Raymond Abrashkin facts for kids

Raymond Abrashkin (born March 9, 1911 – died August 25, 1960) was an American writer and filmmaker. He is best known for two big things. First, he helped write, produce, and direct the movie The Little Fugitive. Second, he helped create and write the popular Danny Dunn science fiction book series for kids with Jay Williams.

He also wrote a story called "Little Cowboy" in 1948.

About Raymond Abrashkin

Raymond Abrashkin was born in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were Harry Abrashkin, who was from what is now Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine, and Bertha Kornfeld, who was from England.

He went to the City College of New York. After college, he worked as a teacher in public schools in New York City. His writing career started when he became an editor for education at PM Newspaper. He later became the main writer for Young People's Records. He also wrote a comic strip called Timmy, which was drawn by Howard Sparber.

Around 1935, Raymond married Evelyn Kurinski. They had two sons, John Michael and William Henry. Later, they had two grandchildren, Karen Anna and John Raymond.

During World War II, Abrashkin served in the United States Maritime Service. He worked on supply ships in the Atlantic Ocean. During and after the war, he lived in Greenwich Village, New York. In 1951, he and his family moved to Weston, Connecticut. He lived there for the rest of his life.

The Little Fugitive Movie

In 1952, Raymond Abrashkin wrote the script for a movie called Little Fugitive. He used the name "Ray Ashley" for this project. He also helped produce and direct the movie with Morris Engel and Ruth Orkin.

The movie came out in 1953. It was a big success and was even nominated for an Academy Award. A famous French filmmaker named François Truffaut praised the movie. He said it helped start the "French New Wave" movement in filmmaking. This was a new and exciting way of making movies.

While working on the movie at Coney Island, Raymond Abrashkin became ill. He was diagnosed with a serious condition called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). This illness is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. He passed away from this illness when he was 49 years old.

• Raymond Abrashkin at the Internet Book List