Philip Van Doren Stern
Encyclopedia
Philip Van Doren Stern was an author, editor, and Civil War
historian whose story "The Greatest Gift
," published in 1943, inspired the classic Christmas film It's a Wonderful Life
(1946).
into a family of humble means. His Pennsylvania-born father was a traveling merchant of Bavaria
n descent, who came to Wyalusing from West Virginia
with his New Jersey-born wife. Stern grew up in Brooklyn, New York and New Jersey
, and graduated from Rutgers University
before becoming an author of some 40 books and editor most known for his books on the Civil War that a New York Times obituary called "authoritative" and "widely respected by scholars".
After graduating from Rutgers in 1924, he worked in advertising before switching to a career as a designer and editor in publishing.
During World War II, he was a member of the planning board of the United States Office of War Information. He was the general manager of Editions for the Armed Services. He compiled and edited many collections and anthologies of short stories, pictorial books, annotations, and books on historical subjects.
Stern is most remembered today for a short story that he wrote in 1943. Inspired by a dream, Stern published a 4,000-word short story
called "The Greatest Gift" in 1943 after working on it since the late 1930s but, unable to find a publisher, he sent the 200 copies he had printed to friends as Christmas card
s in December 1943. One of the pamphlets came to the attention of RKO Pictures
producer David Hempstead, who showed it to actor Cary Grant
, who was interested in playing the lead role. RKO purchased the motion picture rights for $10,000 in April 1944. After several screenwriters worked on adaptations, RKO sold the rights to the story in 1945 to Frank Capra
's production company for the same $10,000, which he adapted into It's a Wonderful Life.
The story was first published as a book in December 1944, with illustrations by Rafaello Busoni. Stern also sold it to Reader's Scope magazine, which published the story in its December 1944 issue, and to the magazine Good Housekeeping
, which published it under the title "The Man Who Was Never Born" in its January 1945 issue (published in December 1944).
In 1946, director Frank Capra produced the movie It's a Wonderful Life, based on the Stern short story "The Greatest Gift". The movie starred James Stewart, Donna Reed, and Lionel Barrymore. The movie was nominated for five Academy Awards and would become a perennial Christmas classic.
Stern edited, compiled, and introduced The Viking Portable Poe in 1945, a compact collection of letters, short stories, poems, and essays by Edgar Allan Poe. Stern wrote the biographical introduction to the collection, selected the contents included, and wrote introductory essays on the varying genres. The collection became a standard single-volume anthology of Poe's works for almost fifty years.
Stern died on July 31, 1984 [This date is inconsistent with the DOD shown above, which is shown as January 29, 1984??]at the age of 83. The movie It's a Wonderful Life, based on his short story "The Greatest Gift", became a holiday classic that is one of the most popular and most viewed of all Christmas films.
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
historian whose story "The Greatest Gift
The Greatest Gift (story)
"The Greatest Gift" is a 1943 short story written by Philip Van Doren Stern which became the basis for the film It's a Wonderful Life.-Plot summary :...
," published in 1943, inspired the classic Christmas film It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern....
(1946).
Early life
Philip Van Doren Stern was born in Wyalusing, PennsylvaniaWyalusing, Pennsylvania
Wyalusing is a borough in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 564 at the 2000 census.- History :The history of Wyalusing dates back centuries and was originally known as M'chwihilusing. Before 1750 the settlement was known as Gahontoto and was home to the native...
into a family of humble means. His Pennsylvania-born father was a traveling merchant of Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n descent, who came to Wyalusing from West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
with his New Jersey-born wife. Stern grew up in Brooklyn, New York and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, and graduated from Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
before becoming an author of some 40 books and editor most known for his books on the Civil War that a New York Times obituary called "authoritative" and "widely respected by scholars".
Career
Philip Van Doren Stern was a historian and editor who compiled and annotated short story collections and the writings and letters of Abraham Lincoln, Edgar Allan Poe, and Henry David Thoreau.After graduating from Rutgers in 1924, he worked in advertising before switching to a career as a designer and editor in publishing.
During World War II, he was a member of the planning board of the United States Office of War Information. He was the general manager of Editions for the Armed Services. He compiled and edited many collections and anthologies of short stories, pictorial books, annotations, and books on historical subjects.
