Wellman, Manly Wade

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Manly Wade Wellman (May 21, 1903 - April 5, 1986) was an American writer. He is best known for his fantasy and horror stories set in the Appalachian Mountains and drawing on the native folklore of that region, but he wrote in a wide variety of genres including: science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, detective fiction, western fiction, juvenile fiction and non-fiction. He also contributed to the writing of the comic book The Spirit while the franchise's creator, Will Eisner, was serving in the US military during World War II.

Three of Wellmen's most famous reappearing protagonists are Silver John aka John the Balladeer, the wandering backwoods minstrel who owns a silver-stringed guitar, the elderly 'occult detective' Judge Pursuivant and the playboy/adventurer John Thunstone.

Wellman was born in Angola. After graduating from Wichita Municipal University (now Wichita State University) in Kansas, he went on to receive a bachelor of laws degree from Columbia University. Wellman was a long-time resident of North Carolina. In 1955 he earned the Edgar Allan Poe Award for nonfiction.

Bibliography

• Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, Vol. 6, William S. Powell, Ed. (1996) at 160-161 (Article by William S. Powell)
• Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers: A Bibliography of First Printings of Their Fiction, L. W. Currey, G. K. Hall & Co., 1979

Works

SF/Weird Fiction

• The Invading Asteroid (1929)
• Sojarr of Titan (1941)
• The Devil's Asteroid (1941)
• Devil's Planet (1951)
• The Beasts from Beyond (1950) [also known as Strangers on the Heights]
• Twice in Time (1957)
• The Dark Destroyers (1959) [short version of Nuisance Value]
• Giants from Eternity (1959)
• Island in the Sky (1961)
• The Solar Invasion (1968) (Captain Future novel)
• Worse Things Waiting (1973) (collection) (Winner, World Fantasy Award for Best Collection, 1975)
• Sherlock Holmes's War of the Worlds [With Wade Wellman] (1975)
• The Beyonders (1977)
• The Valley So Low: Southern Mountain Stories (1987) (Ed. Karl E. Wagner, collection)

Nightshade Books edition, The Collected Stories of Manly Wade Wellman:

1. The Third Cry to Legba and Other Invocations (2000) (John Thunstone and Lee Corbet stories)
2. The Devil is Not Mocked and Other Warnings (2001)
3. Fearful Rock and Other Precarious Locales (2001) (Judge Pursivant and Sergeant Jaeger stories)
4. Sin’s Doorway and Other Ominous Entrances (2003)
5. Owls Hoot in the Daytime and Other Omens (2003) (John the Balladeer stories)

Silver John stories & novels

• Who Fears the Devil? (1963) (collection of short stories)
• The Old Gods Waken (1979)
• After Dark (1980)
• The Lost and Lurking (1981)
• The Hanging Stones (1982)
• Voice of the Mountain (1984)
• John the Balladeer (1988) (Ed. Karl E. Wagner, revised collection of short stories)

John Thunstone stories & novels

• Lonely Vigils (1981) (Thunstone and Judge Pursuivant short stories)
• What Dreams May Come (1983)
• The School of Darkness (1985)

Young Adult

• The Lion Roared. (Thrilling Tales) 1927.
• The Sleuth Patrol. 1947.
• The Mystery of Lost Valley. 1948.
• The Raiders of Beaver Lake. 1950.
• The Haunts of Drowning Creek. 1951.
• Wild Dogs of Drowning Creek. 1952.
• The Last Mammoth. 1953.
• Gray Riders: Jeb Stuart and His Men. 1954.
• Rebel Mail Runner. 1954.
• Flag on the Levee. 1955.
• To Lands Unknown. 1956.
• Young Squire Morgan. 1956.
• Lights over Skelton Ridge. 1957.
• The Master of Scare Hollow. 1957.
• Third String Center. 1960.
• Rifles at Ramsour's Mill: A Tale of the Revolutionary War. 1961.
• Battle for King's Mountain. 1962.
• Clash on the Catawba. 1962.
• The South Fork Rangers. 1963.
• The River Pirates. 1963.
• Settlement on Shocco: Adventures in Colonial Carolina. 1963.
• Mystery at Bear Paw Gap. 1964.
• The Specter of Bear Paw Creek. 1966.
• Battle at Bear Paw Gap. 1966.
• Jamestown Adventure. 1967.
• Brave Horse: The Story of Janus. 1968.
• Carolina Pirate. 1968.
• Frontier Reporter. 1969.
• Mountain Feud. 1969.
• Fast Break Five. 1971.
  • The Ghost Battalion: A Story of the Iron Scouts. 1958.
  • Ride, Rebels!: Adventures of the Iron Scouts. 1959.
  • Appomattox Road: Final Adventures of the Iron Scouts. 1960.

