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{{short description|American screenwriter}}

{{distinguish|Joe Hyams}}
{{distinguish|Joe Hyams}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
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| years_active = 1958–1978
| years_active = 1958–1978
| spouse = William Duffy (1972–1978; her death)
| spouse = William Duffy (1972–1978; her death)
| notable_works = ''[[The Girl in Lovers Lane]]''<br>''[[The Devil's Hand]]''<br>''[[Play Misty for Me]]''<br>''[[Breezy]]''
| notable_works = ''[[The Girl in Lovers Lane]]''<br />''[[The Devil's Hand]]''<br />''[[Play Misty for Me]]''<br />''[[Breezy]]''
}}
}}
'''Joyce Heims''' (January 15, 1930 – April 22, 1978) was an American screenwriter best known for her collaborations with actor-director [[Clint Eastwood]]. Born in [[Philadelphia]], Heims moved out to the US west coast in early adulthood. She worked various jobs before starting a career writing for film and television during the 1960s. In addition to co-writing the story for Eastwood's role in ''[[Dirty Harry]]'', Heims drafted the screenplay for ''[[Play Misty for Me]]'', which served as Eastwood's own [[List of directorial debuts|directorial debut]] in 1971. Heims continued to screenwrite throughout the decade before dying of [[breast cancer]] in 1978.
'''Joyce Heims''' (January 15, 1930 – April 22, 1978) was an American screenwriter best known for her collaborations with actor-director [[Clint Eastwood]]. Born in Philadelphia, Heims moved out to the US west coast in early adulthood. She worked various jobs before starting a career writing for film and television during the 1960s. In addition to co-writing the story for Eastwood's role in ''[[Dirty Harry]]'', Heims drafted the screenplay for ''[[Play Misty for Me]]'', which served as Eastwood's own [[List of directorial debuts|directorial debut]] in 1971. Heims continued to screenwrite throughout the decade before dying of breast cancer in 1978.


