Melville Shavelson, 1917 - 2007.

US screenwriter and director Mel Shavelson has died at the age of 90.... His 1956 film, The Seven Little Foys, and his 1958 romantic comedy Houseboat were both nominated for Oscars....

He also directed several films including Cast a Giant Shadow, starring Kirk Douglas and Yours, Mine and Ours, starring Lucille Ball. His film career saw him work with many famous faces, including Jimmy Cagney and Frank Sinatra, but Houseboat, starring Cary Grant and Sophia Loren, arguably remains his best-known film.

The author of two novels and four non-fiction books, Shavelson also served three terms as president of the Writers Guild of America, West.

The BBC.

Updated through 8/13.

See also: John Rogers for the AP.

Update: "The breeziness of the type of entertainment Shavelson represented is mostly long gone from Hollywood," writes Glenn Kenny.

Update, 8/10: "[E]arly writing for American radio led to him meeting [Bob] Hope, who recruited him for his 'joke factory,'" writes Michael Freedland in the Guardian. "Hope's demands made them hard times for a writer - and never more so than on his first day. 'It was Billy Wilder's The Apartment come to life,' he told me once. 'I had rented an apartment that very morning. Bob said to me, "Have you got somewhere to live?" I said, "Yes." "Are you married or living with someone?" I said, "No." "Good," he said, "leave the key under the mat. It'll be waiting for you at midnight." When I got back home, I could see the marks of two sets of feet leading from the bed to the shower - and another two sets in the opposite direction.'"

Update, 8/13: "A few months ago, for an assignment, I read a very funny book called How To Make a Jewish Movie, by Melville Shavelson." Looker looks back.

Posted by dwhudson at August 9, 2007 8:47 AM