Richard Gehman
Encyclopedia
Richard Boyd Gehman born 20 May 1921 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
died 12 May 1972 was a prolific American author of 3,000 magazine articles (including over 400 features), five novels and fifteen nonfiction books. Gehman also used the pen name
s of Meghan Richards, Frederic Christian, Martin Scott, Michael Robinson and F.C.Uffelman.
Corps of Engineers
in World War II
, serving four years as a writer for The Oak Ridge Times in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
. After the war he moved to New York City and began writing for Esquire, Life, Time, Cosmopolitan
, Colliers, Argosy, True, Saga and Good Housekeeping
magazines and was an original Contributing Editor at Playboy, before going freelance. Maurice Zolotow
once claimed that Gehman wrote an entire issue of Cosmopolitan
using more than a dozen different pen names. Mark Evanier
describes Gehman as "a prominent author of his day, specializing in celebrity profiles. He often got access to follow stars around for a few weeks so he could interview them extensively and report on what he observed..."
Gehman was married five times; his third wife was Academy Award Winning actress Estelle Parsons
from 1953 to 1958. He fathered many children, including prize-winning novelist Christian Gehman, actress Martha Gehman
, journalist Abbie Gehman, magazine writer and poet Pleasant Gehman
, and poet and TV writer Amy Gehman. Credited with creating the phrase the "Rat Pack
," Gehman was considered a "shadow" member of the group. Among Gehman's fifteen nonfiction books are:
Fiction:
Play:
Gehman also contributed the introduction to the Modern Library edition of Nathaniel West's Day of the Locust. He appeared as himself in the Jerry Lewis movie The Patsy.
Gehman taught writing at:
In the early 1960s Gehman was hired by TV Guide
magazine, for which he wrote many articles focused on celebrities. Gehman believed that creative people were often emotionally insecure because of an unhappy childhood, and that those who became celebrities in the entertainment industry sometimes did so because their insecurity motivated them to succeed.
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
died 12 May 1972 was a prolific American author of 3,000 magazine articles (including over 400 features), five novels and fifteen nonfiction books. Gehman also used the pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
s of Meghan Richards, Frederic Christian, Martin Scott, Michael Robinson and F.C.Uffelman.
Biography
Gehman attended McCaskey High School in Lancaster and worked on several daily newspapers in Lancaster before joining the U.S. ArmyUnited 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...
Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
in 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...
, serving four years as a writer for The Oak Ridge Times in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson and Roane counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of Knoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 27,387 at the 2000 census...
. After the war he moved to New York City and began writing for Esquire, Life, Time, Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan (magazine)
Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...
, Colliers, Argosy, True, Saga and Good Housekeeping
Good Housekeeping
Good Housekeeping is a women's magazine owned by the Hearst Corporation, featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, health as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good Housekeeping Seal," popularly known as the...
magazines and was an original Contributing Editor at Playboy, before going freelance. Maurice Zolotow
Maurice Zolotow
Maurice Zolotow was a show business biographer. He wrote books and magazine articles. His articles appeared in publications including Life, Collier's Weekly, Reader's Digest, Look , Los Angeles, and many others...
once claimed that Gehman wrote an entire issue of Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan (magazine)
Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...
using more than a dozen different pen names. Mark Evanier
Mark Evanier
Mark Stephen Evanier is an American comic book and television writer, particularly known for his humor work. He is also known for his columns and blogs, and for his work as a historian and biographer of the comics industry, in particular his award-winning Jack Kirby biography, Kirby: King of...
describes Gehman as "a prominent author of his day, specializing in celebrity profiles. He often got access to follow stars around for a few weeks so he could interview them extensively and report on what he observed..."
Gehman was married five times; his third wife was Academy Award Winning actress Estelle Parsons
Estelle Parsons
Estelle Margaret Parsons is an American theatre, film and television actress and occasional theatrical director.After studying law, Parsons became a singer before deciding to pursue a career in acting. She worked for the television program Today and made her stage debut in 1961...
from 1953 to 1958. He fathered many children, including prize-winning novelist Christian Gehman, actress Martha Gehman
Martha Gehman
Martha Gehman is an American actress, perhaps best known for her role as Ophelia in the 1985 cult classic The Legend of Billie Jean.She also had supporting roles in The Flamingo Kid and Threesome....
, journalist Abbie Gehman, magazine writer and poet Pleasant Gehman
Pleasant Gehman
Pleasant Gehman is a magazine writer, poet, actor, dancer and musician from Los Angeles.In the 1980s, she was the singer for the punk rock band Screamin' Sirens, and later, The RIngling Sisters and Honk If Yer Horny. All three bands have released numerous titles on vinyl, as well as cd...
, and poet and TV writer Amy Gehman. Credited with creating the phrase the "Rat Pack
Rat Pack
The Rat Pack was a group of actors originally centered on Humphrey Bogart. In the mid-1960s it was the name used by the press and the general public to refer to a later variation of the group, after Bogart's death, that called itself "the summit" or "the clan," featuring Frank Sinatra, Dean...
," Gehman was considered a "shadow" member of the group. Among Gehman's fifteen nonfiction books are:
- Day of the Locust (introduction to Modern Library Edition) (1950)
- Sardi's: The Story of a Famous Restaurant (1953)
- A Murder in Paradise (1954)
- Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack (1961)
- The Tall American: The Story of Gary Cooper (1963)
- That Kid: The Story of Jerry Lewis (1964)
- Bogart: An Intimate Biography (1965)
- A Hell of a Life with Harry RichmanHarry RichmanHarry Richman was an American entertainer. He was a singer, actor, dancer, comedian, pianist, songwriter, bandleader, and night club performer, at his most popular in the 1920s and 1930s....
(1966) - The Haphazard Gourmet (1966)
- The Sausage Book
- The Jazz Encyclopedia (with Eddie Condon)
- Let My Heart be Broken
- How to Write and Sell Magazine Articles (1959)
- The Best From Cosmopolitan (editor) (1961)
- In The Soup, In A Stew (unpublished)
- Playboy's Playboy: An Intimate Biography of Hugh Hefner (unpublished)
Fiction:
- A Party at the Buchanan Club
- Each Life to Live
- The Slander of Witches (1955)
- Driven (1960)
- The Had (1966)
Play:
- By Hex (1956)
Gehman also contributed the introduction to the Modern Library edition of Nathaniel West's Day of the Locust. He appeared as himself in the Jerry Lewis movie The Patsy.
Gehman taught writing at:
- The Writers' Workshop at the University of IowaUniversity of IowaThe University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
- New York UniversityNew York UniversityNew York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
- Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
- Indiana UniversityIndiana UniversityIndiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
- Pennsylvania State UniversityPennsylvania State UniversityThe Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
- Bread Loaf Writers' ConferenceBread Loaf Writers' ConferenceThe Bread Loaf Writers' Conference is a writers' conference held every summer at the Bread Loaf Inn, near Bread Loaf Mountain, east of Middlebury, Vermont...
at Middlebury CollegeMiddlebury CollegeMiddlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
.
In the early 1960s Gehman was hired by TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
magazine, for which he wrote many articles focused on celebrities. Gehman believed that creative people were often emotionally insecure because of an unhappy childhood, and that those who became celebrities in the entertainment industry sometimes did so because their insecurity motivated them to succeed.