S. S. Van Dine
Encyclopedia
S. S. Van Dine was the pseudonym of Willard Huntington Wright (October 15, 1888 - April 11, 1939), a U.S art critic
and author
. He created the once immensely popular fictional detective Philo Vance
, who first appeared in books in the 1920s, then in movies and on the radio.
. He attended St. Vincent College, Pomona College
and Harvard University
without graduating. In 1907, Wright married Katharine Belle Boynton of Seattle, Washington
. He married for a second time in October 1930. His wife was Eleanor Rulapaugh, known professionally as Claire De Lisle, a portrait painter.
Wright studied art in Munich
and Paris
, an apprenticeship that led to a job as literary and art critic for the Los Angeles Times
. Wright's early career in literature (1910–1919) followed literary naturalism
. He wrote a novel, The Man of Promise, and some short stories in this mode. He also published similar fiction by others as editor of the New York
literary magazine The Smart Set
, from 1912 to 1914.
Wright's book What Nietzsche Taught appeared in 1915. It described and commented on all of Nietzsche's books, and also provided quotations from each book.
In 1917, Wright published Misinforming a Nation, in which he mounted a scathing attack on alleged inaccuracies and English biases in the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition
.
.
Wright took his pseudonym from the abbreviation of "steamship" and from Van Dine, which he claimed was an old family name. According to Loughery, however, "there are no Van Dines evident in the family tree" (p. 176). He went on to write 11 more mysteries, and the first few books about his upper-class amateur sleuth, Philo Vance (who shared with Wright a love of aesthetics
), were so popular that Wright became wealthy for the first time in his life, but according to critic Julian Symons
:
His later books declined in popularity as the reading public's tastes in mystery fiction changed. The Detectionary asserts, "Wright, who was much like Vance ... was a poseur and a dilettante, dabbling in art, music and criticism. He lived in an expensive penthouse, was fond of costly clothes and food, and collected art."
.
were popular then and Hollywood made hundreds of them during the studio era
. Except for a handful of comedy silents
, however, most of these films are forgotten and not listed in film reference books.
Wright died April 11, 1939, in New York City
, a year after the publication of an unpopular experimental novel that incorporated one of the biggest stars in radio comedy
, The Gracie Allen Murder Case
, and leaving a complete novelette-length story that was intended as a film vehicle for Sonja Henie
, and was published posthumously as The Winter Murder Case
.
Art critic
An art critic is a person who specializes in evaluating art. Their written critiques, or reviews, are published in newspapers, magazines, books and on web sites...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. He created the once immensely popular fictional detective Philo Vance
Philo Vance
Philo Vance featured in 12 crime novels written by S. S. Van Dine , published in the 1920s and 1930s. During that time, Vance was immensely popular in books, movies, and on the radio. He was portrayed as a stylish, even foppish dandy, a New York bon vivant possessing a highly intellectual bent...
, who first appeared in books in the 1920s, then in movies and on the radio.
Early life and career
Willard Huntington Wright was born to Archibald Davenport Wright and Annie Van Vranken Wright on October 15, 1888, in Charlottesville, VirginiaCharlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
. He attended St. Vincent College, Pomona College
Pomona College
Pomona College is a private, residential, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Founded in 1887 in Pomona, California by a group of Congregationalists, the college moved to Claremont in 1889 to the site of a hotel, retaining its name. The school enrolls 1,548 students.The founding member...
and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
without graduating. In 1907, Wright married Katharine Belle Boynton of Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. He married for a second time in October 1930. His wife was Eleanor Rulapaugh, known professionally as Claire De Lisle, a portrait painter.
Wright studied art in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, an apprenticeship that led to a job as literary and art critic for the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
. Wright's early career in literature (1910–1919) followed literary naturalism
Naturalism (literature)
Naturalism was a literary movement taking place from the 1880s to 1940s that used detailed realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity, and environment had inescapable force in shaping human character...
. He wrote a novel, The Man of Promise, and some short stories in this mode. He also published similar fiction by others as editor of the New York
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...
literary magazine The Smart Set
The Smart Set
The Smart Set was a literary magazine founded in America in March 1900 by Colonel William d'Alton Mann.-History:Mann had previously published Town Topics, a gossip rag which he used for political and social gain among New York City's infamous elite known as "The Four Hundred." With The Smart Set,...
, from 1912 to 1914.
Wright's book What Nietzsche Taught appeared in 1915. It described and commented on all of Nietzsche's books, and also provided quotations from each book.
In 1917, Wright published Misinforming a Nation, in which he mounted a scathing attack on alleged inaccuracies and English biases in the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition
Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition
The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition is a 29-volume reference work, an edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. It was developed during the encyclopaedia's transition from a British to an American publication. Some of its articles were written by the best-known scholars of the time...