==Life and career==
==Life and career==
Jo Heims was born in [[Philadelphia]] on January 15, 1930.<ref name="mooseroots">{{cite web | author=[[California Department of Public Health]] | title=Jo Heims Duffy - Death Record| url=http://death-records.mooseroots.com/l/212170322/Jo-Heims-Duffy | work=California Death Index, 1940 - 1997 | publisher=[[Graphiq|MooseRoots]] | accessdate=2017-10-14}}</ref> She worked as a model, dancer, and fashion illustrator and moved out to California in the 1950s to become a writer in [[show business]].<ref name="lifelegend">{{cite book | author=[[Patrick McGilligan (biographer)|McGilligan, Patrick]] | date=August 19, 2002 | title=Clint: The Life and Legend | pages=[https://archive.org/details/clintlifelegend00mcgi/page/192 192–3, 229–30, 333] | location=[[New York City]] | publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]] | isbn=0-312-29032-2 | url=https://archive.org/details/clintlifelegend00mcgi/page/192 }}</ref> Heims was first credited as a production secretary on the science fiction movie ''[[Missile to the Moon]]'' in 1958.<ref name="skies">{{cite book | author=Warren, Bill | title=Keep Watching the Skies!: American Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties | date=February 10, 2016 | publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] | location=[[Jefferson, North Carolina]] | isbn=1-476-66618-0}}</ref> She worked primarily as a secretary throughout the next decade while writing and selling [[screenplay]]s on the side.<ref name="clinch">{{cite book | author=Clinch, Minty | date=1994 | title=Clint Eastwood: A Biography | publisher=[[Hodder & Stoughton]] | location=[[London]] | pages=[https://archive.org/details/clinteastwood00clin/page/81 81–2, 101] | isbn=0-450-59439-4 | url=https://archive.org/details/clinteastwood00clin/page/81 }}</ref><ref name="americanrebel">{{cite book | author=Eliot, Marc | date=2009 | title=American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood | publisher=[[Crown Publishing Group]] | isbn=978-0-307-33688-0 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/americanrebellif00elio/page/126 126, 147] | url=https://archive.org/details/americanrebellif00elio/page/126 }}</ref> Heims received writing credits in television and motion pictures in a wide range of [[film genre|genres]] for both [[independent film|independent]] and [[major film studio]]s. These include the crime drama ''[[The Girl in Lovers Lane]]'', the horror feature ''[[The Devil's Hand]]'', the western ''[[Navajo Run]]'', and the [[Elvis Presley]] musical ''[[Double Trouble (1967 film)|Double Trouble]]''.<ref name="psychotronic">{{cite newspaper | author=''Psychotronic Video'' staff | date=Winter 1994 | title=Reviews | newspaper=[[Psychotronic Video]] | publisher=Michael J. Weldon | location=[[Narrowsburg, New York]] | page=15 | issue=19 | issn=1070-4949}}</ref><ref name="zombies">{{cite book | author=Young, R. G. | date=April 1, 2000 | title=The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film: Ali Baba to Zombies | publisher=[[Hal Leonard Corporation|Applause Books]] | isbn=1-557-83269-2 | page=157 | location=[[New York City]]}}</ref><ref name="native">{{cite book | author=Hilger, Michael | date=October 16, 2015 | title=Native Americans in the Movies: Portrayals from Silent Films to the Present | publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] | isbn=1-442-24001-6 | page=234 | location=[[Lanham, Maryland]]}}</ref><ref name="elvis">{{cite book | author=Bret, David | date=June 2003 | title=Elvis: The Hollywood Years | publisher=[[Pavilion Books|Robson Books]] | isbn=1-861-05416-5 | page=[https://archive.org/details/elvis00davi/page/209 209] | location=[[London]] | url=https://archive.org/details/elvis00davi/page/209 }}</ref>
Jo Heims was born in Philadelphia on January 15, 1930.<ref name="mooseroots">{{cite web | author=California Department of Public Health | author-link=California Department of Public Health | title=Jo Heims Duffy - Death Record| url=http://death-records.mooseroots.com/l/212170322/Jo-Heims-Duffy | work=California Death Index, 1940 - 1997 | publisher=[[Graphiq|MooseRoots]] | accessdate=2017-10-14}}</ref> She worked as a model, dancer, and fashion illustrator and moved to California in the 1950s to become a writer in show business.<ref name="lifelegend">{{cite book | author=McGilligan, Patrick | author-link=Patrick McGilligan (biographer) | date=August 19, 2002 | title=Clint: The Life and Legend | pages=[https://archive.org/details/clintlifelegend00mcgi/page/192 192–3, 229–30, 333] | location=New York City | publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]] | isbn=0-312-29032-2 | url=https://archive.org/details/clintlifelegend00mcgi/page/192 }}</ref> Heims was first credited as a production secretary on the science fiction movie ''[[Missile to the Moon]]'' in 1958.<ref name="skies">{{cite book | author=Warren, Bill | title=Keep Watching the Skies!: American Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties | date=February 10, 2016 | publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] | location=Jefferson, North Carolina | isbn=978-1-476-66618-1}}</ref> She worked primarily as a secretary throughout the next decade while writing and selling screenplays on the side.<ref name="clinch">{{cite book | author=Clinch, Minty | date=1994 | title=Clint Eastwood: A Biography | publisher=[[Hodder & Stoughton]] | location=London | pages=[https://archive.org/details/clinteastwood00clin/page/81 81–2, 101] | isbn=0-450-59439-4 | url=https://archive.org/details/clinteastwood00clin/page/81 }}</ref><ref name="americanrebel">{{cite book | author=Eliot, Marc | date=2009 | title=American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood | publisher=[[Crown Publishing Group]] | isbn=978-0-307-33688-0 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/americanrebellif00elio/page/126 126, 147] | url=https://archive.org/details/americanrebellif00elio/page/126 }}</ref> Heims received writing credits in television and movies in a wide range of genres for both independent and major film studios. These include the crime drama ''[[The Girl in Lovers Lane]]'', the horror feature ''[[The Devil's Hand]]'', the western ''[[Navajo Run]]'', and the [[Elvis Presley]] musical ''[[Double Trouble (1967 film)|Double Trouble]]''.<ref name="psychotronic">{{cite news | author=''Psychotronic Video'' staff | date=Winter 1994 | title=Reviews | newspaper=[[Psychotronic Video]] | publisher=Michael J. Weldon | location=Narrowsburg, New York | page=15 | issue=19 | issn=1070-4949}}</ref><ref name="zombies">{{cite book | author=Young, R. G. | date=April 1, 2000 | title=The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film: Ali Baba to Zombies | publisher=[[Hal Leonard Corporation|Applause Books]] | isbn=1-557-83269-2 | page=157 | location=New York City}}</ref><ref name="native">{{cite book | author=Hilger, Michael | date=October 16, 2015 | title=Native Americans in the Movies: Portrayals from Silent Films to the Present | publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] | isbn=978-1-442-24001-8 | page=234 | location=Lanham, Maryland}}</ref><ref name="elvis">{{cite book | author=Bret, David | date=June 2003 | title=Elvis: The Hollywood Years | publisher=[[Pavilion Books|Robson Books]] | isbn=1-861-05416-5 | page=[https://archive.org/details/elvis00davi/page/209 209] | location=London | url=https://archive.org/details/elvis00davi/page/209 }}</ref>

