Thonnis Calhoun
Thonnis Watson Calhoun (1917 – 1965) was an American writer of plays, radio programs, and television shows.[1][2]
Biography[edit]
Calhoun attended Central High School in Houston, Texas.[3] He was in the Navy.[4]
Calhoun earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Texas.[5][6] He performed in a play for the college's Experimental Theater in 1947.[7] While he was a sophomore in 1948, his political satire Josephine was produced.[8][9]
He was involved in theatre in Houston.[10][11][4] He submitted a script to Elliott Lewis of the radio show On Stage; Lewis called Calhoun in the middle of the night to express his interest. The script was produced as the episode "Canary Yellow".[4][5][12] He wrote other scripts for radio and television in the 1950s.[13][14]
Thonnis Calhoun died of a brain tumor at Sawtelle Veterans' Hospital in Los Angeles in 1965. Calhoun's mother, and his sister, Evelyn, survived him.[15][16]
Selected works[edit]
Plays[edit]
- And the Clown Laughed. 1945.[17]
- Josephine. 1948.[9][8]
- Aeneas '63: A Play in Three Acts. 1948.[18]
- Take My Hand: A Play in Three Acts. 1948.[18]
- Story of a Boy: A Play in Three Acts. 1950.[19]
Radio[edit]
- "Canary Yellow". On Stage with Cathy and Elliott Lewis, 1954.[5][4]
- "Ditty and Mr. Jasper". On Stage with Cathy and Elliott Lewis, 1954.[4][20]
- "Fork of the Road". On Stage with Cathy and Elliott Lewis, 1954.[4][21][22]
- "Driftwood". On Stage with Cathy and Elliott Lewis, 1954.[2][23]
- "The Courage of Carver". Hallmark Hall of Fame, 1955.[14]
Television work[edit]
- The Lineup. Actor: "The Submachine Gun Case", 1955.
- Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. Writer: "Devils Mountain", 1956.[13]
- Circus Boy. Story: "Elmer the Great", 1956.[13]
- This Man Dawson. Teleplay: "The Silent Men", 1959.[13]
References[edit]
- ^ "Houston". Box Office. 1965-12-06. p. SW-3. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
- ^ a b Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series. Library of Congress Copyright Office. 1955.
- ^ "Central High School - Cosmos Yearbook (Houston, TX), Class of 1934". e-yearbook.com. 1934. p. 60. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
- ^ a b c d e f "Cinderella setting shapes for Houston man who sells scripts to CBS series". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. 1954-07-11. p. 48. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
- ^ a b c "News 'n' notes down TV's star lanes". The Napa Valley Register. 1954-07-13. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
- ^ The Alcalde: The University of Texas Alumni Magazine. Emmis Communications. May 1966.
- ^ "Tonight at 8 p.m." Austin American-Statesman. 1947-11-17. p. 8. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ a b "UT to stage political satire". Austin American-Statesman. 1948-04-01. p. 27. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ a b "Political satire opens 3-day run". The Austin American. 1948-04-02. p. 13. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ Durham, Weldon B. (1989). American Theatre Companies, 1931-1986. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-25360-7.
- ^ Dauphin, Sue (1981). Houston by Stages: A History of Theatre in Houston. Eakin Press. ISBN 978-0-89015-303-1.
- ^ "The Open Mike". The Kokomo Tribune. 1953-08-06. p. 14. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ a b c d "Thonnis W. Calhoun". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ a b "Something to listen to". Jackson Advocate. 1955-01-15. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
- ^ "Evelyn Kent Obituary (2004)". Legacy. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
- ^ "Obituaries". Variety. Dec 1, 1965. 241, 2. Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive. pg. 71. Via Proquest.
- ^ Catalog of Copyright Entries. Part 1. [C] Group 3. Dramatic Composition and Motion Pictures. New Series. Library of Congress Copyright Office. 1945.
- ^ a b Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series. Library of Congress Copyright Office. 1948.
- ^ Catalog of Copyright Entries. Third Series. Library of Congress Copyright Office. 1950.
- ^ "Wednesday Radio-TV". Courier-Post. 1953-10-14. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series. Library of Congress Copyright Office. 1955.
- ^ "Today's radio highlights". The Roanoke Times. 1954-06-13. p. 20. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ "Today's radio highlights". The Roanoke Times. 1954-08-08. p. 18. Retrieved 2023-04-26.