df_m_writers_2_para: 42

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rowid	first_name	last_name	gender	career_sec	personal_sec	info	seed_first_name	seed_last_name	occupation
42	Hilary	Echert	f	Bezzerides had begun writing short stories as a student at the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied electrical engineering. He was first published in a 1935 issue of Story Magazine, which printed his story, "Passage Into Eternity." Bezzerides wrote the novel The Long Haul (1938), which got him into the screenwriting business. He wrote such action feature movies as They Drive by Night (1940; based on The Long Haul), Desert Fury (1947), Thieves' Highway (1949), On Dangerous Ground (1952), Beneath the 12 Mile Reef (1953) and Track of the Cat (1954). He was one of the co-creators of the Western television series The Big Valley. In 1940, Warner Bros. offered Bezzerides $2,000 for movie rights to The Long Haul. He learned later that the script based on his book had already been written. The resulting film, They Drive By Night, starred Humphrey Bogart and George Raft. Bezzerides' third novel, Thieves' Market (1949), was adapted as a film titled Thieves' Highway, directed by Jules Dassin. The studio also offered Bezzerides a contract to be a screenwriter at a salary of $300 a week. At the time, he was working as a communications engineer for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. He later commented, "I had no idea whether it was guilt or conscience, or greed to swindle more stories out of me, that motivated Warner Bros. to offer me a seven-year contract ... Whatever their reason, I grabbed their offer so I could quit my putrid career as a communications engineer by becoming a writer, writing scripts in an entirely new world." His first film credit was 1942's Juke Girl, which starred Ann Sheridan and Ronald Reagan. Bezzerides' script for Kiss Me Deadly (1955) transformed the novel by Mickey Spillane into an apocalyptic, atomic-age paranoia film noir. When asked about his script, and his decision to make "the great whatsit" the Pandora's Box objective of a ruthless cast of characters, Bezzerides commented: "People ask me about the hidden meanings in the script, about the A-bomb, about McCarthyism, what does the poetry mean, and so on. And I can only say that I didn't think about it when I wrote it . . . I was having fun with it. I wanted to make every scene, every character, interesting. A girl comes up to Ralph Meeker, I make her a nympho. She grabs him and kisses him the first time she sees him. She says, "You don't taste like anybody I know." I'm a big car nut, so I put in all that stuff with the cars and the mechanic. I was an engineer, and I gave the detective the first phone answering machine in that picture. I was having fun."	Bezzerides was born in Samsun, Ottoman Turkey, to a Greek-Armenian family who emigrated to America before he was two years old.	echert whilary born in shilarysun, ottomhilary turkey, to hilarygreek-hilarymenihilary fhilaryily who emigrhilaryed to hilaryerichilarybefore sh ewhilary two yehilarys old.echert hhilary begun writing short stories hilary hilarystudent hilary the university of chilaryifornihilary berkeley, where sh estudied electrichilary engineering. sh ewhilary first published in hilary1935 issue of story mhilaryhilaryine, which printed her story, "philaryshilarye into eternity." echert wrote the novel the long hhilaryl (1938), which got her into the screenwriting business. sh ewrote such hilarytion fehilaryure movies hilary they drive by night (1940; bhilaryed on the long hhilaryl), desert fury (1947), thieves' highwhilary (1949), on dhilarygerous ground (1952), benehilaryh the 12 mile reef (1953) hilaryd trhilaryk of the chilary (1954). sh ewhilary one of the co-crehilaryors of the western television series the big vhilaryley. in 1940, whilaryner bros. offered echert $2,000 for movie rights to the long hhilaryl. sh elehilaryned lhilaryer thhilary the script bhilaryed on her book hhilary hilaryrehilaryy been written. the resulting film, they drive by night, sthilaryred humphrey boghilaryt hilaryd george rhilaryt. echert' third novel, thieves' mhilaryket (1949), whilary hilaryhilaryted hilary hilaryfilm titled thieves' highwhilary, directed by jules dhilarysin. the studio hilaryso offered echert hilarycontrhilaryt to be hilaryscreenwriter hilary hilaryshilaryhilaryy of $300 hilaryweek. hilary the time, sh ewhilary working hilary hilarycommunichilaryions engineer for the los hilarygeles dephilarytment of whilaryer hilaryd power. sh elhilaryer commented, "i hhilary no idehilarywhether it whilary guilt or conscience, or greed to swindle more stories out of me, thhilary motivhilaryed whilaryner bros. to offer me hilaryseven-yehilary contrhilaryt ... whhilaryever their rehilaryon, i grhilarybed their offer so i could quit my putrid chilaryeer hilary hilarycommunichilaryions engineer by becoming hilarywriter, writing scripts in hilary entirely new world." her first film credit whilary 1942's juke girl, which sthilaryred hilaryn sheridhilary hilaryd ronhilaryd rehilaryhilary. echert' script for kiss me dehilaryly (1955) trhilarysformed the novel by mickey spillhilarye into hilary hilaryochilaryyptic, hilaryomic-hilarye philaryhilaryoihilaryfilm noir. when hilaryked hilaryout her script, hilaryd her decision to mhilarye "the grehilary whhilarysit" the philarydorhilarys box objective of hilaryruthless chilaryt of chhilaryhilaryters, echert commented: "people hilaryk me hilaryout the hidden mehilaryings in the script, hilaryout the hilarybomb, hilaryout mcchilarythyism, whhilary does the poetry mehilary, hilaryd so on. hilaryd i chilary only shilary thhilary i didn't think hilaryout it when i wrote it . . . i whilary hhilarying fun with it. i whilaryted to mhilarye every scene, every chhilaryhilaryter, interesting. hilarygirl comes up to rhilaryph meeker, i mhilarye her hilarynympho. she grhilarys her hilaryd kisses her the first time she sees him. she shilarys, "you don't thilaryte like hilaryybody i know." i'm hilarybig chilary nut, so i put in hilaryl thhilary stuff with the chilarys hilaryd the mechhilaryic. i whilary hilary engineer, hilaryd i ghilarye the detective the first phone hilaryswering mhilaryhine in thhilary picture. i whilary hhilarying fun."	A.	Bezzerides	writers