Charlotte Armstrong
Encyclopedia
Charlotte Armstrong Lewi (May 2, 1905 Vulcan, Michigan – July 7, 1969 Glendale, California
) was an American
author
. Under the names Charlotte Armstrong and Jo Valentine she wrote 29 novel
s, as well as working for the New York Times advertising department, as a fashion reporter for Breath of the Avenue (a buyer's guide), and in an accounting firm.
Armstrong Lewi graduated from Vulcan High School in Vulcan, Michigan, in June 1921. She attended the junior college program at Ferry Hall in Lake Forest, Illinois
for one year (1921–22), during which time she served as Editor-in-Chief of the student publication, Ferry Tales. She attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison
and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Barnard College
in 1925. She had a daughter and two sons with her husband, Jack Lewi.
In 1957, she received an Edgar Award
from the Mystery Writers of America
for her novel A Dram of Poison. She had two other Edgar-nominated novels, both published in 1967: The Gift Shop, and Lemon in the Basket. Three of her short stories, all published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, were nominated for Edgars: "And Already Lost," (1957) and "The Case for Miss Peacock" (1965) and "The Splintered Monday" (1966).
Cypert, Rick. The Virtue of Suspense: The Life and Works of Charlotte Armstrong. Selinsgrove: Susquehanna University Press, 2008. ISBN 978-1-57591-122-9
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. Under the names Charlotte Armstrong and Jo Valentine she wrote 29 novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s, as well as working for the New York Times advertising department, as a fashion reporter for Breath of the Avenue (a buyer's guide), and in an accounting firm.
Armstrong Lewi graduated from Vulcan High School in Vulcan, Michigan, in June 1921. She attended the junior college program at Ferry Hall in Lake Forest, Illinois
Lake Forest, Illinois
Lake Forest is an affluent city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The city is south of Waukegan along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the North Shore. Lake Forest was founded around Lake Forest College and was laid out as a town in...
for one year (1921–22), during which time she served as Editor-in-Chief of the student publication, Ferry Tales. She attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
in 1925. She had a daughter and two sons with her husband, Jack Lewi.
In 1957, she received an Edgar Award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
from the Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers, based in New York.The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday....
for her novel A Dram of Poison. She had two other Edgar-nominated novels, both published in 1967: The Gift Shop, and Lemon in the Basket. Three of her short stories, all published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, were nominated for Edgars: "And Already Lost," (1957) and "The Case for Miss Peacock" (1965) and "The Splintered Monday" (1966).
Publications
- The Happiest Days, 1939 (play)
- Ring Around Elizabeth, 1941 (play)
- Lay On, Mac Duff! 1942
- The Case of the Weird Sisters, 1943
- The Innocent Flower, 1945 (also known as Death Filled the Glass)
- The Unsuspected, 1945/6, Coward-McCann
- The Chocolate Cobweb, 1948
- Mischief, 1951
- The Black-Eyed Stranger, 1952
- Catch-as-Catch-Can, 1953 (also known as Walk Out on Death)
- The Trouble in Thor, 1953 (as Jo Valentine; also known as And Sometimes Death)
- The Better to Eat You, 1954 (also known as Murder's Nest)
- The Dream Walker, 1955 (ISBN 1-127-32660-0, also known as Alibi for Murder)
- Dram of Poison, 1956 (ISBN 1-117-07473-0)
- The Albatross, 1957 (short story collection)
- Incident at a Corner, 1957
- The Seventeen Widows of San Souci, 1959
- The Girl With A Secret, 1959
- Something Blue, 1959
- Then Came Two Women, 1962
- The One-Faced Girl, 1963
- The Mark of the Hand, 1963
- Who's Been Sitting in My Chair?, 1963
- A Little Less Than Kind, 1964
- The Witch's House, 1964
- The Turret Room, 1965
- Dream of Fair Woman, 1966
- I See You, 1966 (short story collection)
- Gift Shop, 1967
- The Balloon Man, 1968 (ISBN 1-122-42235-0)
- Lemon in the Basket, 1968
- Seven Seats to the Moon, 1969
- The Protege, 1970
Screenplays
- "Incident at a Corner", episode of Startime, dir. Alfred HitchcockAlfred HitchcockSir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
, 1959 - "The Summer Hero," episode of The Chevy Mystery Show, 1960
- Three episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents: "Sybilla" (dir. Ida LupinoIda LupinoIda Lupino was an English-born film actress and director, and a pioneer among women filmmakers. In her 48-year career, she appeared in 59 films and directed seven others, mostly in the United States. She appeared in serial television programmes 58 times and directed 50 other episodes...
