Manly Wade Wellman
Encyclopedia
Manly Wade Wellman was an American writer. He is best known for his fantasy and horror stories set in the Appalachian Mountains
and for drawing on the native folklore of that region, but he wrote in a wide variety of genres, including science fiction
, fantasy
, historical fiction
, detective fiction
, western fiction
, juvenile fiction
, and non-fiction
. In the late 1920s, during the silent film era, Wellman wrote movie reviews for the Wichita Beacon. He also contributed to the writing of the comic book The Spirit
while the franchise's creator, Will Eisner
, was serving in the US military during World War II.
Three of Wellman's most famous reappearing protagonists are Silver John
, aka John the Balladeer, the wandering backwoods minstrel with a silver-stringed guitar; the elderly 'occult detective
' Judge Pursuivant
; and the playboy-adventurer John Thunstone
.
Wellman was born in Angola
. He was of partial Native American
ancestry.
After graduating from Wichita Municipal University (now Wichita State University
) in Kansas
, he went on to receive a bachelor of laws degree from Columbia University
. Wellman was a long-time resident of North Carolina
. He received many awards, including the World Fantasy Award
and Edgar Allan Poe Award.
that featured both traditional Appalachian folk songs that Silver John would have known, and Wellman's original lyrics that were in many of the Silver John stories, set to the traditional melodies that Wellman used as models.
Additionally, the progressive bluegrass band, The Dixie Bee-Liners
, recorded an original song inspired by the Silver John stories titled "Yellow-Haired Girl" on their 2008 album "RIPE."
Much of the following information is taken from Mark Cannon's bibliography of Wellman.
Larroes Catch Meddlers:
Adapted for television for Lights Out
as “The Meddlers”,
aired 7 July 1951
Director: Unknown
Screenwriter: Douglas Wood Gibson, Richard E Davis
Starring: John Carradine
, E G Marshall, Dan Morgan
School for the Unspeakable:
Adapted for television for Lights Out as “The School for the Unspeakable”, aired 7 January 1952
Director: Unknown
Screenwriter: Richard E Davis
Starring: Donald Buka, Don Hanmer, Leon Tokatyan, Dick Kallman, Maurice Kenney, Jason Jonson, John Gerstad, Harold Webster
The Valley Was Still:
Adapted for television for The Twilight Zone
as “Still Valley," aired 24 November 1961
Director: James Sheldon
Screenwriter: Rod Serling
Starring: Gary Merrill
(Paradine), Vaughn Taylor (Old Man), Ben Cooper (Dauger), Addison Myers (Sentry); Mark Tapscott (Lieutenant), Jack Mann (Mallory)
The Devil is Not Mocked:
Adapted for television for Night Gallery
, aired 27 October 1971
Director: Gene Kearney
Screenwriter: Gene Kearney
Starring: Helmut Dantine
(General), Francis Lederer (Master), Hank Brandt (Kranz)
Rouse Him Not:
Adapted for TV for Monsters
, aired December 1988
Director: Mark Shostrom
Writer: Michael Parry
Starring: Laraine Newman
, Terrance Evans and Alex Cord
as John Thunstone
.
Who Fears The Devil?
1972 feature film, edited and re-released in 1973 as The Legend of Hillbilly John
Producer: Barney Rosenzweig
Director: John Newland
Screenwriter: Melvin Levy
Starring: Hedge Capers (John), Susan Strasberg
(Poly Wiltse), Denver Pyle
(Grandpappy John), Severn Darden (Mr Marduke), Percy Rodriguez (Capt Lojoie H Desplain IV), R G Armstrong (Bristowe); Sharon Henesy (Lily); Sidney Clute (Charles); William Traynor (Rev. Millen); Harris Yulin
(Zebulon Yandro); Alfred Ryder (O J Onselm); Chester Jones (Uncle Anansi); Val Avery (Cobart); “White Lightnin’” (themselves); “Honor Hound” (himself).
Film based on the character of Silver John. Two segments of the film were based on the stories O Ugly Bird and The Desrick on Yandro.
School for the Unspeakable
(on audiotape with Unfortunate Obsession by Matthew Costello)
Brilliance Corp 1997
Up Under the Roof
2010 short film (35mm, 20 minutes)
Producer: Danielle Stallings & Darin Read
Director: Darin Read
Screenwriter: Danielle Stallings & Darin Read
Starring: Jonathan Milliken, Shawnna Youngquist, Geoff Elliot, Jill Hill, Vince Froio, Alice Taylor and voice of Greg Finley
based on Wellman's short story entitled "Up Under the Roof"
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
and for drawing on the native folklore of that region, but he wrote in a wide variety of genres, including science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
, historical fiction
Historical fiction
Historical fiction tells a story that is set in the past. That setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional...
