Ward Greene facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ward Greene
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| Born | December 23, 1892 Asheville, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | January 22, 1956 (aged 63) Havana, Cuba |
| Pen name | Frank Dudley Jean Greene |
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| Education | Sewanee: The University of the South |
| Notable works | Lady and the Tramp Death in the Deep South Rip Kirby Scamp |
| Spouse | Edith Pfeil Greene |
| Children | 1 son (Thomas) |
Ward Greene (born December 23, 1892 – died January 22, 1956) was an American writer and editor. He was also a journalist and even wrote plays! He became the general manager of King Features Syndicate, a company that creates and distributes comic strips.
Greene was famous for supervising artists like Alex Raymond. He also wrote the Rip Kirby comic strip from 1946 until he passed away.
One of his most well-known works is the magazine story "Happy Dan, the Cynical Dog." This story, written in 1945, inspired the classic 1955 Walt Disney movie Lady and the Tramp. Greene also wrote the Scamp comic strip, which featured the son of the dogs from Lady and the Tramp.
About Ward Greene
Ward Greene was born in Asheville, North Carolina, in 1892. He had a famous ancestor, General Nathanael Greene. This general was a trusted officer in George Washington's army during the American Revolution.
Greene grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. He later went to college at Sewanee: The University of the South.
Early Career
Ward Greene started his career in 1913. His first job was at The Atlanta Journal newspaper. He began as an assistant sports editor.
He worked at The Journal for ten years. During that time, he covered many different topics. He moved from sports news to police stories. Eventually, he became the newspaper's top reporter.
In 1917, he worked for the New-York Tribune. From 1918 to 1919, he traveled to France. He reported on the Great War (World War I) for The Atlanta Journal. He focused on the experiences of soldiers from Georgia.
Working for Hearst
In 1920, Greene joined the Hearst Corporation. This is a large media company. He became a writer and editor for their magazine section in 1925.
He continued to advance in the company. He became an executive editor. In 1946, he was promoted to general manager.
Greene also wrote articles for The American Mercury magazine. He wrote for them from 1925 to 1931. His first novel, Cora Potts, was published in 1929.
Another one of his books was Death in the Deep South. This book was made into a movie called They Won't Forget in 1937.
Writing for Disney
Ward Greene's story "Happy Dan, the Cynical Dog" was published in Cosmopolitan magazine in 1945. This story became the main idea for Walt Disney's animated film Lady and the Tramp in 1955.
After the movie came out, King Features started a new comic strip. It was called "Scamp." Scamp was a small, unnamed character from the movie. Greene wrote this comic strip, and Dick Moores drew the pictures.
Other creators later took over the Scamp comic strip. It continued for more than 30 years, finally ending in 1988.
Ward Greene also used other names when he wrote. These were Frank Dudley and Jean Greene.
Later Life
Ward Greene lived in Westwood, New Jersey. He passed away in Havana, Cuba, in 1956. He was on his way to a family vacation in California when he became ill.
