Earl Hamner Junior

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Earl Henry Hamner Jr. (born July 10, 1923 in Schuyler , Nelson County , Virginia , † March 24, 2016 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American screenwriter and film producer . He is the creator of the television series The Waltons and Falcon Crest .

Life

Earl Hamner was born in 1923 as the eldest of six children of Earl Henry Hamner sr. (1899–1969) and his wife Doris Giannini Hamner (1904–1990) were born in Schuyler, an unincorporated area in Nelson County (Virginia).

Hamner's father worked in a factory that produced soap until he lost his job because of the Great Depression in the mid-1930s . The family then moved to Waynesboro , where Earl Hamner Sr. found work in a chemical plant. Although the family often lived below the poverty line, Earl Hamner junior later described his childhood as "happy".

After graduating from Schuyler High School in 1940, Hamner received a scholarship to the private University of Richmond . In 1943 he had to interrupt his studies and then served for two years as a soldier in World War II . After returning to Virginia, Hamner settled in Richmond and began working for the WMBG radio station . He later moved to Illinois , where he graduated from Northwestern University . He then studied journalism at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio . He received his diploma in 1948. A year later he moved to New York City .

In 1953, Hamner wrote the novel Fifty Roads to Town , which is about a young woman who lives in the mountains of Virginia. Initially, however, he produced and wrote for television series, including Twilight Zone and Wagon Train . In 1968 he wrote the screenplay for Heidi returns home (Heidi) , which was filmed with Maximilian Schell and Jean Simmons in the leading roles.

Hamner's second novel, Spencer's Mountain (German: Summer of Expectation ), published in 1961, tells of the stories of the extended Spencer family. Warner Brothers filmed this book in 1963, directed by Delmer Daves . When the CBS Corporation saw the novel's potential in 1971, they named the Walton family  - and one of the most popular television series was invented. Hamner, who was also heard off- screen in every episode of the series , was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1972 and 1973 respectively. His siblings served as models for the individual characters of the Waltons . His brother Clifton (1928–1990) was inspired by Jason Walton , his sister Marion (1930–2004) served as a blueprint for Mary Ellen Walton . Willard Hamner (1934-1989) was the inspiration for Ben Walton , while Hamner's youngest brother James Edmund (1936-2004) served as a model for the character of Jim Bob Walton .

In 1981 Hamner created another successful format for television history, Falcon Crest ; Hamner was also responsible here as a producer and author.

One of his most famous feature films was the comedy Zuckermanns Farm - Wilbur im Glück from 1973.

Earl Hamner Jr. had been married to Jane Martin since October 1954. The two had two children; son Scott Hamner , who also became a screenwriter, also wrote several episodes of Falcon Crest and The Waltons . Earl Hamner died in March 2016 at the age of 92 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Elizabeth Tyree: Earl Hamner Passes Away at 92. In: wset.co. March 24, 2016, accessed March 24, 2016.
personal data
SURNAME Hamner, Earl Junior
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hamner, Earl Henry junior (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American novelist, screenwriter and film producer
DATE OF BIRTH July 10, 1923
PLACE OF BIRTH Schuyler , Nelson County , Virginia , United States
DATE OF DEATH March 24, 2016
Place of death Los Angeles , California , United States