, detective fiction
Detective fiction
Detective fiction is a sub-genre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator , either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, often murder.-In ancient literature:...
, western fiction
Western fiction
Western fiction is a genre of literature set in the American Old West frontier and typically set from the late eighteenth to the late nineteenth century. Well-known writers of Western fiction include Zane Grey from the early 1900s and Louis L'Amour from the mid 20th century...
, juvenile fiction
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
, and non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
. In the late 1920s, during the silent film era, Wellman wrote movie reviews for the Wichita Beacon. He also contributed to the writing of the comic book The Spirit
The Spirit
The Spirit is a crime-fighting fictional character created by writer-artist Will Eisner. He first appeared June 2, 1940 in "The Spirit Section", the colloquial name given to a 16-page Sunday supplement, distributed to 20 newspapers by the Register and Tribune Syndicate and reaching five million...
while the franchise's creator, Will Eisner
Will Eisner
William Erwin "Will" Eisner was an American comics writer, artist and entrepreneur. He is considered one of the most important contributors to the development of the medium and is known for the cartooning studio he founded; for his highly influential series The Spirit; for his use of comics as an...
, was serving in the US military during World War II.
Three of Wellman's most famous reappearing protagonists are Silver John
Silver John
Silver John is a fictional character from a series of fantasy stories by Manly Wade Wellman. Though fans refer to him as Silver John or as John the Balladeer, the stories call him simply John....
, aka John the Balladeer, the wandering backwoods minstrel with a silver-stringed guitar; the elderly 'occult detective
Occult detective
Occult detective stories combine the tropes of the detective story with those of supernatural horror fiction. Unlike the traditional detective the occult detective is employed in cases involving ghosts, curses, and other supernatural elements...
' Judge Pursuivant
Judge Pursuivant
Judge Keith Hilary Pursuivant is a fictional character and a supporting character in a series of stories by author Manly Wade Wellman. Pursuivant is a retired judge, author, and occult scholar who investigates mysterious supernatural events....
; and the playboy-adventurer John Thunstone
John Thunstone
John Thunstone is a fictional character and the hero of a series of stories by author Manly Wade Wellman. Thunstone is a scholar and playboy who investigates mysterious supernatural events. He has the typical attributes of a heroic character being physically large and strong, intelligent,...
.
Wellman was born in Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
. He was of partial Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
ancestry.
After graduating from Wichita Municipal University (now Wichita State University
Wichita State University
Wichita State University is a NCAA Division I public university in Wichita, Kansas with selective admissions. WSU is one of six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The current president is Dr. Donald Beggs....
) in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, he went on to receive a bachelor of laws degree from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. Wellman was a long-time resident of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. He received many awards, including the World Fantasy Award
World Fantasy Award
The World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
and Edgar Allan Poe Award.
Science fiction and fantasy
- The Invading Asteroid (1929)
- Sojarr of Titan (1941)
- The Devil's Asteroid (1941)
- Devil's Planet (1951)
- The Beasts from Beyond (1950) [also known as Strangers on the Heights]
- Twice in Time (1957)
- The Dark Destroyers (1959) [short version of Nuisance Value (1938/39)]
- Giants from Eternity (1959)
- Island in the Sky (1961)
- The Solar Invasion (1968) (Captain FutureCaptain FutureCaptain Future is a science fictional hero pulp character originally published in self-titled American pulp magazines during the 1940s and early 50s.-Origins:...
novel) - Worse Things WaitingWorse Things WaitingWorse Things Waiting is a collection of fantasy and horror short stories by author Manly Wade Wellman. It was released in 1973 by Carcosa in an edition of 2,867 copies, of which 536 pre-ordered copies were signed by the author and artist...
(1973) (collection) (Winner, World Fantasy AwardWorld Fantasy AwardThe World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
for Best Collection, 1975) - Sherlock Holmes's War of the Worlds [With Wade Wellman] (1975)
- The Beyonders (1977)
- The Valley So Low: Southern Mountain Stories (1987) (Ed. Karl E. Wagner, collection)
- The Collected Stories of Manly Wade Wellman:
- The Third Cry to Legba and Other Invocations (2000) (John Thunstone and Lee Cobbett stories)
- The Devil is Not Mocked and Other Warnings (2001)
- Fearful Rock and Other Precarious Locales (2001) (Judge Pursuivant and Sergeant Jaeger stories)
- Sin’s Doorway and Other Ominous Entrances (2003)
- Owls Hoot in the Daytime and Other Omens (2003) (John the Balladeer stories)
Silver John anthologies and novels
- Who Fears the Devil?Who Fears the Devil?Who Fears the Devil? is a collection of fantasy and horror short stories by American author Manly Wade Wellman. It was released in 1963 by Arkham House in an edition of 2,058 copies and was Wellman's only book released by Arkham House. The collection consists of all of Wellman's Silver John...
