Eleanor Perry
Eleanor Perry, born Eleanor Irene Rosenfeld in 1915 in Cleveland, Ohio, was a notable American screenwriter and playwright known for her impactful work in film and television. After obtaining a master's degree in psychiatric social work, she initially collaborated with her first husband, Leo G. Bayer, to write mystery novels under the pseudonym Oliver Weld Bayer. Their novel "Paper Chase" was adapted into the film "Dangerous Partners" in 1945.
Perry's most significant work emerged in the 1960s when she adapted Theodore Isaac Rubin's novel "David and Lisa" into a screenplay, which garnered critical acclaim and was nominated for an Academy Award. She collaborated closely with her second husband, Frank Perry, on several projects, including adaptations of Truman Capote's stories, which showcased her keen psychological insights and ability to create compelling characters. Notable films from their partnership include "The Swimmer" and "Diary of a Mad Housewife."
After their divorce, Perry continued to write but faced challenges, with her later works receiving less recognition. She published her novel "Blue Pages" in 1979, which reflected her experiences as a screenwriter. Eleanor Perry passed away from cancer in New York on March 14, 1981, leaving behind a legacy in the realm of film and storytelling.
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Subject Terms
Eleanor Perry
Writer
- Born: 1915
- Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio
- Died: March 14, 1981
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
Eleanor Perry was born Eleanor Irene Rosenfeld in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1915, the daughter of a pharmaceutical company executive. After receiving a master’s degree in psychiatric social work from Case Western Reserve University, she married Leo G. Bayer, a lawyer, and the couple had two children.
In the mid-1940’s, she and Bayer wrote mystery novels together under the pseudonym Oliver Weld Bayer. One of these novels, Paper Chase, was adapted for film as Dangerous Partners and released in 1945. She went to New York City in 1958 for the production of Third Best Sport, a play she wrote with her husband, and while there she met producer-director Frank Perry. She stayed in New York, divorced Bayer, and later married Frank Perry, sixteen years her junior.
In 1961, Perry’s daughter, Ann, called her attention to the book David and Lisa, a fictionalized psychiatric case history of two teenagers by Theodore Isaac Rubin. Perry wrote a screenplay based on the novel, and when she and Frank Perry were unable to interest a Hollywood studio, they sold shares for $312.50 each to finance the film. David and Lisa was released in 1962. Its stars, Keir Dullea and Janet Margolin, were named Best Actor and Best Actress at the San Francisco International Film Festival, and the film was named Best Film by a New Director at the Venice Film Festival. Time magazine named David and Lisa the Best Film of 1962, and her screenplay was nominated for an Academy Award. The screenplay displayed the analytical skills Perry had acquired during her psychiatric training.
The Perrys then made the less successful filmLadybug, Ladybug, about schoolchildren’s panic during a civil defense drill. The couple returned to form with The Thanksgiving Visitor, a television film that Eleanor Perry and Truman Capote adapted from one of Capote’s stories. The Perrys also produced another adaptation of a Capote story, “A Christmas Memory,” which aired on the television series ABC Stage 67 in 1966. Featuring a memorial performance by Geraldine Page, “A Christmas Memory” had frequent repeat showings over the following decade. Together with another Capote adaptation, “Miriam,” the three stories were released to theaters as Truman Capote’s Trilogy in 1969.
The Perrys returned to the big screen with The Swimmer, adapted from a John Cheever story. This account of a middle-aged man’s reluctance to face up to the end of his orderly suburban life offers one of Burt Lancaster’s greatest performances. The next Perry collaboration, Last Summer, adapted from an Evan Hunter novel, is a sometimes shocking look at the sexual longings and cruelty of adolescents. The Perrys’ final film together, Diary of a Mad Housewife, looks at a middle-class wife’s attempt to escape the confines of her marriage through adultery. These last two films again display Perry’s interest in psychology and her ability to draw vivid characters.
Ironically, the Perrys’ marriage ended soon after the release of Diary of a Mad Housewife. Eleanor Perry published a novel, Blue Pages, in 1979 about a screenwriter who is exploited by her director husband. The films she wrote after her divorce, including The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun and The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing, were critical and commercial failures. She died of cancer in New York on March 14, 1981.