⚫
While working at [[Universal Pictures]], Heims crossed paths with and befriended [[Clint Eastwood]], then an up-and-coming actor.<ref name="lifelegend"/><ref name="filmmaker">{{cite book | author=O'Brien, Daniel | date=1996 | title=Clint Eastwood: Film-Maker | publisher=Butler & Tanner | location=London | page=[https://archive.org/details/clinteastwood00dani/page/104 104] | isbn=0-713-47839-X | url=https://archive.org/details/clinteastwood00dani/page/104 }}</ref> By the late 1960s, Eastwood had achieved international fame as a western-action star and began directing his own films. Heims drafted a 60-page screenplay for ''[[Play Misty for Me]]'', a psychological thriller that would soon become Eastwood's [[List of directorial debuts|directorial debut]]. The plot follows a radio disc jockey who becomes a stalking victim of an obsessed, female fan. Heims based the latter character on a woman she knew after it was suggested to her by an acquaintance.<ref name="manwithnoname">{{cite book | author=Johnstone, Iain | date=1981 | title=The Man With No Name | publisher=Plexus Publishing | location=London | page=75 | isbn=0-688-09059-1}}</ref><ref name="evolution">{{cite book | author=Foote, John H. | date=2009 | title=Clint Eastwood: Evolution of a Filmmaker | publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]] | location=Westport, Connecticut | isbn=978-0-313-35247-8 | page=5}}</ref><ref name="interview">{{cite book | author=Kapsis, Robert E. and Coblentz, Kathie | date=November 20, 2012 | title=Clint Eastwood: Interviews, Revised and Updated (Conversations with Filmmakers Series) | publisher=[[University Press of Mississippi]] | location=Jackson, Mississippi | pages=24, 73–4 | isbn=978-1-617-03663-7}}</ref> Although he initially optioned the script, Eastwood encouraged Heims to sell it to Universal when she received a larger offer.<ref>{{cite book | author=Avery, Kevin | date=September 22, 2011 | title=Conversations with Clint: Paul Nelson's Lost Interviews with Clint Eastwood, 1979-1983 | publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury Academic]] | location=London | page=64 | isbn=978-1-441-16586-2}}</ref> The company shelved the project, so when Eastwood later signed a three-picture contract with Universal, he regained the screenplay and had it revised by [[Dean Riesner]].<ref name="lifelegend"/><ref name="clinch"/><ref name="filmmaker"/><ref name="interview"/><ref>{{cite web | author=Foundas, Scott | date=Spring 2006 | title=The Straight Shooter | url=https://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/0601-Spring-2006/DGA-Interview-Clint-Eastwood.aspx | publisher=[[Directors Guild of America]] | accessdate=2017-10-14}}</ref> ''Play Misty for Me'' was released in 1971, the year Eastwood also took the title role in the crime thriller ''[[Dirty Harry]]''. Heims contributed to the story of the latter film, but she received no screen credit.<ref name="dirty">{{cite book | author=Sterritt, David | date=November 25, 2014 | title=The Cinema of Clint Eastwood: Chronicles of America | publisher=[[Columbia University Press|Wallflower Press]] | page=130 | location=New York City | isbn=978-0-231-17201-1}}</ref>


⚫
Heims married William Duffy in August 1972.<ref>{{cite web | author=Clark County Marriage Bureau, Las Vegas| title=Person Details for Jo Heims | work=Nevada Marriage Index, 1956-2005 | url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VVVY-LTR| publisher=[[FamilySearch]] | accessdate=2017-10-20}}</ref> That same year, Universal distributed the thriller ''[[You'll Like My Mother]]'', a script that Heims adapted from a novel by Naomi A. Hintze.<ref name="mother">{{cite news | author=Stack, Dennis | date=November 4, 1972 | title=Films of the Day | newspaper=[[Kansas City Times]] | publisher=[[William Rockhill Nelson]] | location=Kansas City, Missouri | page=28 | oclc=8322727}}</ref> The following year, she collaborated with Eastwood again by writing ''[[Breezy]]'', also distributed by Universal. The drama depicts a romance between a jaded, middle-aged divorcee and a much younger, free-spirited woman. Heims additionally served as an associate producer for the movie, allowing her to coordinate some of its creative elements.<ref name="breezy">{{cite web | author=''Variety'' staff | date=December 31, 1972 | title=''Breezy'' | url=https://variety.com/1972/film/reviews/breezy-1200423067/ | work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]] | accessdate=2017-10-17}}</ref> She developed the male lead with Eastwood in mind to play the part.<ref name="clinch"/><ref name="filmmaker"/> However, the two agreed he was too young for the role, so it went to the older [[William Holden]] instead. Eastwood's then-mistress [[Jo Ann Harris]] was a strong contender for the female lead, but Heims felt Harris was wrong for the part and suggested her friend [[Sondra Locke]]. Locke was five years older than Harris and 12 years older than the character as written.<ref name="locke">{{cite book | author=Locke, Sondra | author-link=Sondra Locke | date=November 1, 1997 | title=The Good, The Bad & The Very Ugly: A Hollywood Journey | publisher=[[William Morrow and Company]] | pages=130–1| location=New York City | isbn=0-688-15462-X}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | author=Mell, Eila | date=January 6, 2005 | title=Casting Might-Have-Beens: A Film-by-Film Directory of Actors Considered For Roles Given To Others | publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] | location=Jefferson, North Carolina | page=43 | isbn=0-786-42017-0}}</ref> Heims set up the very first meeting between Locke and Eastwood, but [[Kay Lenz]] ultimately earned the part as Locke was too old to be credible in it.<ref name="lifelegend"/><ref name="americanrebel"/><ref name="locke"/>
⚫
While working at [[Universal Pictures]], Heims crossed paths with and befriended [[Clint Eastwood]], then an up-and-coming actor.<ref name="lifelegend"/><ref name="filmmaker">{{cite book | author=O'Brien, Daniel | date=1996 | title=Clint Eastwood: Film-Maker | publisher=Butler & Tanner | location=[[London]] | page=[https://archive.org/details/clinteastwood00dani/page/104 104] | isbn=0-713-47839-X | url=https://archive.org/details/clinteastwood00dani/page/104 }}</ref> By the late 1960s, Eastwood had achieved international fame as a western-action star and began directing his own films. Heims drafted a 60-page screenplay for ''[[Play Misty for Me]]'', a psychological thriller that would soon become Eastwood's [[List of directorial debuts|directorial debut]]. The plot follows a radio disc jockey who becomes a stalking victim of an obsessed, female fan. Heims based the latter character on a woman she knew after it was suggested to her by an acquaintance.<ref name="manwithnoname">{{cite book | author=Johnstone, Iain | date=1981 | title=The Man With No Name | publisher=Plexus Publishing | location=[[London]] | page=75 | isbn=0-688-09059-1}}</ref><ref name="evolution">{{cite book | author=Foote, John H. | date=2009 | title=Clint Eastwood: Evolution of a Filmmaker | publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]] | location=[[Westport, Connecticut]] | isbn=0-313-35247-X | page=5}}</ref><ref name="interview">{{cite book | author=Kapsis, Robert E. and Coblentz, Kathie | date=November 20, 2012 | title=Clint Eastwood: Interviews, Revised and Updated (Conversations with Filmmakers Series) | publisher=[[University Press of Mississippi]] | location=[[Jackson, Mississippi]] | pages=24, 73–4 | isbn=1-617-03663-3}}</ref> Although he initially optioned the script, Eastwood encouraged Heims to sell it to Universal when she received a larger offer.<ref>{{cite book | author=Avery, Kevin | date=September 22, 2011 | title=Conversations with Clint: Paul Nelson's Lost Interviews with Clint Eastwood, 1979-1983 | publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury Academic]] | location=[[London]] | page=64 | isbn=1-441-16586-X}}</ref> The company ended up shelving the project, so when Eastwood later signed a three-picture contract with Universal, he regained the screenplay and had it revised by [[Dean Riesner]].<ref name="lifelegend"/><ref name="clinch"/><ref name="filmmaker"/><ref name="interview"/><ref>{{cite web | author=Foundas, Scott | date=Spring 2006 | title=The Straight Shooter | url=https://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/0601-Spring-2006/DGA-Interview-Clint-Eastwood.aspx | publisher=[[Directors Guild of America]] | accessdate=2017-10-14}}</ref> ''Play Misty for Me'' was released in 1971, the year Eastwood also took the title role in the crime thriller ''[[Dirty Harry]]''. Heims contributed to the story of the latter film, though she received no screen credit.<ref name="dirty">{{cite book | author=Sterritt, David | date=November 25, 2014 | title=The Cinema of Clint Eastwood: Chronicles of America | publisher=[[Columbia University Press|Wallflower Press]] | page=130 | location=[[New York City]] | isbn=0-231-17201-X}}</ref>