(1963) - The Old Gods Waken (1979)
- After Dark (1980)
- The Lost and the Lurking (1981)
- The Hanging Stones (1982)
- The Voice of the Mountain (1984)
- John the Balladeer (1988) (Ed. Karl E. Wagner, revised collection containing all Silver John short stories)
- Owls Hoot In The Daytime And Other Omens (2003) (Ed. Night Shade Press, also contains all Silver John short stories)
John Thunstone anthologies and novels
- Lonely VigilsLonely VigilsLonely Vigils is a collection of fantasy, horror and mystery short stories by author Manly Wade Wellman. It was released in 1981 by Carcosa in an edition of 1,548 copies, of which the 566 pre-ordered copies were signed by the author and artist...
(1981) (Thunstone and Judge Pursuivant short stories) - What Dreams May ComeWhat Dreams May Come (1983 novel)What Dreams May Come is a novel by American author Manly Wade Wellman. It is the second of three novels featuring supernatural investigator John Thunstone. The book derives its title from a line in Hamlet's famous "To be, or not to be..." soliloquy....
(1983) - The School of Darkness (1985)
Young Adult
- The Lion Roared. (Thrilling Tales) 1927.
- The Sleuth Patrol. 1947.
- The Mystery of Lost Valley. 1948.
- The Raiders of Beaver Lake. 1950.
- The Haunts of Drowning Creek. 1951.
- Wild Dogs of Drowning Creek. 1952.
- The Last Mammoth. 1953.
- Gray Riders: Jeb Stuart and His Men. 1954.
- Rebel Mail Runner. 1954.
- Flag on the Levee. 1955.
- To Lands Unknown. 1956.
- Young Squire Morgan. 1956.
- Lights over Skelton Ridge. 1957.
- The Master of Scare Hollow. 1957.
- Iron Scouts Trilogy
- The Ghost Battalion: A Story of the Iron Scouts. 1958.
- Ride, Rebels!: Adventures of the Iron Scouts. 1959.
- Appomattox Road: Final Adventures of the Iron Scouts. 1960.
- Third String Center. 1960.
- Rifles at Ramsour's Mill: A Tale of the Revolutionary War. 1961.
- Battle for King's Mountain. 1962.
- Clash on the Catawba. 1962.
- The South Fork Rangers. 1963.
- The River Pirates. 1963.
- Settlement on Shocco: Adventures in Colonial Carolina. 1963.
- Mystery at Bear Paw Gap. 1964.
- The Specter of Bear Paw Creek. 1966.
- Battle at Bear Paw Gap. 1966.
- Jamestown Adventure. 1967.
- Brave Horse: The Story of Janus. 1968.
- Carolina Pirate. 1968.
- Frontier Reporter. 1969.
- Mountain Feud. 1969.
- Fast Break Five. 1971.
Other Novels
- Cahena (1986) (historical novel)
- Candle of the Wicked (1960)
- A Double Life (movie tie-in) (1947)
- Find My Killer (mysteryMystery fictionMystery 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...
) (1947) - Fort Sun Dance (westernWestern (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...
) (1955) - Not At These Hands (mystery)
Non-Fiction
- Giant in Gray: A Biography of Wade Hampton IIIWade Hampton IIIWade Hampton III was a Confederate cavalry leader during the American Civil War and afterward a politician from South Carolina, serving as its 77th Governor and as a U.S...
of South Carolina. 1949. - Dead and Gone: Classic Crimes of North Carolina. 1954. (Winner, Edgar AwardEdgar AwardThe Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
for Best Fact Crime, 1956) - Rebel Boast: First at Bethel, Last at Apppomattox. 1956.
- Fastest on the River: The Great Race Between the Natchez and the Robert E. Lee. 1957.
- The Life and Times of Sir Archie. With Elizabeth A. C. Blanchard. 1958.
- The County of Warren, 1586-1917. 1959.
- They Took Their Stand: The Founders of the Confederacy. 1959.
- The Rebel Songster: Songs the Confederates Sang. 1959.
- Harpers Ferry, Prize of War. 1960.
- The County of Gaston. With Robert F. Cope. 1961.
- The County of Moore, 1947-1947. 1962.
- Winston-Salem:The Founders. 1966.
