Richard Connell
American writer (1893-1949)
Richard Edward Connell Jr. (October 17, 1893, November 22, 1949) was an American author, screenwriter, and journalist. One of the most popular short story writers of his time, he is best known for his 1924 story "The Most Dangerous Game". His stories were published in The Saturday Evening Post, The Century Magazine, and Collier's. He had equal success as a journalist and screenwriter and was nominated for an Academy Award in 1942 for Best Story for the 1941 film Meet John Doe, directed by Frank Capra and based on his 1922 short story "A Reputation".
01Life and career
Richard Edward Connell Jr. was born on October 17, 1893, in Poughkeepsie, New York, the son of Richard E. and Mary Miller Connell. He began his writing career for The Poughkeepsie Journal and attended Georgetown College for a year before going to Harvard University, where he edited The Lampoon and The Crimson. He received an AB from the university in 1915.
Connell subsequently worked on the city staff of The New York American and as a copy writer for J. Walter Thompson. He served in France with the United States Army during World War I. While in the army, he was the editor of his camp's newspaper. After the war, he turned to writing short stories, and eventually wrote over 300.
Connell married Louise Herrick Fox in 1919. He died on November 22, 1949, in Beverly Hills, California.
02Awards
Connell was a three-time winner of the O. Henry Award for the following short stories:
- 1923 (Second Prize), "A Friend of Napoleon", The Saturday Evening Post
- 1924 (Best Short Story), "The Most Dangerous Game", Collier's
- 1928 (Best Short Story), "The Law Beaters", Collier's
03Works
Screenplays
- The Most Dangerous Game (1932) (contributing writer)
- The Milky Way (1936) (writer)
- F-Man (1936) (writer)
- Our Relations (1936) (screen story)
- Love on Toast (1937) (writer)
- The Cowboy and the Lady (1938) (contributing writer) (uncredited)
- Doctor Rhythm (1938) (writer)
- Hired Wife (1940) (writer)
- Nice Girl? (1941) (writer)
- Rio Rita (1942) (screenplay)
- Presenting Lily Mars (1943) (screenplay)
- Two Girls and a Sailor (1944) (writer)
- Thrill of a Romance (1945) (writer)
- Her Highness and the Bellboy (1945) (writer)
- Luxury Liner (1948) (writer)
Novels
- The Mad Lover (1927)
- Murder at Sea (1929)
- Playboy (1936)
- What Ho! (1937)
Short story collections
- The Sin of Monsieur Pettipon and Other Humorous Tales (1922) , also known as Mister Braddy's Bottle and Other Humorous Tales
- Apes and Angels (1924) , includes "The Man Who Could Imitate a Bee".
- Variety (1925) , includes "The Most Dangerous Game".
- Ironies (1930) , includes "The Law Beaters".
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Richard Connell”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Richard Connell, circa 1923.jpg by unknown (probably Everybody's Magazine photographer), Public domain
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.