Other Novels

• Cahena (1986) (historical novel)
• Candle of the Wicked (1960)
• A Double Life (movie tie-in) (1947)
• Find My Killer (mystery) (1947)
• Fort Sun Dance (western) (1955)
• Not At These Hands (mystery)

Non-Fiction

• Giant in Gray: A Biography of Wade Hampton III of South Carolina. 1949.
• Dead and Gone: Classic Crimes of North Carolina. 1954. (Winner, Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime, 1956)
• Rebel Boast: First at Bethel, Last at Apppomattox. 1956.
• Fastest on the River: The Great Race Between the Natchez and the Robert E. Lee. 1957.
• The Life and Times of Sir Archie. With Elizabeth A. C. Blanchard. 1958.
• The County of Warren, 1586-1917. 1959.
• They Took Their Stand: The Founders of the Confederacy. 1959.
• The Rebel Songster: Songs the Confederates Sang. 1959.
• Harpers Ferry, Prize of War. 1960.
• The County of Gaston. With Robert F. Cope. 1961.
• The County of Moore, 1947-1947. 1962.
• Winston-Salem:The Founders. 1966.
• Napoleon of the West: A Story of the Aaron Burr Conspiracy. 1970.
• The Kingdom of Madison: A Southern Mountain Fastness And Its People. 1971.
• The Story of Moore County. 1974.
• A City's Culture: Painting, Music, Literature. 1976.

Awards

• North Carolina Writers' Network Literary Hall of Fame inductee, 1996
• British Fantasy Award winner, Lifetime Achievement 1985
• World Fantasy Award winner, Life Achievement 1980
• World Fantasy Award nominee, Best Short Fiction 1976, The Ghastly Priest Doth Reign
• World Fantasy Award winner, Best Collection/Anthology 1975, Worse Things Waiting
• Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine Award winner, Best Story 1946, A Star for a Warrior (beating out William Faulkner)[1]
• Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime Story 1956, Dead and Gone

Adaptations

Two of Wellman's short stories which have been adapted as television productions are "The Valley Was Still", made into an episode of The Twilight Zone starring Gary Merrill, and "Rouse Him Not", made into an episode of Monsters starring Alex Cord as John Thunstone.

The Silver John stories were the inspiration for "Who Fears the Devil", a 1994 recording by Joe Bethancourt that featured both traditional Appalachian folksongs that Silver John would've known, and Wellman's original lyrics that were in many of the Silver John stories, set to the traditional melodies that Wellman used as models.

Wellman in TV and Film This section is taken word for word from Mark Cannon's very extensive bibliography of Manly Wade Wellman.

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Larroes Catch Meddlers:- Adapted for television for Lights Out as “The Meddlers”. 1952 (Aired:- 7 July 1951) Director:-Unknown Screenwriter:- Douglas Wood Gibson, Richard E Davis Starring:- John Carradine, E G Marshall, Dan Morgan

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School for the Unspeakable:- Adapted for television for Lights Out as “The School for the Unspeakable”. 1952 (Aired:- 7 January 1952) Director:-Unknown Screenwriter:- Richard E Davis Starring:- Donald Buka, Don Hanmer, Leon Tokatyan, Dick Kallman, Maurice Kenney, Jason Jonson, John Gerstad, Harold Webster

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The Valley Was Still:- Adapted for television for The Twilight Zone as “Still Valley” 1961 (Originally aired:- 24 November 1961) Director:- James Sheldon Screenwriter:- Rod Serling Starring:- Gary Merrill (Paradine), Vaughn Taylor (Old Man), Ben Cooper (Dauger), Addison Myers (Sentry); Mark Tapscott (Lieutenant), Jack Mann (Mallory)

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The Devil is Not Mocked:- Adapted for television for Night Gallery. 1971 (Originally aired:- 27 October 1971) Director:- Gene Kearney Screenwriter:- Gene Kearney Starring:- Helmut Dantine (General), Francis Lederer (Master), Hank Brandt (Kranz)

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Who Fears The Devil? 1972 (Jack Harris) [feature film] (edited and re-released as The Legend of Hillbilly John 1973) - 89 minutes Producer:- Barney Rosenzweig Director:- John Newland Screenwriter:- Melvin Levy Editor:- Russell Schoengarth Cinematographer:- Flemming Olsen Composer:- Roger Kellaway Starring:- Hedge Capers (John), Susan Strasberg (Poly Wiltse), Denver Pyle (Grandpappy John), Severn Darden (Mr Marduke), Percy Rodriguez (Capt Lojoie H Desplain IV), R G Armstrong (Bristowe); Sharon Henesy (Lily); Sidney Clute (Charles); William Traynor (Rev. Millen); Harris Yulin (Zebulon Yandro); Alfred Ryder (O J Onselm); Chester Jones (Uncle Anansi); Val Avery (Cobart); “White Lightnin’” (themselves); “Honor Hound” (himself).

Film based on the character of John. Two segments of the film were based on the stories O Ugly Bird and The Desrick on Yandro.

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Rouse Him Not:- Adapted for TV for Monsters, 1988 (Originally aired:- December 1988) Director:- Mark Shostrom Writer:- Michael Parry Starring:- Laraine Newman, Alex Cord, Terrance Evans

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School for the Unspeakable (on tape with Unfortunate Obsession by Matthew Costello) Audio Cassette Brilliance Corp 1997

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External links

• Voice of the Mountains - fan site
• North Carolina Writers' Network Literary Hall of Fame
• Internet Speculative Fiction Database entry
• Find A Grave entry
• The Devil's Asteroid - Free download from manybooks.net

This biographical information was gathered from the Manly_Wade_Wellman page, courtesy of the Wikipedia project.

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