- Napoleon of the West: A Story of the Aaron Burr Conspiracy. 1970.
- The Kingdom of Madison: A Southern Mountain Fastness And Its People. 1971.
- The Story of Moore County. 1974.
- A City's Culture: Painting, Music, Literature. 1976.
Nominated
- Hugo AwardHugo AwardThe Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
, Best Short Story, Nine Yards of Other Cloth (1959) - World Fantasy AwardWorld Fantasy AwardThe World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
, Life Achievement (1975) - World Fantasy AwardWorld Fantasy AwardThe World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
, Best Short Fiction, The Ghastly Priest Doth Reign (1976) - World Fantasy AwardWorld Fantasy AwardThe World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
, Life Achievement (1977) - World Fantasy AwardWorld Fantasy AwardThe World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
, Life Achievement (1978) - World Fantasy AwardWorld Fantasy AwardThe World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
, Life Achievement (1979) - Balrog Award, Professional Achievement (1980)
Won
- Ellery Queen's Mystery MagazineEllery Queen's Mystery MagazineEllery Queen's Mystery Magazine is an American monthly digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime fiction, particularly detective fiction...
Award winner, Best Story, A Star for a Warrior (1946) - Mystery Writers of AmericaMystery Writers of AmericaMystery 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....
Edgar AwardEdgar AwardThe Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
, Best Fact Crime Story, Dead and Gone (1956) - World Fantasy AwardWorld Fantasy AwardThe World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
winner, Best Collection/Anthology, Worse Things Waiting (1975) - World Fantasy AwardWorld Fantasy AwardThe World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
, Life Achievement (1980) - Locus AwardLocus AwardThe Locus Award is a literary award established in 1971 and presented to winners of Locus magazine's annual readers' poll. Currently, the Locus Awards are presented at an annual banquet...
, Best Fantasy Novel, After Dark (Place: 15) (1981) - British Fantasy AwardBritish Fantasy AwardThe British Fantasy Awards are administered annually by the British Fantasy Society and were first awarded in 1971. The membership of the BFS vote to determine recommendations, short-lists and winners of the awards...
winner, Special Award (1985) - Locus AwardLocus AwardThe Locus Award is a literary award established in 1971 and presented to winners of Locus magazine's annual readers' poll. Currently, the Locus Awards are presented at an annual banquet...
, Best Collection, John the Balladeer (Place: 5) (1989) - North Carolina Writers' Network Literary Hall of Fame inductee (1996)
Adaptations
The Silver John stories were the inspiration for "Who Fears the Devil", a 1994 recording by Joe BethancourtJoe Bethancourt
W.J. Bethancourt III is a traditional American musician , based in Phoenix, Arizona.-Biography:Bethancourt was born in El Paso, Texas. He began learning banjo at age 9, after he heard his maternal grandfather, C. H. Burnett, playing fiddle. His first banjo was given him by his grandfather, and...
that featured both traditional Appalachian folk songs that Silver John would have known, and Wellman's original lyrics that were in many of the Silver John stories, set to the traditional melodies that Wellman used as models.
Additionally, the progressive bluegrass band, The Dixie Bee-Liners
The Dixie Bee-Liners
The Dixie Bee-Liners are an American Bluegrass group, formed in New York City in 2002 by Buddy Woodward and Brandi Hart. The band members currently reside in Bristol, Virginia, and Asheville, North Carolina...
, recorded an original song inspired by the Silver John stories titled "Yellow-Haired Girl" on their 2008 album "RIPE."
Much of the following information is taken from Mark Cannon's bibliography of Wellman.
Larroes Catch Meddlers:
Adapted for television for Lights Out
Lights Out (radio show)
Lights Out is an extremely popular American old-time radio program, an early example of a network series devoted mostly to horror and the supernatural, predating Suspense and Inner Sanctum...
as “The Meddlers”,
aired 7 July 1951
Director: Unknown
Screenwriter: Douglas Wood Gibson, Richard E Davis
Starring: John Carradine
John Carradine
John Carradine was an American actor, best known for his roles in horror films and Westerns as well as Shakespearean theater. A member of Cecil B DeMille's stock company and later John Ford's company, he was one of the most prolific character actors in Hollywood history...
, E G Marshall, Dan Morgan
School for the Unspeakable:
Adapted for television for Lights Out as “The School for the Unspeakable”, aired 7 January 1952
Director: Unknown
Screenwriter: Richard E Davis
Starring: Donald Buka, Don Hanmer, Leon Tokatyan, Dick Kallman, Maurice Kenney, Jason Jonson, John Gerstad, Harold Webster
The Valley Was Still:
Adapted for television for The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
as “Still Valley," aired 24 November 1961
Director: James Sheldon
Screenwriter: Rod Serling
Rod Serling
Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling was an American screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen and helped form...
