Steve Fisher
Steve Fisher was an American writer born on August 29, 1913, in Marine City, Michigan, who gained prominence for his contributions to pulp fiction and screenwriting. He began his writing career while serving in the navy from 1928 to 1932, where he authored over two hundred stories centered around naval life. After struggling to find success as a full-time writer, Fisher moved to Greenwich Village, mingling with other notable writers and eventually publishing his first story in 1934. He wrote under various pseudonyms, including Stephen Gould and Grant Lane, and his works spanned multiple genres, including detective fiction and science fiction.
Fisher is perhaps best known for his novel "I Wake Up Screaming," which later inspired a film adaptation, and for creating memorable series characters like Kip Muldane and Johnny West. His career expanded into Hollywood, where he contributed to numerous films, including "Lady in the Lake" and "Dead Reckoning," and transitioned to television writing in the 1950s, penning over two hundred episodes for popular shows. Fisher's versatility and ability to write across different genres earned him five Emmy nominations before his passing on March 27, 1980. His legacy reflects his adaptability and enduring influence in the realms of both literature and entertainment.
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Subject Terms
Steve Fisher
Playwright
- Born: August 29, 1913
- Birthplace: Marine City, Michigan
- Died: March 27, 1980
- Place of death: Canoga Park, California
Biography
Stephen Gould Fisher wrote under the name Steve Fisher and the pennames Stephen Gould and Grant Lane. He may have used other pseudonyms as well. He was born August 29, 1913, in Marine City, Michigan, and grew up near Los Angeles. He was enrolled in Oneonta Military Academy but ran away at sixteen and joined the navy, where he served from 1928 to 1932. There he began his writing career; he produced more than two hundred stories about naval life. Unsuccessful as a full-time writer after his discharge from the service, Fisher moved to Greenwich Village in New York, where he met private-eye writers such as Frank Gruber, Cornell Woolrich, and Carroll John Daly. Gruber was later to include biographical information about Fisher in The Pulp Jungle (1967). Encouraged by this community of writers, Fisher gradually gained success. His first story, “Hell’s Scoop,” appeared in Sure-Fire Detective Magazine in March, 1934, and he later published hundreds of known stories in many pulps including “Black Mask,” “Thrilling Detective,” “Popular Detective,” and “Crime Busters.” Often publishing more than one story in a single issue, he varied his byline with the Gould and Grant pennames. His first several novels, beginning with Spend the Night (1935) appeared under the name Grant Lane. Two, published under the Gould name, Murder of the Admiral (1936) and Murder of the Pigboat Skipper (1937), made use of his navy background, as did Destroyer (1941) and Destination Tokyo (1943), published under his own name.
Fisher created several series characters, including Sheridan Doome, Hawaiian private eye Kip Muldane, the Kid, and Johnny West. Until his most famous novel, I Wake Up Screaming, his novels were not successful. (Published 1941 and revised in 1960 and 1991, I Wake Up Screaming was made into a film starring Betty Grable and Victor Mature and remade with Jeanne Crain and Jean Peters as Vicki in 1953). His most frequently reprinted novel is Saxon’s Ghost (1969), featuring stage magician Joe Saxon. Fisher was to publish more than fifteen novels, but early on he earned money by writing many kinds of pulp fiction, including romances, army and navy stories, and science fiction. As the pulp market declined, he placed stories in mainstream periodicals including Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, The Saturday Evening Post, and Cosmopolitan. In 1939, Fisher moved to Paris, returning to the United States when his stories began to sell to Hollywood. His many film credits include Typhoon (1940, with Dorothy Lamour), Lady in the Lake (1946; based on a Raymond Chandler novel), Dead Reckoning (1947, starring Humphrey Bogart), and I Wouldn’t Be in Your Shoes (1948; based on a novel by Cornell Woolrich). He and his family moved to Los Angeles in 1941; there he worked for most of the major studios, including Paramount, Warner Brothers, Twentieth Century Fox, MGM, and Columbia. In the 1950’s, he began writing for television shows, scripting more than two hundred episodes for shows including The Dick Powell Show (1961-1963), Barnaby Jones (1973-1980), Starsky and Hutch (1975-1979), and Fantasy Island (1978-1980). A play, Susan Slept Here, written with Alex Gottlieb, was produced in New York in 1956. Fisher received five Emmy award nominations. He died March 27, 1980, having proven that he was a true professional who could write in any popular genre and for any commercial market.