Alan Rinehart
Alan Gillespie Rinehart (1900–1982) was a writer, film producer, and playwright. Rinehart was a son of mystery writer Mary Roberts Rinehart and a brother of book publishers Stanley Rinehart Jr. and Frederick Roberts Rinehart.[1]
Early life and education[edit]
Rinehart was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (which has since merged with Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) in 1900. He graduated from the Morristown School in Morristown, New Jersey (now Morristown-Beard School) in 1919.[2] During his time at the school, Rinehart wrote stories and poetry for The Morristonian, the student newspaper.[3] After studying at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Rinehart received his bachelor's degree from the School of Mining at the University of Pittsburgh.[4] During the period between his studies at the two universities, Rinehart worked as a cowboy in the Western U.S.[3]
Career and military service[edit]
Rinehart joined the Story Department at Paramount Pictures Corporation in 1931.[5] He worked as an editor and producer for Paramount. Rinehart also worked as a correspondent and national affairs editor at Time magazine during its early years in the 1920s.[1]
During World War II, Rinehart served as a special assistant to the War Shipping Administration's East Coast director. He worked as a convoy truant officer.[clarification needed] Rinehart also served in the U.S. Marines during World War I.[4] In 1930, Rinehart penned the play Volcano. Messmore Kendall, owner of the Capitol Theatre, acquired it in November of that year. He tasked Robert Milton with staging the play.[6] Farrar & Rinehart, the publishing company run by Rinehart's brothers, published the play's text in wide release.[7]
Purchase of Cabbage Island[edit]
In 1936, Rinehart bought Cabbage Island, a 100-acre island located five miles from Pine Island, Florida. Rinehart's mother Mary constructed a six-bedroom winter home on the island to craft her novels. In 1938, Rinehart and his mother provided a facility on the island to run a tarpon study by Charles Breder, curator and director of fishes and aquatic biology at the American Museum of Natural History.[8] The Rinehart property now operates as the Cabbage Key Inn and Restaurant.[9]
Family[edit]
In 1925, Rinehart married Gratia Houghton Rinehart on September 19, 1925. She was a niece of Alanson B. Houghton, the U.S. ambassador to England.[10] They had two children together before their divorce in 1938. In 1946, Rinehart married textile designer and stylist Ernestine Hines Dobbs.[11]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Pendergast, Tom; Pendergast, Sara (2000). St. James encyclopedia of popular culture. Vol. 4. St. James Press.
- ^ Harvard University, ed. (1921). The Harvard University Register, Volume 47.
- ^ a b Cohn, Jan (1980). Improbable Fiction: The Life of Mary Roberts Rinehart.
- ^ a b "Alan G. Rinehart". The New York Times. May 13, 1982.
- ^ "With Paramount". The Pittsburgh Press. May 31, 1931.
- ^ "Theatrical Notes". The New York Times. November 15, 1930.
- ^ "Books and Authors". The New York Times. December 28, 1930.
- ^ Friends of the Randell Research Center
- ^ John Doussard (December 27, 1986). "The Charm of Cabbage Key is a well-kept secret". Miami News.
- ^ "Miss Houghton-One of Today's Brides; Ambassador's Niece to Wed Alan G. Rinehart -- Nuptials of Misses Abeel and Quinn". The New York Times. September 19, 1925.
- ^ "Alan G. Rinehart Weds Mrs. Dobbs; Son of Noted Author Marries Former Ernestine Hines at Ceremony in Queens". The New York Times. July 9, 1945.
- American male journalists
- American magazine editors
- Film producers from Pennsylvania
- Time (magazine) people
- University of Pittsburgh alumni
- 1900 births
- 1982 deaths
- Writers from Pittsburgh
- 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights
- American male dramatists and playwrights
- Journalists from Pennsylvania
- 20th-century American male writers
- Morristown-Beard School alumni
- 20th-century American non-fiction writers
- 20th-century American journalists
- Rinehart family