⚫
By 1974, Heims had composed a script for a horror-suspense film titled "Mrs. Manning's Weekend".<ref name="pittsburgh">{{cite news | author=Anderson, George | date=October 21, 1974 | title=Local Angle | newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]] | publisher=[[Block Communications]] | url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/88525430/ | page=12 | location=Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | issn=1068-624X}}</ref> It was purchased by director-producer Peter S. Traynor, then rewritten and released as ''[[Death Game]]'' three years later.<ref>{{cite podcast | host=White, Mike | date=January 16, 2016 | title=Special Report: ''Death Game'' / ''Knock Knock'' | others=Interviews with Larry Spiegel, [[Sondra Locke]], and [[David Worth (cinematographer)|David Worth]] | website=[[The Projection Booth]] | url=http://projection-booth.blogspot.com/2016/01/special-report-death-game-knock-knock.html | accessdate=2017-09-18}}</ref> She then completed the [[Women in prison film|women in prison]] teleplay ''[[Nightmare in Badham County]]'', a television movie.<ref name="fright">{{cite book | author=Deal, David | date=April 30, 2014 | title=Television Fright Films of the 1970s | publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] | location=Jefferson, North Carolina | isbn=978-0-786-49383-8 | page=116}}</ref> Not long after, Heims fell ill with a breast cancer diagnosis. Her final work was another TV feature, the murder mystery ''Secrets of Three Hungry Wives''. Heims wrote the teleplay as long as she could before handing it off to executive producer [[Alan Surgal]] to finish.<ref name="secrets">{{cite news | author=Thomas, Kevin | author-link=Kevin Thomas (film critic) | date=October 9, 1978 | title=Three Wives Had Motive in <nowiki>'</nowiki>''Secrets''<nowiki>'</nowiki> | url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/165224779/ | work=[[Los Angeles Times]] | issn=0458-3035 | page=89}}</ref> Heims died on April 22, 1978, in Los Angeles at the age of 48.<ref name="mooseroots"/><ref>{{cite book | author=Kaplan, Mike | date=May 1, 1981 | title=Variety International Showbusiness Reference | publisher=[[Garland Science|Garland Publishing]] | location=New York City | isbn=0-824-09341-0 | page=1123}}</ref> Eastwood reportedly attended her funeral.<ref name="lifelegend"/>
⚫
Heims married William Duffy in August 1972.<ref>{{cite web | author=Clark County Marriage Bureau, Las Vegas| title=Person Details for Jo Heims | work=Nevada Marriage Index, 1956-2005 | url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VVVY-LTR| publisher=[[FamilySearch]] | accessdate=2017-10-20}}</ref> That same year, Universal [[film distributor|distributed]] the thriller ''[[You'll Like My Mother]]'', a script that Heims [[Film adaptation|adapted]] from a novel by Naomi A. Hintze.<ref name="mother">{{cite newspaper | author=Stack, Dennis | date=November 4, 1972 | title=Films of the Day | newspaper=[[Kansas City Times]] | publisher=[[William Rockhill Nelson]] | location=[[Kansas City, Missouri]] | page=28 | oclc=8322727}}</ref> The following year she collaborated with Eastwood once again by penning his third effort as director, ''[[Breezy]]'', also distributed by Universal. The drama depicts a romance between a jaded, middle-aged divorcee and a much younger, free-spirited woman. Heims additionally served as an associate [[film producer|producer]] for the movie, allowing her to coordinate some of its creative elements.<ref name="breezy">{{cite web | author=''Variety'' staff | date=December 31, 1972 | title=''Breezy'' | url=https://variety.com/1972/film/reviews/breezy-1200423067/ | work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]] | accessdate=2017-10-17}}</ref> She developed the male lead with Eastwood in mind to play the part.<ref name="clinch"/><ref name="filmmaker"/> However, the two agreed he was too young for the role, so it went to the older [[William Holden]] instead. [[Jo Ann Harris]] was a strong contender for the female lead, but Heims felt the actress was wrong for the part of the [[waif]] character and rather favored [[Sondra Locke]].<ref name="lifelegend"/><ref name="locke">{{cite book | author=[[Sondra Locke|Locke, Sondra]] | date=November 1, 1997 | title=The Good, The Bad & The Very Ugly: A Hollywood Journey | publisher=[[William Morrow and Company]] | pages=130–1| location=[[New York City]] | isbn=0-688-15462-X}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | author=Mell, Eila | date=January 6, 2005 | title=Casting Might-Have-Beens: A Film-by-Film Directory of Actors Considered For Roles Given To Others | publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] | location=[[Jefferson, North Carolina]] | page=43 | isbn=0-786-42017-0}}</ref> After alerting her to the casting call, Heims set up the very first meeting between Locke and the director, though [[Kay Lenz]] ultimately earned the part over both actresses.<ref name="lifelegend"/><ref name="americanrebel"/><ref name="locke"/>


