Steve Fisher (writer) facts for kids

Stephen Gould Fisher (born August 29, 1912 – died March 27, 1980) was an American writer. He was famous for his exciting stories, books, and movie scripts. Steve Fisher was one of the few writers who started with "pulp" magazines. These were cheap magazines with thrilling stories. He then became successful writing for popular magazines and Hollywood movies.

Early Life and Navy Adventures

Steve Fisher was born in Marine City, Michigan, on August 29, 1912. He grew up in Los Angeles, California. He went to a military school there. But when he was just sixteen, he ran away to join the Navy!

Fisher spent four years serving in the Navy. He was part of the submarine service. During this time, he wrote a lot of stories. He sold them to magazines like U.S. Navy and Our Navy.

After leaving the Navy, Fisher moved to Greenwich Village in New York. He decided to become a full-time writer. The first few months were tough. He couldn't sell any stories. He even got kicked out of two apartments! His electricity was also turned off once. But in March 1934, he finally sold his first story. It was called "Hell’s Scoop" and appeared in Sure-Fire Detective Magazine. This was the start of his successful writing career.

Writing for Pulp Magazines

Steve Fisher wrote many stories for "pulp" magazines. This happened throughout the 1930s, 1940s, and into the 1950s. These magazines were known for their exciting and fast-paced stories.

Some of his most important stories appeared in Black Mask. This was a very famous detective magazine. At first, the editor, Joe Shaw, didn't accept Fisher's stories. But under a new editor, Fanny Ellsworth, Fisher helped create a different kind of crime story. His stories were more emotional and focused on the characters' thoughts. This was different from the "hard-boiled" style of other writers.

Fisher said his style was "subjective." This means it focused on feelings and moods. This new style became popular. It helped other writers with similar styles, like his friend Cornell Woolrich, find success. Fisher published nine stories in Black Mask. Some titles were "Death of a Dummy" and "Flight to Paris."

During this time, Fisher also started writing for "slick" magazines. These were more expensive and popular magazines. It was rare for a pulp writer to also succeed in slick magazines. His stories appeared in both types of magazines at the same time. Some slick magazines he wrote for included Liberty, Collier's, and The Saturday Evening Post. He also used other names for his writing, like Stephen Gould and Grant Lane. He wrote hundreds of stories in total.

Life in Hollywood

In 1939, Fisher moved to Paris because it was cheaper to live there. But after only six months, his agent sold two of his stories to Hollywood. These stories, "If You Break My Heart" and "Shore Leave," were going to be made into movies!

So, Fisher returned to Hollywood. He spent most of the rest of his life working as a screenwriter. This means he wrote scripts for movies. He wrote for famous detective movies called film noir. Two of these were Dead Reckoning and Lady in the Lake.

Fisher also wrote novels. His most famous book was I Wake Up Screaming (1941). It was made into a movie in the same year. The movie starred Victor Mature. Later, in 1953, the movie was remade as Vicki. Both movies changed parts of the original story. For example, the action moved from Hollywood to New York.

In the 1970s, Fisher wrote for TV shows. He worked on popular series like Starsky & Hutch, McMillan & Wife, and Barnaby Jones. He passed away from a heart attack on March 27, 1980. He was 67 years old.

Selected Works

Steve Fisher was a very busy writer. Here are some of the movies and TV shows he wrote for:

Movies

• Typhoon (1940)
• I Wake Up Screaming (1941)
• Destination Tokyo (1943)
• Lady in the Lake (1946)
• Dead Reckoning (1947)
• Flat Top (1952)
• City That Never Sleeps (1953)
• Las Vegas Shakedown (1955)
• Johnny Reno (1966)

TV Series

• Schlitz Playhouse (1955–56)
• Tales of Wells Fargo (1957–60)
• Miami Undercover (1961)
• Ripcord (1962–63)
• Starsky & Hutch (1976–77)
• Fantasy Island (1978–81)