David Westheimer facts for kids
David Westheimer (born April 11, 1917, in Houston, Texas; died November 8, 2005) was an American writer. He is best known for his 1964 book Von Ryan's Express. This book was made into a movie in 1965. The film starred famous actors Frank Sinatra and Trevor Howard.
Contents
A Book with a Secret Author
One of Westheimer's most popular books was Days of Wine and Roses. This book was based on a movie script by his friend J.P. Miller. When it first came out, David Westheimer was named as the author.
However, the book became very popular. The story was so well-known that the publisher, Bantam Books, decided to remove Westheimer's name. They did this to make the book seem more like a classic and keep it in print for many years. Later versions of the book only said "J.P. Miller's Days of Wine and Roses." They did not clearly state who wrote the novel itself.
Early Life and War Service
David Westheimer went to Rice University. After college, he worked as an assistant editor for the Houston Post newspaper. He worked there from 1939 to 1946.
During these years, he also served in World War II. He was part of the United States Army Air Forces. He was a navigator on a B-24 airplane. On December 11, 1942, his plane was shot down over Italy. He then became a prisoner of war (POW). He was held in a prison camp called Stalag Luft III.
His Writing Career
Westheimer's first book, Summer on the Water, was published in 1948. Besides Von Ryan's Express, he also wrote a TV show idea. It was called Campo 44 and was set in an Italian prisoner of war camp.
His Books
Here are some of the books David Westheimer wrote:
Fiction Books
- Summer on the Water, 1948
- The Magic Fallacy, 1950
- Watching Out for Dulie, 1960
- A Very Private Island, 1962 (written under the name "Z.Z. Smith")
- Days of Wine and Roses, 1963 (based on the movie script by J.P. Miller)
- Von Ryan's Express, 1964
- My Sweet Charlie, 1965 (This book was made into a TV movie in 1970.)
- Song of the Young Sentry, 1968
- Lighter than a Feather, 1971
- Over the Edge, 1972
- Going Public, 1973
- The Olmec Head, 1974
- The Avila Gold, 1974
- Rider on the Wind, 1979
- Von Ryan's Return, 1980
- Delay en Route, 2004
Non-Fiction Books
- Sitting it Out: A World War II POW Memoir, 1992 (This book tells about his time as a prisoner of war.)