⚫
By 1974, Heims had composed a script for a horror-suspense film titled "Mrs. Manning's Weekend".<ref name="pittsburgh">{{cite news | author=Anderson, George | date=October 21, 1974 | title=Local Angle | newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]] | publisher=[[Block Communications]] | url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/88525430/ | page=12 | location=[[Pittsburgh|Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]] | issn=1068-624X}}</ref> It was purchased by director-producer Peter S. Traynor, then rewritten and released as ''[[Death Game]]'' three years later.<ref>{{cite podcast | host=White, Mike | date=January 16, 2016 | title=Special Report: ''Death Game'' / ''Knock Knock'' | others=Interviews with Larry Spiegel, [[Sondra Locke]], and [[David Worth (cinematographer)|David Worth]] | website=[[The Projection Booth]] | url=http://projection-booth.blogspot.com/2016/01/special-report-death-game-knock-knock.html | accessdate=2017-09-18}}</ref> She then completed the [[Women in prison film|women in prison]] teleplay ''[[Nightmare in Badham County]]'', a made-for-television movie produced for [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]].<ref name="fright">{{cite book | author=Deal, David | date=April 30, 2014 | title=Television Fright Films of the 1970s | publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] | location=[[Jefferson, North Carolina]] | isbn=0-786-49383-6 | page=116}}</ref> Not long after, Heims fell ill with a [[breast cancer]] diagnosis. Her final work was another TV feature, the [[NBC]] murder mystery ''Secrets of Three Hungry Wives''. Heims wrote the teleplay as long as she could before handing it off to executive producer [[Alan Surgal]] to finish.<ref name="secrets">{{cite newspaper | author=[[Kevin Thomas (film critic)|Thomas, Kevin]] | date=October 9, 1978 | title=Three Wives Had Motive in <nowiki>'</nowiki>''Secrets''<nowiki>'</nowiki> | url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/165224779/ | work=[[Los Angeles Times]] | publisher=[[Tronc]] | issn=0458-3035 | page=89}}</ref> Heims passed away on April 22, 1978 in Los Angeles at the age of 48.<ref name="mooseroots"/><ref>{{cite book | author=Kaplan, Mike | date=May 1, 1981 | title=Variety International Showbusiness Reference | publisher=[[Garland Science|Garland Publishing]] | location=[[New York City]] | isbn=0-824-09341-0 | page=1123}}</ref> Eastwood reportedly attended her funeral.<ref name="lifelegend"/>
==Filmography==
==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
Line 34: Line 36:
|-
|-
| 1978
| 1978
| ''Secrets of Three Hungry Wives''
| ''[[Secrets of Three Hungry Wives]]''
| Teleplay<ref name="secrets"/>
| teleplay<ref name="secrets"/>
| TV movie
| TV movie
|-
|-
| 1977
| 1977
| ''[[Death Game]]''
| ''[[Death Game]]''
| Screenplay<ref name="pittsburgh"/>
| screenplay<ref name="pittsburgh"/>
| uncredited
| Uncredited
|-
|-
| 1976
| 1976
| ''[[Nightmare in Badham County]]''
| ''[[Nightmare in Badham County]]''
| Teleplay<ref name="fright"/>
| teleplay<ref name="fright"/>
| TV movie
| TV movie
|-
|-
| 1973
| 1973
| ''[[Breezy]]''
| ''[[Breezy]]''
| Screenplay, associate producer<ref name="breezy"/>
| screenplay, associate producer<ref name="breezy"/>
|
|
|-
|-
| 1972
| 1972
| ''[[You'll Like My Mother]]''
| ''[[You'll Like My Mother]]''
| Adapted sreenplay<ref name="mother"/>
| adapted sreenplay<ref name="mother"/>
|
|
|-
|-
| 1971
| 1971
| ''[[Dirty Harry]]''
| ''[[Dirty Harry]]''
| Story<ref name="dirty"/>
| story<ref name="dirty"/>
| uncredited
| Uncredited
|-
|-
| 1971
| 1971
| ''[[Play Misty for Me]]''
| ''[[Play Misty for Me]]''
| Screenplay, story<ref name="lifelegend"/>
| screenplay, story<ref name="lifelegend"/>
|
|
|-
|-
| 1969
| 1969
| ''[[The First Time (1969 film)|The First Time]]''
| ''[[The First Time (1969 film)|The First Time]]''
| Screenplay<ref name="scriptgirls">{{cite book | author=Francke, Lizzie | date=December 1, 1994 | title=Script Girls: Women Screenwriters in Hollywood | publisher=[[British Film Institute]] | location=[[London]] | isbn=0-851-70478-6 | page=153}}</ref>