Starring: Gary Merrill
Gary Merrill
Gary Fred Merrill was an American film and television character actor whose credits included more than fifty feature films, a half-dozen mostly short-lived TV series, and dozens of television guest appearances....
(Paradine), Vaughn Taylor (Old Man), Ben Cooper (Dauger), Addison Myers (Sentry); Mark Tapscott (Lieutenant), Jack Mann (Mallory)
The Devil is Not Mocked:
Adapted for television for Night Gallery
Night Gallery
Night Gallery is an American anthology series that aired on NBC from 1970 to 1973, featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, The Twilight Zone, served both as the on-air host of Night Gallery and as a major contributor of scripts, although...
, aired 27 October 1971
Director: Gene Kearney
Screenwriter: Gene Kearney
Starring: Helmut Dantine
Helmut Dantine
Helmut Dantine was a film actor remembered for playing many Nazis in thriller films of the 1940s. The Vienna-born actor appeared uncredited in Casablanca early in his career .Dantine's father was the head of the Austrian railway system...
(General), Francis Lederer (Master), Hank Brandt (Kranz)
Rouse Him Not:
Adapted for TV for Monsters
Monsters (TV series)
Monsters is a syndicated horror anthology series which originally ran from 1988 to 1991 and reran on the Sci-Fi Channel during the 1990s. As of 2011, Monsters airs on NBC Universal's horror/suspense-themed cable channel Chiller in sporadic weekday marathons.In a similar vein to Tales from the...
, aired December 1988
Director: Mark Shostrom
Writer: Michael Parry
Starring: Laraine Newman
Laraine Newman
Laraine Newman is an American comedienne, actress, and writer, and was part of the original Saturday Night Live cast.-Personal life:...
, Terrance Evans and Alex Cord
Alex Cord
Alex Cord is an American actor who is perhaps best known for portraying the role of Archangel on the television series Airwolf.-Biography:...
as John Thunstone
John Thunstone
John Thunstone is a fictional character and the hero of a series of stories by author Manly Wade Wellman. Thunstone is a scholar and playboy who investigates mysterious supernatural events. He has the typical attributes of a heroic character being physically large and strong, intelligent,...
.
Who Fears The Devil?
1972 feature film, edited and re-released in 1973 as The Legend of Hillbilly John
Producer: Barney Rosenzweig
Director: John Newland
Screenwriter: Melvin Levy
Starring: Hedge Capers (John), Susan Strasberg
Susan Strasberg
Susan Elizabeth Strasberg was an American film and stage actress.-Background and career:Strasberg was born in New York City, New York, the daughter of theatre director and drama coach Lee Strasberg of the Actors Studio and former actress Paula Strasberg...
(Poly Wiltse), Denver Pyle
Denver Pyle
Denver Dell Pyle was an American film and television actor. He is best remembered for playing Uncle Jesse in The Dukes of Hazzard .-Early life:...
(Grandpappy John), Severn Darden (Mr Marduke), Percy Rodriguez (Capt Lojoie H Desplain IV), R G Armstrong (Bristowe); Sharon Henesy (Lily); Sidney Clute (Charles); William Traynor (Rev. Millen); Harris Yulin
Harris Yulin
Harris Yulin is an American actor who has appeared in dozens of Hollywood and television films.-Life and career:Yulin was born in...
(Zebulon Yandro); Alfred Ryder (O J Onselm); Chester Jones (Uncle Anansi); Val Avery (Cobart); “White Lightnin’” (themselves); “Honor Hound” (himself).
Film based on the character of Silver John. Two segments of the film were based on the stories O Ugly Bird and The Desrick on Yandro.
School for the Unspeakable
(on audiotape with Unfortunate Obsession by Matthew Costello)
Brilliance Corp 1997
Up Under the Roof
2010 short film (35mm, 20 minutes)
Producer: Danielle Stallings & Darin Read
Director: Darin Read
Screenwriter: Danielle Stallings & Darin Read
Starring: Jonathan Milliken, Shawnna Youngquist, Geoff Elliot, Jill Hill, Vince Froio, Alice Taylor and voice of Greg Finley
based on Wellman's short story entitled "Up Under the Roof"
External links
- Voice of the Mountains - fan site
- North Carolina Writers' Network Literary Hall of Fame
- Oregon Literary Review Feature Article on Wellman with interviews
- Audio recording of Mr. Wellman participating in author panel discussion during the First World Fantasy Convention in 1975 at archive.org