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TheGracieAllenMurderCaseVanDine,S.S.Published:1938Type(s):Novels,Crime/MysterySource:(October15,1888-April11,1939),aU.S.artcriticandauthor.HecreatedtheonceimmenselypopularfictionaldetectivePhiloVance,whofirstappearedinbooksinthe1920s,theninmoviesandontheradio.WillardHuntingtonWrightwasborntoArchibaldDavenportWrightandAnnieVanVrankenWrightonOctober15,1888,inCharlottesville,Virginia.HeattendedSt.VincentCollege,PomonaCollege,andHarvardUniversity.HealsostudiedartinMunichandParis,anapprenticeshipthatledtoajobasliteraryandartcriticfortheLosAngelesTimes.Wright'searlyca-reerinliterature(1910-1919)wastakenupbytwocauses.Onewasliter-aryNaturalism.Hewroteanovel,TheManofPromise,andsomeshortstoriesinthismode;aseditorofthemagazineTheSmartSethealsopub-lishedsimilarfictionbyothers.In1917,hepublishedMisinformingaNa-tion,ascathingcritiqueoftheinaccuraciesandEnglishbiasesoftheEn-cyclopediaBritannicaEleventhEdition.In1907,WrightmarriedKathar-ineBelleBoyntonofSeattle,Washington.HemarriedforasecondtimeinOctober1930.HiswifewasEleanorRulapaugh,knownprofessionallyasClaireDeLisle,aportraitpainter.From1912to1914heeditedTheSmartSet,aNewYorkliterarymagazine.HepublishedWhatNietzscheTaughtin1915.Inthisbook,heprovidedinformationandcommentsonallofNietzsche'sbooks,aswellasquotationsfromeachbook.Wrightcontinuedwritingasacriticandjournalistuntil1923,whenhebecameillfromwhatwasgivenoutasoverwork,butwasinrealityasecretdrugaddiction,accordingtoJohnLoughery'sbiographyAliasS.S.VanDine.Hisdoctorconfinedhimtobed(supposedlybecauseofaheartailment,butactuallybecauseofacocaineaddiction)formorethantwoyears.Infrustrationandboredom,hebegancollectingandstudyingthousandsofvolumesofcrimeanddetection.In1926thispaidoffwiththepublicationofhisfirstS.S.VanDinenovel,TheBensonMurderCase.WrighttookhispseudonymfromtheabbreviationofsteamshipandfromVanDine,whichheclaimedwasanoldfamilyname.AccordingtoLoughery,however,therearenoVanDinesevidentinthefamilytree(p.176).Hewentontowrite11moremysteries,andthefirstfewbooksabouthisupper-classamateursleuth,PhiloVance(whosharedaloveofaestheticslikeWright),weresopopularthatWrightbecamewealthyforthefirsttimeinhislife,butthepleasurewasnotunalloyed.HisfateiscuriouslyforeshadowedinthatofStanfordWest,theheroofhisonlynovel,whosellsoutbyabandoningtheunpopularworkinwhichhesearchedforasoundfoundationofcultureandaristocracyandbecomingasuccessful2novelist.Thetitleofanarticlehewroteattheheightofhisfame,IusedtobeaHighbrowandLookatMeNow,reflectsbothhispleasure,andhisregretthathewasnolongerregardedseriouslyasawriter.Hislaterbooksdeclinedinpopularityasthereadingpublic’stastesinmysteryfic-tionchanged.Wright,whowasmuchlikeVance…wasaposeurandadilettante,dabblinginart,musicandcriticism.Helivedinanexpensivepenthouse,wasfondofcostlyclothesandfood,andcollectedart.WrightdiedApril11,1939,inNewYorkCity,ayearafterthepublica-tionofanunpopularexperimentalnovelthatincorporatedoneofthebiggeststarsinradiocomedy,TheGracieAllenMurderCase,andleav-ingacompletenovelette-lengthstorythatwasintendedasafilmvehicleforSonjaHenje,andwaspublishedposthumouslyasTheWinterMurderCase.Inadditiontohissuccessasafictionwriter,Wright'slengthyintro-ductionandnotestotheanthologyTheWorld'sGreatDetectiveStories(1928)areimportantinthehistoryofthecriticalstudyofdetectivefic-tion.Althoughdatedbythepassageoftime,thisessayisstillacorearoundwhichmanyothershavebeenconstructed.Healsowroteanart-icletitledTwentyrulesforwritingdetectivestoriesin1928forTheAmericanMagazinewhichwasreprintedanumberoftimes.WrightalsowroteaseriesofshortstoriesforWarnerBrothersfilmstudiointheearly1930s.Thesestorieswereusedasthebasisforaseriesof12shortfilms,eacharound20minuteslong,thatwerereleasedin1930-1931.Ofthese,TheSkullMurderMystery(1931)showsWright'svigorousplotconstruc-tion.Itisalsonotableforitsnon-racisttreatmentofChinesecharacters,somethingquiteunusualinitsday.Asfarasitisknown,noneofVanDine'sscreentreatmentshavebeenpublishedinbookformanditseemsasifnoneofthemanuscriptssurvivetoday.ShortfilmswereextremelypopularatonepointandHollywoodmadehundredsofthemduringthestudioera.Exceptforahandfulofcomedysilents,however,mostofthesefilmsareforgottentodayandarenotevenlistedinfilmreferencebooks.Source:Wikipedia34Chapter1ABUZZARDESCAPES(Friday,May17;8pm.)PhiloVance,curiouslyenough,alwayslikedtheGracieAllenmurdercasemorethananyoftheothersinwhichheparticipated.Thecasewas,perhaps,notasseriousassomeoftheothers—although,onsecondthought,Iamnotsosurethatthisisstrictlytrue.Indeed,itwasfraughtwithmanyominouspotentialities;anditsbasicelements(asIlookbacknow)were,infact,intenselydramaticandsinister,despiteitsalmostconstantleavenofhumour.IhaveoftenaskedVancewhyhefeltsokeenafondnessforthiscase,andhehasalwaysairilyretortedwithabriefexplanationthatitconsti-tutedhisonepatentfailureasaninvestigatorofthemanycrimespresen-tedtohimbyDistrictAttorneyJohnF.—X.Markham.No—oh,no.Van;itwasnotmycaseatall,don'ty'know,Vancedrawled,aswesatbeforehisgratefireonewintryevening,longaft