| screenplay<ref name="scriptgirls">{{cite book | author=Francke, Lizzie | date=December 1, 1994 | title=Script Girls: Women Screenwriters in Hollywood | publisher=[[British Film Institute]] | location=London | isbn=0-851-70478-6 | page=153}}</ref>
|
|
|-
|-
| 1968
| 1968
| ''[[Here Come the Brides]]''
| ''[[Here Come the Brides]]''
| Writing<ref>{{cite book | author=Gianakos, Larry James | date=Dec 1, 1987 | title=Television Drama Series Programming: A Comprehensive Chronicle 1982-1984 | publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield|Scarescrow Press]] | location=[[Lanham, Maryland]] | page=[https://archive.org/details/televisiondramas0000gian/page/754 754] | isbn=0-810-81876-0 | url=https://archive.org/details/televisiondramas0000gian/page/754 }}</ref>
| writing<ref>{{cite book | author=Gianakos, Larry James | date=Dec 1, 1987 | title=Television Drama Series Programming: A Comprehensive Chronicle 1982-1984 | publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield|Scarescrow Press]] | location=Lanham, Maryland | page=[https://archive.org/details/televisiondramas0000gian/page/754 754] | isbn=0-810-81876-0 | url=https://archive.org/details/televisiondramas0000gian/page/754 }}</ref>
| TV series (Episode "The Man of the Family")
| TV series (episode "The Man of the Family")
|-
|-
| 1967
| 1967
| ''[[Double Trouble (1967 film)|Double Trouble]]''
| ''[[Double Trouble (1967 film)|Double Trouble]]''
| Screenplay<ref name="elvis"/>
| screenplay<ref name="elvis"/>
|
|
|-
|-
| 1967
| 1967
| ''[[The Fugitive (TV series)|The Fugitive]]''
| ''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]''
| Writing, teleplay<ref>{{cite book | author=Deane, Bill | date=February 2000 | title=Following the Fugitive: An Episode Guide and Handbook to the 1960s Television Series | publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] | location=[[Jefferson, North Carolina]] | isbn=0786401486 | page=88}}</ref>
| Writing, teleplay<ref>{{cite book | author=Deane, Bill | date=February 2000 | title=Following the Fugitive: An Episode Guide and Handbook to the 1960s Television Series | publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] | location=Jefferson, North Carolina | isbn=0786401486 | page=88}}</ref>
| TV series (Episode [[The Fugitive (season 2)|"Corner of Hell"]])
| TV series (episode [[The Fugitive (season 2)|"Corner of Hell"]])
|-
|-
| 1965
| 1965
| ''Tell Me in the Sunlight''
| ''[[Tell Me in the Sunlight]]''
| Screenplay<ref name="scriptgirls"/>
| screenplay<ref name="scriptgirls"/>
|
|
|-
|-
| 1964
| 1964
| ''[[Navajo Run]]''
| ''[[Navajo Run]]''
| Screenplay<ref name="native"/>
| screenplay<ref name="native"/>
|
|
|-
|-
| 1963
| 1963
| ''The Gun Hawk''
| ''[[The Gun Hawk]]''
| Screenplay<ref>{{cite book | author=Pitts, Michael R. | date=August 12, 2013 | title=Western Movies: A Guide to 5,105 Feature Films | edition=2nd | publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] | location=[[Jefferson, North Carolina]] | isbn=0-786-46372-4 | page=135}}</ref>
| screenplay<ref>{{cite book | author=Pitts, Michael R. | date=August 12, 2013 | title=Western Movies: A Guide to 5,105 Feature Films | edition=2nd | publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] | location=Jefferson, North Carolina | isbn=978-0-786-46372-5 | page=135}}</ref>
|
|
|-
|-
| 1961
| 1961
| ''[[The Devil's Hand]]''
| ''[[The Devil's Hand]]''
| Screenplay<ref name="zombies"/>
| screenplay<ref name="zombies"/>
|
|
|-
|-
| 1960
| 1960
| ''[[The Girl in Lovers Lane]]''
| ''[[The Girl in Lovers Lane]]''
| Screenplay<ref name="psychotronic"/>
| screenplay<ref name="psychotronic"/>
|
|
|-
|-
| 1960
| 1960
| ''The Threat''
| ''[[The Threat (1960 film)|The Threat]]''
| Screenplay<ref name="scriptgirls"/>
| screenplay<ref name="scriptgirls"/>
|
|
|-
|-
| 1958
| 1958
| ''[[Missile to the Moon]]''
| ''[[Missile to the Moon]]''
| Production secretary<ref name="skies"/>
| production secretary<ref name="skies"/>
|
|
|}
|}


