Frank O'Rourke
Encyclopedia
Frank O'Rourke was an American
writer known for western
and mystery
novel
s and sports fiction. O'Rourke ultimately wrote more than 60 novels and numerous magazine articles.
Born in Denver, Colorado
he attended Kemper Military School
. A very talented amateur baseball
player, he considered trying out for a professional team, but was called up for service in World War II
. By the end of the war he had decided to become a writer; his first novel was E Company (1945), based in part on his wartime experiences. O'Rourke dedicated the book to Max Brand
who he knew before the war. In the book O'Rourke named a fictional war correspondent
Max Hastings after him.
Several of O'Rourke's novels were filmed, The Bravados
(1958) was the first, and his novel A Mule for the Marquesa
was made into a popular movie named The Professionals (1966). The Great Bank Robbery
was filmed in 1969. He married artist Edith Carlson.
Later in life, O'Rourke turned to writing children's literature. A long-time sufferer of bronchial asthma, and made even more ill by the large doses of steroids he was required to take for control of the ailment, he committed suicide on April 27, 1989. His wife died on May 21, 2007.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer known for western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
and mystery
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
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 and sports fiction. O'Rourke ultimately wrote more than 60 novels and numerous magazine articles.
Born in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
he attended Kemper Military School
Kemper Military School
Kemper Military School & College was a private military school located in Boonville, Missouri. Kemper filed for bankruptcy and closed in 2002. The school's motto was "Nunquam Non Paratus" .-Early years under Frederick T. Kemper:...
. A very talented amateur baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player, he considered trying out for a professional team, but was called up for service in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. By the end of the war he had decided to become a writer; his first novel was E Company (1945), based in part on his wartime experiences. O'Rourke dedicated the book to Max Brand
Max Brand
Frederick Faust, aka Max Brand|thumb|rightFrederick Schiller Faust was an American author known primarily for his thoughtful and literary Westerns. Faust wrote mostly under pen names, but today is primarily known by only one, Max Brand...
who he knew before the war. In the book O'Rourke named a fictional war correspondent
War correspondent
A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories firsthand from a war zone. In the 19th century they were also called Special Correspondents.-Methods:...
Max Hastings after him.
Several of O'Rourke's novels were filmed, The Bravados
The Bravados
The Bravados is a 1958 western film , directed by Henry King starring Gregory Peck and Joan Collins. The CinemaScope film was based on a novel of the same name written by Frank O'Rourke.-Plot:...
(1958) was the first, and his novel A Mule for the Marquesa
A Mule for the Marquesa
A Mule for the Marquesa is a novel by Frank O'Rourke. The film The Professionals was based on that book. After the release of the movie, new editions of the novel were issued under the title The Professionals....
was made into a popular movie named The Professionals (1966). The Great Bank Robbery
The Great Bank Robbery
The Great Bank Robbery is a 1969 Western comedy film from Warner Brothers directed by Hy Averback and written by William Peter Blatty, based on the novel by Frank O'Rourke...
was filmed in 1969. He married artist Edith Carlson.
Later in life, O'Rourke turned to writing children's literature. A long-time sufferer of bronchial asthma, and made even more ill by the large doses of steroids he was required to take for control of the ailment, he committed suicide on April 27, 1989. His wife died on May 21, 2007.
Sources
External links
- Inventory of the Frank O'Rourke Papers (Accn 1201) at the J. Willard Marriott Library at the University of Utah
- Frank O'Rourke Photograph Collection