Nina Wilcox Putnam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nina Wilcox Putnam
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Putnam, circa 1932
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| Born | Inez Coralie Wilcox November 28, 1888 New Haven, Connecticut |
| Died | March 8, 1962 (aged 73) Cuernavaca, Mexico |
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| Nationality | American |
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| Children | John Francis |
Nina Wilcox Putnam (born November 28, 1888 – died March 8, 1962) was an American writer. She wrote novels, movie scripts, and plays. She was very busy! Nina wrote over 500 short stories and about 1000 magazine articles. She also wrote many books, newspaper columns, and even comic books for kids.
Lots of her stories became movies. One famous movie, The Mummy (1932), starring Boris Karloff, was based on her idea. She earned a lot from her writing, about a million dollars! She even helped create the first US income tax form (Form 1040) for the government.
Contents
Nina's Early Life and First Steps in Writing
Nina Wilcox Putnam was born Inez Coralie Wilcox. She was born in New Haven, Connecticut on November 28, 1888. Her parents were Eleanor Sanchez Wilcox and Marrion Wilcox. Nina was taught at home by her father. He taught English at Yale University. He was also an editor for Harper's Weekly and the Encyclopedia Americana.
Nina had a younger sister named Lenor. When Nina was 11 years old, she sold a short story. The New York Sunday Herald bought it for $5. This was a great start to her writing career!
A Busy Writer's Life
Nina Wilcox Putnam was a very active writer. She wrote many different kinds of stories. These included romances, westerns, musical comedies, and even scary Gothic horror stories. She wrote articles for The Saturday Evening Post. She also had a newspaper column called "I and George." This column was printed in 400 newspapers!
Nina also wrote books for children. She created a comic book series for kids called Sunny Bunny. Later, in 1928 or 1929, she started another comic strip called Witty Kitty. Nina was also interested in fashion. She spoke out against uncomfortable corsets. She even tried designing her own clothes.
Nina's Stories on the Big Screen
Many of Nina's stories were turned into movies. The famous 1932 film The Mummy was based on her original idea. She worked with Richard Schayer on the story. They learned about a historical figure named Alessandro Cagliostro. Their story, called Cagliostro, was about a 3000-year-old magician. This magician stayed alive by injecting nitrates. A screenwriter named John L. Balderston then used their story to write the movie script.
Hollywood made several other movies from Nina's stories. Some of these films include Graft, A Game Chicken (1922), and Sitting Pretty. She also wrote the movie script for Democracy: The Vision Restored (1920). By 1942, it was thought that she had earned one million dollars from her writing.
Nina was also involved in helping others. She was the Chairwoman of the Palm Beach County Finnish Relief Fund. She also wrote for the Woman's Christian Temperance Union.
Later Life
Around 1946, Nina moved to Cuernavaca, Mexico. This was a resort community. After a long illness, Nina Wilcox Putnam passed away on March 8, 1962. She had been confined to bed for the last six years of her life.
Nina's Family Life
Nina Wilcox (her maiden name) married Robert Faulkner Putnam in New York City. They got married on October 5, 1907. They had a son named John Francis Putnam. Robert Putnam died in 1918 during a flu pandemic. Nina kept the last name Putnam for the rest of her life.
She later married Robert J. Sanderson in 1919. They divorced in 1926. Her third marriage was to Arthur James Ogle in 1931. They divorced in 1933. The day after her divorce from Ogle, Nina married Christian Eliot. Christian was the nephew of Granville John Eliot, the 7th Earl of St Germans. Christian passed away in 1948.
Nina owned homes in New York, Hollywood, and Delray Beach, Florida. She even bought a castle in Spain once!
Images for kids
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Cover of Winkle, Twinkle and Lollypop (1918)