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
* {{IMDb name|0374268}}
* {{IMDb name|0374268}}


{{authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Heims, Jo}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heims, Jo}}
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[[Category:American television writers]]
[[Category:American women screenwriters]]
[[Category:American women screenwriters]]
[[Category:Deaths from breast cancer]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in California]]
[[Category:People from Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Secretaries]]
[[Category:Secretaries]]
[[Category:Women television writers]]
[[Category:American women television writers]]
[[Category:Writers from Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:20th-century American screenwriters]]

Latest revision as of 15:53, 21 December 2023

Not to be confused with Joe Hyams.
Jo Heims
Born
Joyce Heims

(1930-01-15)January 15, 1930
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
DiedApril 22, 1978(1978-04-22) (aged 48)
Los Angeles, California, US
NationalityAmerican
OccupationScreenwriter
Years active1958–1978
Notable workThe Girl in Lovers Lane
The Devil's Hand
Play Misty for Me
Breezy
SpouseWilliam Duffy (1972–1978; her death)

Joyce Heims (January 15, 1930 – April 22, 1978) was an American screenwriter best known for her collaborations with actor-director Clint Eastwood. Born in Philadelphia, Heims moved out to the US west coast in early adulthood. She worked various jobs before starting a career writing for film and television during the 1960s. In addition to co-writing the story for Eastwood's role in Dirty Harry, Heims drafted the screenplay for Play Misty for Me, which served as Eastwood's own directorial debut in 1971. Heims continued to screenwrite throughout the decade before dying of breast cancer in 1978.

Life and career[edit]

Jo Heims was born in Philadelphia on January 15, 1930.[1] She worked as a model, dancer, and fashion illustrator and moved to California in the 1950s to become a writer in show business.[2] Heims was first credited as a production secretary on the science fiction movie Missile to the Moon in 1958.[3] She worked primarily as a secretary throughout the next decade while writing and selling screenplays on the side.[4][5] Heims received writing credits in television and movies in a wide range of genres for both independent and major film studios. These include the crime drama The Girl in Lovers Lane, the horror feature The Devil's Hand, the western Navajo Run, and the Elvis Presley musical Double Trouble.[6][7][8][9]

While working at Universal Pictures, Heims crossed paths with and befriended Clint Eastwood, then an up-and-coming actor.[2][10] By the late 1960s, Eastwood had achieved international fame as a western-action star and began directing his own films. Heims drafted a 60-page screenplay for Play Misty for Me, a psychological thriller that would soon become Eastwood's directorial debut. The plot follows a radio disc jockey who becomes a stalking victim of an obsessed, female fan. Heims based the latter character on a woman she knew after it was suggested to her by an acquaintance.[11][12][13] Although he initially optioned the script, Eastwood encouraged Heims to sell it to Universal when she received a larger offer.[14] The company shelved the project, so when Eastwood later signed a three-picture contract with Universal, he regained the screenplay and had it revised by Dean Riesner.[2][4][10][13][15] Play Misty for Me was released in 1971, the year Eastwood also took the title role in the crime thriller Dirty Harry. Heims contributed to the story of the latter film, but she received no screen credit.[16]

Heims married William Duffy in August 1972.[17] That same year, Universal distributed the thriller You'll Like My Mother, a script that Heims adapted from a novel by Naomi A. Hintze.[18] The following year, she collaborated with Eastwood again by writing Breezy, also distributed by Universal. The drama depicts a romance between a jaded, middle-aged divorcee and a much younger, free-spirited woman. Heims additionally served as an associate producer for the movie, allowing her to coordinate some of its creative elements.[19] She developed the male lead with Eastwood in mind to play the part.[4][10] However, the two agreed he was too young for the role, so it went to the older William Holden instead. Eastwood's then-mistress Jo Ann Harris was a strong contender for the female lead, but Heims felt Harris was wrong for the part and suggested her friend Sondra Locke. Locke was five years older than Harris and 12 years older than the character as written.[20][21] Heims set up the very first meeting between Locke and Eastwood, but Kay Lenz ultimately earned the part as Locke was too old to be credible in it.[2][5][20]

By 1974, Heims had composed a script for a horror-suspense film titled "Mrs. Manning's Weekend".[22] It was purchased by director-producer Peter S. Traynor, then rewritten and released as Death Game three years later.[23] She then completed the women in prison teleplay Nightmare in Badham County, a television movie.[24] Not long after, Heims fell ill with a breast cancer diagnosis. Her final work was another TV feature, the murder mystery Secrets of Three Hungry Wives. Heims wrote the teleplay as long as she could before handing it off to executive producer Alan Surgal to finish.[25] Heims died on April 22, 1978, in Los Angeles at the age of 48.[1][26] Eastwood reportedly attended her funeral.[2]

Filmography[edit]