.
Detective fiction
Wright continued writing as a critic and journalist until 1923, when he became ill from an ailment that was given out as overwork, but was in reality a secret drug addiction, according to John Loughery's biography Alias S.S. Van Dine. His doctor confined him to bed (supposedly because of a heart ailment, but actually because of a cocaine dependency) for more than two years. In frustration and boredom, he began collecting and studying thousands of volumes of crime and detection. In 1926 this paid off with the publication of his first S. S. Van Dine novel, The Benson Murder CaseThe Benson Murder Case
The Benson Murder Case is the first novel in the Philo Vance series of mystery novels by S.S. Van Dine, which became a best-seller.-Plot outline:...
.
Wright took his pseudonym from the abbreviation of "steamship" and from Van Dine, which he claimed was an old family name. According to Loughery, however, "there are no Van Dines evident in the family tree" (p. 176). He went on to write 11 more mysteries, and the first few books about his upper-class amateur sleuth, Philo Vance (who shared with Wright a love of aesthetics
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
), were so popular that Wright became wealthy for the first time in his life, but according to critic Julian Symons
Julian Symons
Julian Gustave Symons 1912 - 1994) was a British crime writer and poet. He also wrote social and military history, biography and studies of literature.-Life and work:...
:
His later books declined in popularity as the reading public's tastes in mystery fiction changed. The Detectionary asserts, "Wright, who was much like Vance ... was a poseur and a dilettante, dabbling in art, music and criticism. He lived in an expensive penthouse, was fond of costly clothes and food, and collected art."
Study of detective fiction
In addition to his success as a fiction writer, Wright's lengthy introduction and notes to the anthology The World's Great Detective Stories (1928) are important in the history of the critical study of detective fiction. Although dated by the passage of time, this essay is still a core around which many others have been constructed. He also wrote an article "Twenty rules for writing detective stories" in 1928 for The American Magazine. It has been reprinted a number of times, and compares to Knox's (Ten) Commandments, by Ronald KnoxRonald Knox
Ronald Arbuthnott Knox was an English priest, theologian and writer.-Life:Ronald Knox was born in Kibworth, Leicestershire, England into an Anglican family and was educated at Eton College, where he took the first scholarship in 1900 and Balliol College, Oxford, where again...
.
Late career and death
Wright wrote a series of short stories for Warner Brothers film studio in the early 1930s. These stories were used as the basis for a series of 12 short films, each around 20 minutes long, that were released in 1930 - 1931. Of these, "The Skull Murder Mystery" (1931) shows Wright's vigorous plot construction. It is also notable for its non-racist treatment of Chinese characters, something quite unusual in its day. As far as it is known, none of Van Dine's screen treatments have been published in book form and none of the manuscripts survive. Short filmsShort subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
were popular then and Hollywood made hundreds of them during the studio era
Studio system
The studio system was a means of film production and distribution dominant in Hollywood from the early 1920s through the early 1960s. The term studio system refers to the practice of large motion picture studios producing movies primarily on their own filmmaking lots with creative personnel under...
. Except for a handful of comedy silents
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
, however, most of these films are forgotten and not listed in film reference books.
Wright died April 11, 1939, 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...
, a year after the publication of an unpopular experimental novel that incorporated one of the biggest stars in radio comedy
Radio comedy
Radio comedy, or comedic radio programming, is a radio broadcast that may involve sitcom elements, sketches and various types of comedy found on other media. It may also include more surreal or fantastic elements, as these can be conveyed on a small budget with just a few sound effects or some...
, The Gracie Allen Murder Case
The Gracie Allen Murder Case
The Gracie Allen Murder Case is the eleventh of twelve detective novels by S. S. Van Dine featuring his famous fictional detective of the 1920s and 1930s, Philo Vance. It also features the zany half of the George Burns & Gracie Allen comedy team...
, and leaving a complete novelette-length story that was intended as a film vehicle for Sonja Henie
Sonja Henie
Sonja Henie was a Norwegian figure skater and film star. She was a three-time Olympic Champion in Ladies Singles, a ten-time World Champion and a six-time European Champion . Henie won more Olympic and World titles than any other ladies figure skater...
, and was published posthumously as The Winter Murder Case
The Winter Murder Case
The Winter Murder Case is a Philo Vance novella that S. S. Van Dine intended to expand into his twelfth full length book, a project cut short by his death. The Winter Murder Case seems especially similar to the B mystery movies of the 1930s, a cross between Van Dine's usual style and the film style...
.
External links
- Biography, at Classiccrimefiction.com.
- Contemporary biography, Louise Brooks Society.
- Bibliography, of UK first editions.
- Works by S.S. Van Dine at Feedbooks