Robert Arthur Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert Arthur Jr.
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Robert Arthur Jr. at work during 1950.
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| Born | Robert Arthur Jr. November 10, 1909 Corregidor, Philippines |
| Died | May 2, 1969 (aged 59) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Genre | Crime fiction, speculative fiction, mystery fiction |
Robert Jay Arthur Jr. (November 10, 1909 – May 2, 1969) was a talented American writer. He was famous for his work on the The Mysterious Traveler radio show. He also wrote The Three Investigators, a popular series of mystery books for young adults.
Arthur won the Edgar Award twice from the Mystery Writers of America. This award is given for excellent mystery writing. He also wrote stories for Alfred Hitchcock's TV show, Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
Contents
Robert Arthur's Life Story
Early Life and Education
Robert Arthur Jr. was born on November 10, 1909. His birthplace was Fort Mills, on Corregidor Island in the Philippines. His father, Robert Arthur Sr., was in the United States Army and was stationed there. Because of his father's job, Robert Jr. moved to many different places as a child.
Even though he was accepted into West Point, a famous military school, Robert decided not to join the army. Instead, in 1926, he started college at William and Mary College in Williamsburg, Virginia. After two years, he moved to the University of Michigan. He earned a degree in English there in 1930.
Robert Arthur Jr. passed away in Philadelphia on May 2, 1969. He was 59 years old.
Starting a Writing Career
After college, Robert Arthur Jr. worked as an editor. He then went back to the University of Michigan. In 1932, he earned his master's degree in Journalism.
In 1959, he moved to Hollywood, California. This is where he began writing and editing stories for movies and TV shows.
His stories appeared in many well-known magazines. These included Amazing Stories, Argosy All-Story Weekly, Black Mask, and Collier's. He also wrote for Detective Fiction Weekly, Double Detective, The Illustrated Detective Magazine, The Phantom Detective, The Shadow, Startling Stories, Street & Smith's Detective Story Magazine, Thrilling Detective, Unknown Worlds, and Wonder Stories.
Robert Arthur also wrote many mystery books for children and young adults. His most famous books were the Three Investigators series.
Radio Work and Awards
Robert Arthur Jr. was very successful in radio. He worked with his writing partner, David Kogan. They won the Edgar Award for Best Radio Drama twice. They first won in 1950 for their show Murder by Experts. Then, in 1953, they won again for The Mysterious Traveler.
He also worked on other radio shows. These included Dark Destiny (1942), Adventure Into Fear (1945), The Sealed Book (1945), The Teller of Tales (1950), and Mystery Time (1952).
The Three Investigators Books
Robert Arthur Jr. created The Three Investigators series. These books are about three young detectives: Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw, and Bob Andrews. They solve mysteries from their headquarters in a junkyard.
Here are the books in the series that Robert Arthur Jr. wrote:
- 1: The Secret of Terror Castle (1964)
- 2: The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot (1964)
- 3: The Mystery of the Whispering Mummy (1965)
- 4: The Mystery of the Green Ghost (1965)
- 5: The Mystery of the Vanishing Treasure (1966)
- 6: The Secret of Skeleton Island (1966)
- 7: The Mystery of the Fiery Eye (1967)
- 8: The Mystery of the Silver Spider (1967)
- 9: The Mystery of the Screaming Clock (1968)
- 11: The Mystery of the Talking Skull (1969)
Other authors wrote the rest of The Three Investigators books (numbers 10 and 12 to 43).
Short Story Collections
Collections Written by Robert Arthur Jr.
Robert Arthur Jr. also wrote collections of short stories:
- Ghosts and More Ghosts (1963)
- Mystery and More Mystery (1966)
- The Midnight Visitor
Collections Edited by Robert Arthur Jr.
He also edited many collections of stories, often with Alfred Hitchcock's name on them:
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents Stories for Late at Night (1961)
- Alfred Hitchcock's Haunted Houseful (1961)
- Alfred Hitchcock's Ghostly Gallery (1962)
- Alfred Hitchcock's Solve-Them-Yourself-Mysteries (1963) (Most stories in this book were written by Robert Arthur himself.)
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents Stories That My Mother Never Told Me (1963)
- Alfred Hitchcock's Monster Museum (1965)
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents Stories Not for the Nervous (1965)
- Alfred Hitchcock's Sinister Spies (1966)
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents Stories That Scared Even Me (1967)
- Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbinders in Suspense (1967)
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents Stories They Wouldn't Let Me Do On TV (1968)
- Davy Jones Haunted Locker (1965)
- Spies and More Spies (1967)
- Thrillers and More Thrillers (1968)
- Monster Mix (1968)
- Alfred Hitchcock's Daring Detectives (1969)
Television Writing
Robert Arthur Jr. wrote for several television shows:
- The Unforeseen (1960)
- Matinee Theatre (1955) (He wrote the episode "The Babylonian Heart")
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (He wrote the episode "The Jokester")
- Thriller (1961–1962) (He wrote the episodes "An Attractive Family", "Dialogues with Death", and "The Prisoner in the Mirror")
See also
In Spanish: Robert Arthur para niños