), "The Five-Forty-Eight," "Across the Threshold" (1960)
Films
The following films were adapted from Armstrong's novels and stories.- Merci pour le chocolatMerci pour le chocolatMerci pour le chocolat is a 2000 French thriller film directed by Claude Chabrol and starring Isabelle Huppert.-Cast:* Isabelle Huppert - Marie-Claire 'Mika' Muller* Jacques Dutronc - André Polonski* Anna Mouglalis - Jeanne Pollet...
, 2000 (from the novel The Chocolate Cobweb) (dir. Claude ChabrolClaude ChabrolClaude Chabrol was a French film director, a member of the French New Wave group of filmmakers who first came to prominence at the end of the 1950s...
) - The Sitter, 1991 (from the novel Mischief) (dir. Rick Berger)
- La RuptureThe Breach (1970 film)The Breach is a 1970 film written and directed by Claude Chabrol, based on the novel The Balloon Man by Charlotte Armstrong. The film was also known as The Breakup at times in its release in the United States...
, 1970 (from the novel The Balloon Man) (dir. Claude ChabrolClaude ChabrolClaude Chabrol was a French film director, a member of the French New Wave group of filmmakers who first came to prominence at the end of the 1950s...
) - Talk About a StrangerTalk About a StrangerTalk About a Stranger is an American film noir released in 1952 and directed by David Bradley. The drama features George Murphy, Nancy Davis, Billy Gray, and others.The motion picture was shot by noted cinematographer John Alton, A.S.C.-Plot:...
, 1952 (from the short story, "The Enemy") - Don't Bother to KnockDon't Bother to KnockDon't Bother to Knock is a 1952 American thriller film starring Marilyn Monroe and Richard Widmark, directed by Roy Ward Baker and written by Daniel Taradash. Monroe is featured as a disturbed babysitter watching a child at the same New York hotel where a pilot, played by Widmark, is staying...
, 1952 (from the novel Mischief) - The Three Weird SistersThe Three Weird SistersThe Three Weird Sisters is a 1948 British melodrama with Gothic influences, directed by Daniel Birt and starring Nancy Price, Mary Clare, Mary Merrall and Raymond Lovell. The screenplay was adapted by Dylan Thomas and Louise Birt from the novel The Case of the Weird Sisters by Charlotte Armstrong...
, 1948 (from the novel The Case of the Weird Sisters) (dir. Daniel BirtDaniel BirtDaniel Birt was an English film director and editor. Birt began his career as an editor in 1932 with an assistant credit on The Lucky Number, and went on to edit twelve films during the 1930s....
) - The UnsuspectedThe UnsuspectedThe Unsuspected is a film noir starring Claude Rains, Audrey Totter, and Joan Caulfield. The black-and-white film was directed by Michael Curtiz, based on the novel written by Charlotte Armstrong, and released by Warner Brothers.- Plot :...
, 1947
Footnotes
- Detective Fiction
- Swartley, Ariel (Apr. 30, 1999) "Guns and Roses: The Women of Noir". LAWeekly.
- Mystery Writers of America Edgar Awards Database
- Fantastic Fiction
Further reading
Burke, Jan. "The Last Word: The Mean Streets of the Suburbs, the Kindness of Strangers---A Tribute to Charlotte Armstrong." Clues: A Journal of Detection 25.4 (Summer 2007): 65-69.Cypert, Rick. The Virtue of Suspense: The Life and Works of Charlotte Armstrong. Selinsgrove: Susquehanna University Press, 2008. ISBN 978-1-57591-122-9