Stern is most remembered today for a short story that he wrote in 1943. Inspired by a dream, Stern published a 4,000-word short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
called "The Greatest Gift" in 1943 after working on it since the late 1930s but, unable to find a publisher, he sent the 200 copies he had printed to friends as Christmas card
Christmas card
A Christmas card is a greeting card sent as part of the traditional celebration of Christmas in order to convey between people a range of sentiments related to the Christmas and holiday season. Christmas cards are usually exchanged during the weeks preceding Christmas Day by many people in Western...
s in December 1943. One of the pamphlets came to the attention of RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...
producer David Hempstead, who showed it to actor Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
, who was interested in playing the lead role. RKO purchased the motion picture rights for $10,000 in April 1944. After several screenwriters worked on adaptations, RKO sold the rights to the story in 1945 to Frank Capra
Frank Capra
Frank Russell Capra was a Sicilian-born American film director. He emigrated to the U.S. when he was six, and eventually became a creative force behind major award-winning films during the 1930s and 1940s...
's production company for the same $10,000, which he adapted into It's a Wonderful Life.
The story was first published as a book in December 1944, with illustrations by Rafaello Busoni. Stern also sold it to Reader's Scope magazine, which published the story in its December 1944 issue, and to the magazine Good Housekeeping
Good Housekeeping
Good Housekeeping is a women's magazine owned by the Hearst Corporation, featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, health as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good Housekeeping Seal," popularly known as the...
, which published it under the title "The Man Who Was Never Born" in its January 1945 issue (published in December 1944).
In 1946, director Frank Capra produced the movie It's a Wonderful Life, based on the Stern short story "The Greatest Gift". The movie starred James Stewart, Donna Reed, and Lionel Barrymore. The movie was nominated for five Academy Awards and would become a perennial Christmas classic.
Stern edited, compiled, and introduced The Viking Portable Poe in 1945, a compact collection of letters, short stories, poems, and essays by Edgar Allan Poe. Stern wrote the biographical introduction to the collection, selected the contents included, and wrote introductory essays on the varying genres. The collection became a standard single-volume anthology of Poe's works for almost fifty years.
Stern died on July 31, 1984 [This date is inconsistent with the DOD shown above, which is shown as January 29, 1984??]at the age of 83. The movie It's a Wonderful Life, based on his short story "The Greatest Gift", became a holiday classic that is one of the most popular and most viewed of all Christmas films.
Major works
- An End to Valor: The Last Days of the Civil War, 1958
- The Case of The Thing in the Brook, a mystery under the pseudonym Peter Storme, 1941
- Prehistoric Europe: From Stone Age Man to the Early Greeks
- A Pictorial History of the American Automobile, 1903-1953
- Edgar Allan Poe, Visitor from the Night of Time, 1973
- When the Guns Roared, 1965
- They Were There, 1959
- Soldier Life in the Union and Confederate Armies, 1961
- Henry David Thoreau: Writer and Rebel, 1972
- The Life and Writings of Abraham Lincoln
- Secret Missions of the Civil War
- The Man Who Killed Lincoln: The Story of John Wilkes Booth, 1939, dramatized and staged in New York in 1940
- The Annotated Walden: Walden; or, Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau
- The Secret Service of the Confederate States in Europe: or, How the Confederate Cruisers Were Equipped, with James D. Bulloch
- The Annotated Uncle Tom's Cabin, 1964
- Robert E. Lee, The Man and the Soldier; A Pictorial Biography
- The Confederate Navy: A Pictorial History
- "The Greatest Gift", 1943 short story which was the basis for Frank Capra's classic film It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
- Tin Lizzie : The Story of the Fabulous Model T Ford
- The Portable Poe, 1945, edited, selected and with an introduction and notes by Stern
Further reading
- Contemporary Authors, New Revision Series. Volume 86. Detroit: Gale Group, 2000.
- Directory of American Scholars. Seventh edition, Volume 1: History. New York: R.R. Bowker, 1978.
- The New York Times Biographical Service. Volume 15. Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms International, 1984.
- Twentieth Century Authors. First Supplement. New York: H.W. Wilson Co., 1955.
- Who Was Who among English and European Authors, 1931-1949. Detroit: Gale Research, 1978.
External links
- Philip Van Doren Stern at the IMDb
- A photograph of Philip Van Doren Stern: http://www.all-story.com/pix.cgi?t=a&iid=22