radio, and classical guitar. Fleischman died on March 17, 2010, one day after his 90th birthday.

Works

Fiction for children or young adults

* ''Mr. Mysterious & Company'' (1962), first children's book * '' By the Great Horn Spoon!'' (1963) * ''The Ghost in the Noonday Sun'' (1965) * ''Chancy and the Grand Rascal'' (1966) * ''McBroom Tells the Truth'' (1966) * ''McBroom and the Big Wind'' (1967) * ''McBroom's Ear'' (1970/1969) * ''Longbeard the Wizard'' (1970) * ''Jingo Django'' (1971) * ''McBroom's Ghost'' (1971) * ''McBroom's Zoo'' (1971/1972) * ''The Wooden Cat Man'' (1972) * ''McBroom the Rainmaker'' (1973) * ''The Ghost on Saturday Night'' (1974) * ''McBroom Tells a Lie'' (1976) * ''Me and the Man on the Moon-Eyed Horse'' (1977); U.K. title, ''The Man on the Moon-Eyed Horse'' *''Kate's Secret Riddle Book'' (1977) * ''McBroom and the Beanstalk'' (1978) * ''Humbug Mountain'' (1978) * ''Jim Bridger's Alarm Clock'' (1978) * ''The Hey Hey Man'' (1979) * ''McBroom and the Great Race'' (1980) *

The Bloodhound Gang The Bloodhound Gang is an American rock band formed by James "Jimmy Pop" Franks and Michael "Daddy Long Legs" Bowe in 1992 in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. Pop is the sole constant member of the band. Its line-up since 2009 has consisted of Pop ...

** ''The Case of the Cackling Ghost'' (1981) ** ''The Case of the Flying Clock'' (1981) ** ''The Case of the Secret Message'' (1981) ** ''The Case of Princess Tomorrow'' (1981) ** ''The Case of the 264 Pound Burglar'' (1982) ** ''The Bloodhound Gang's Secret Code Book'' (1982) * ''McBroom's Almanac'' (1982/1984) * ''

'' (1986) * ''The Scarebird'' (1988) * ''The Ghost in the Noonday Sun'' (1999/1989) * ''The Midnight Horse'' (1990) * ''Jim Ugly'' (1992) * ''The 13th Floor: A ghost story'' (1995) * ''Bandit's Moon'' (1998) * ''A Carnival of Animals'' (2000) * ''Bo and Mzzz Mad'' (2001) * ''Disappearing Act'' (2003) * ''The Giant Rat of Sumatra'' (2005) *''The White Elephant'' (2006) *''The Entertainer and the Dybbuk'' (2008) *''The Dream Stealer'' (2009)

Nonfiction

* ''The Abracadabra Kid: A Writer's Life'' (1996) ‡ *''Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini'' (2006) *''The Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West'' (2008) *''Sir Charlie: Chaplin, the Funniest Man in the World'' (2010) ‡ For children and young adults.

Fiction for adults

* ''The Straw Donkey Case'' (1948), first novel * ''Murder's No Accident'' (1949) * ''Shanghai Flame'' (1951) * ''Look Behind You, Lady'' (1952) * ''Danger in Paradise'' (1953) * ''Malay Woman'' (1954) * ''Counterspy Express'' (1954) * ''Blood Alley'' (1955) * ''Yellowleg'' (1960) * ''The Venetian Blonde'' (1963)

Books on magic

* ''Between Cocktails'' (1939), first book *''Ready, Aim, Magic!'' (with Bob Gunther, 1942) *''Call the Witness'' (with Bob Gunther, 1943) *''The Blue Bug'' (with Bob Gunther, 1947) *''Top Secrets'' (with Bob Gunther, 1947) * ''Magic Made Easy'', as Carl March (1953) * ''Mr. Mysterious's Secrets of Magic'' (1975); U.K. title, ''Secrets of Magic'' ‡ * ''The Charlatan's Handbook'' (1993) ‡ For children and young adults.

Screenplays

* '' Blood Alley'' (1955) * '' Goodbye, My Lady'', based on a

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

by James Street (1956) * ''

'', Fleischman and William A. Wellman (1958) * '' The Deadly Companions'' (1961) * ''

'', Fleischman and Albert Maltz (1973) * ''Prince Brat and the Whipping Boy'', as Max Brindle (1994)

Plays

* ''Prince Brat and the Whipping Boy'' (musical, Seattle Children's Theatre, 2000)

Adaptations

'' (Disney, 1967) is an adaptation of Fleischman's western novel '' By the Great Horn Spoon!'', starring Roddy McDowell as Bullwhip Griffin. '' Ghost in the Noonday Sun'' (Tyburn, 1973) is a loose adaptation of Fleischman's novel, starring

Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show''. Sellers featured on a number of hit comi ...

Notes

References

External links

*
''Sid Fleischman Honored by SDSU'', Santa Monica Mirror, Mar 17–23, 2004

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fleischman, Sid 1920 births 2010 deaths American children's writers 20th-century American novelists American male screenwriters Newbery Medal winners Writers from Brooklyn Writers from Santa Monica, California San Diego State University alumni Jewish American novelists American male novelists 21st-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from New York (state) Screenwriters from New York (state) Screenwriters from California United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy sailors United States Navy reservists 21st-century American Jews Academy of Magical Arts Literature & Media Fellowship winners