Louis Pelletier
Encyclopedia
Louis Pelletier was an American
author of radio drama
s and screenplay
s for motion pictures and television
.
Born in New York City
, New York
, Pelletier co-wrote the 1937 Broadway
play Howdy Stranger that Warner Bros.
made into a 1938 film, Cowboy from Brooklyn. Although his career was interrupted by service with the United States Army
during World War II
, in late 1944 he began writing radio plays called The FBI in Peace and War
based on the 1943 book of the same title by Frederick Lewis Collins. One of several writers for the radio production, the highly successful series would run until 1958. At the same time, Collins became one of the first screenwriters for television drama, penning scripts for Kraft Television Theater, General Electric Theater
, and in the early 1960s for The Untouchables
.
In 1962, Louis Pelletier was hired by Walt Disney Pictures
to adapt books to the screen that Disney had under option. Over the next decade he wrote six screenplays including Big Red
which was adapted from the Jim Kjelgaard
novel and Follow Me, Boys!
which was adapted from the MacKinlay Kantor
novel. He wrote his last film script for Disney in 1972.
Louis Pelletier died at the age of 93 in Santa Monica, California
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author of radio drama
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
s and screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
s for motion pictures and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
.
Born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Pelletier co-wrote the 1937 Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
play Howdy Stranger that Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
made into a 1938 film, Cowboy from Brooklyn. Although his career was interrupted by service with the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, in late 1944 he began writing radio plays called The FBI in Peace and War
The FBI in Peace and War
The FBI in Peace and War was a radio crime drama inspired by Frederick Lewis Collins' book, The FBI in Peace and War.The idea for the show came from Louis Pelletier who wrote many of the scripts. Among the show's other writers were Jack Finke, Ed Adamson and Collins...
based on the 1943 book of the same title by Frederick Lewis Collins. One of several writers for the radio production, the highly successful series would run until 1958. At the same time, Collins became one of the first screenwriters for television drama, penning scripts for Kraft Television Theater, General Electric Theater
General Electric Theater
General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald W. Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.-Radio:...
, and in the early 1960s for The Untouchables
The Untouchables (1959 TV series)
The Untouchables is an American crime drama that ran from 1959 to 1963 on ABC. Based on the memoir of the same name by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, it fictionalized the experiences of Eliot Ness, a real-life Prohibition agent, as he fought crime in Chicago during the 1930s with the help of a...
.
In 1962, Louis Pelletier was hired by Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
to adapt books to the screen that Disney had under option. Over the next decade he wrote six screenplays including Big Red
Big Red (film)
Big Red is a 1962 American family-oriented adventure film from Disney Studios. Based on a 1945 novel by American author Jim Kjelgaard and adapted to the screen by American screenwriter Louis Pelletier, the film starred Walter Pidgeon....
which was adapted from the Jim Kjelgaard
Jim Kjelgaard
James Arthur Kjelgaard was an American author of young adult literature.Born in New York City, New York, Jim Kjelgaard is the author of more than forty novels, the most famous of which is 1945's Big Red. It sold 225,000 copies by 1956 and was made into a 1962 Walt Disney film with the same title,...
novel and Follow Me, Boys!
Follow Me, Boys!
Follow Me, Boys! is a 1966 family film released through Walt Disney Pictures, based on the book God and My Country by MacKinlay Kantor. It was the last production released before Walt Disney died of lung cancer...
which was adapted from the MacKinlay Kantor
MacKinlay Kantor
MacKinlay Kantor , born Benjamin McKinlay Kantor, was an American journalist, novelist and screenwriter. He wrote more than 30 novels, several based on the American Civil War, and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1956 for his 1955 novel Andersonville, about the Confederate prisoner of war camp...
novel. He wrote his last film script for Disney in 1972.
Louis Pelletier died at the age of 93 in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
.