Year Title Credit(s) Notes
1978 Secrets of Three Hungry Wives teleplay[25] TV movie
1977 Death Game screenplay[22] uncredited
1976 Nightmare in Badham County teleplay[24] TV movie
1973 Breezy screenplay, associate producer[19]
1972 You'll Like My Mother adapted sreenplay[18]
1971 Dirty Harry story[16] uncredited
1971 Play Misty for Me screenplay, story[2]
1969 The First Time screenplay[27]
1968 Here Come the Brides writing[28] TV series (episode "The Man of the Family")
1967 Double Trouble screenplay[9]
1967 The Fugitive Writing, teleplay[29] TV series (episode "Corner of Hell")
1965 Tell Me in the Sunlight screenplay[27]
1964 Navajo Run screenplay[8]
1963 The Gun Hawk screenplay[30]
1961 The Devil's Hand screenplay[7]
1960 The Girl in Lovers Lane screenplay[6]
1960 The Threat screenplay[27]
1958 Missile to the Moon production secretary[3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b California Department of Public Health. "Jo Heims Duffy - Death Record". California Death Index, 1940 - 1997. MooseRoots. Retrieved 2017-10-14.
  2. ^ a b c d e f McGilligan, Patrick (August 19, 2002). Clint: The Life and Legend. New York City: St. Martin's Press. pp. 192–3, 229–30, 333. ISBN 0-312-29032-2.
  3. ^ a b Warren, Bill (February 10, 2016). Keep Watching the Skies!: American Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-1-476-66618-1.
  4. ^ a b c Clinch, Minty (1994). Clint Eastwood: A Biography. London: Hodder & Stoughton. pp. 81–2, 101. ISBN 0-450-59439-4.
  5. ^ a b Eliot, Marc (2009). American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood. Crown Publishing Group. pp. 126, 147. ISBN 978-0-307-33688-0.
  6. ^ a b Psychotronic Video staff (Winter 1994). "Reviews". Psychotronic Video. No. 19. Narrowsburg, New York: Michael J. Weldon. p. 15. ISSN 1070-4949.
  7. ^ a b Young, R. G. (April 1, 2000). The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film: Ali Baba to Zombies. New York City: Applause Books. p. 157. ISBN 1-557-83269-2.
  8. ^ a b Hilger, Michael (October 16, 2015). Native Americans in the Movies: Portrayals from Silent Films to the Present. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 234. ISBN 978-1-442-24001-8.
  9. ^ a b Bret, David (June 2003). Elvis: The Hollywood Years. London: Robson Books. p. 209. ISBN 1-861-05416-5.
  10. ^ a b c O'Brien, Daniel (1996). Clint Eastwood: Film-Maker. London: Butler & Tanner. p. 104. ISBN 0-713-47839-X.
  11. ^ Johnstone, Iain (1981). The Man With No Name. London: Plexus Publishing. p. 75. ISBN 0-688-09059-1.
  12. ^ Foote, John H. (2009). Clint Eastwood: Evolution of a Filmmaker. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-313-35247-8.
  13. ^ a b Kapsis, Robert E. and Coblentz, Kathie (November 20, 2012). Clint Eastwood: Interviews, Revised and Updated (Conversations with Filmmakers Series). Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi. pp. 24, 73–4. ISBN 978-1-617-03663-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ Avery, Kevin (September 22, 2011). Conversations with Clint: Paul Nelson's Lost Interviews with Clint Eastwood, 1979-1983. London: Bloomsbury Academic. p. 64. ISBN 978-1-441-16586-2.
  15. ^ Foundas, Scott (Spring 2006). "The Straight Shooter". Directors Guild of America. Retrieved 2017-10-14.
  16. ^ a b Sterritt, David (November 25, 2014). The Cinema of Clint Eastwood: Chronicles of America. New York City: Wallflower Press. p. 130. ISBN 978-0-231-17201-1.
  17. ^ Clark County Marriage Bureau, Las Vegas. "Person Details for Jo Heims". Nevada Marriage Index, 1956-2005. FamilySearch. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
  18. ^ a b Stack, Dennis (November 4, 1972). "Films of the Day". Kansas City Times. Kansas City, Missouri: William Rockhill Nelson. p. 28. OCLC 8322727.
  19. ^ a b Variety staff (December 31, 1972). "Breezy". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 2017-10-17.
  20. ^ a b Locke, Sondra (November 1, 1997). The Good, The Bad & The Very Ugly: A Hollywood Journey. New York City: William Morrow and Company. pp. 130–1. ISBN 0-688-15462-X.
  21. ^ Mell, Eila (January 6, 2005). Casting Might-Have-Beens: A Film-by-Film Directory of Actors Considered For Roles Given To Others. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 43. ISBN 0-786-42017-0.
  22. ^ a b Anderson, George (October 21, 1974). "Local Angle". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Block Communications. p. 12. ISSN 1068-624X.
  23. ^ White, Mike (January 16, 2016). "Special Report: Death Game / Knock Knock". The Projection Booth (Podcast). Interviews with Larry Spiegel, Sondra Locke, and David Worth. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  24. ^ a b Deal, David (April 30, 2014). Television Fright Films of the 1970s. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-786-49383-8.
  25. ^ a b Thomas, Kevin (October 9, 1978). "Three Wives Had Motive in 'Secrets'". Los Angeles Times. p. 89. ISSN 0458-3035.
  26. ^ Kaplan, Mike (May 1, 1981). Variety International Showbusiness Reference. New York City: Garland Publishing. p. 1123. ISBN 0-824-09341-0.
  27. ^ a b c Francke, Lizzie (December 1, 1994). Script Girls: Women Screenwriters in Hollywood. London: British Film Institute. p. 153. ISBN 0-851-70478-6.
  28. ^ Gianakos, Larry James (Dec 1, 1987). Television Drama Series Programming: A Comprehensive Chronicle 1982-1984. Lanham, Maryland: Scarescrow Press. p. 754. ISBN 0-810-81876-0.
  29. ^ Deane, Bill (February 2000). Following the Fugitive: An Episode Guide and Handbook to the 1960s Television Series. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 88. ISBN 0786401486.
  30. ^ Pitts, Michael R. (August 12, 2013). Western Movies: A Guide to 5,105 Feature Films (2nd ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 135. ISBN 978-0-786-46372-5.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jo_Heims&oldid=1191108579"