Stuart Palmer
Encyclopedia
Stuart Palmer was a popular mystery novel author and screenwriter
, best known for his character Hildegarde Withers
.
Palmer was born in Baraboo, Wisconsin
. He "was descended from some of the earliest English colonists, [and] had held a variety of jobs including seaman, apple picker, taxi-driver and newspaper reporter before turning to fiction." His first novel, "The Penguin Pool Mystery" was published in 1931 and filmed the following year by RKO Radio Pictures as "Penguin Pool Murder". Character actress Edna May Oliver
starred as Palmer's heroine, Hildegarde Withers, a spinster schoolteacher who was an amateur sleuth – something of an American version of Agatha Christie
's Miss Marple
although considerably more comic and caustic. "The model for the unusual sleuth had been his high school teacher, a Miss Fern Hakett, he later admitted." The casting of Oliver for the role was a happy coincidence, as Palmer had been influenced by her performance in the Broadway
production of "Showboat
" when creating the character. The film was a hit and Oliver starred in two more Withers films, but she left RKO in 1935. The series foundered, with Helen Broderick
and later ZaSu Pitts
in the role for another three films. "The success of his first novel also inspired Palmer to collect pictures and statues of penguins and he even devised a personal trademark featuring one of these birds."
Palmer wrote several Hildegarde Withers novels, including "Murder on the Blackboard" (1932), "Murder on Wheels" (1932), "The Puzzle of the Pepper Tree" (1934), "Four Lost Ladies" (1949), and "Cold Poison" (1954), set in the thinly disguised Walter Lantz
animation studio. The short story collection, "People vs. Withers and Malone" (1963), was a collaboration with Craig Rice
and featured Rice's hard-drinking lawyer detective J. J. Malone; and "Hildegarde Withers Makes the Scene" (1969) was completed by Fletcher Flora upon Palmer's death and published posthumously. Palmer also featured Withers in short stories that were published in newspapers and mystery magazines; some were collected in "The Riddles of Hildegarde Withers" (1947), "The Monkey Murder" (1950), and "Hildegarde Withers: Uncollected Riddles" (2002).
Several of Palmer's stories were made into motion pictures. In 1936, he penned his first screenplay and would go on to write several others, most of them B movies. He scripted the first three Bulldog Drummond
films for Paramount
, and later entries in Columbia's Lone Wolf
and RKO's The Falcon series.
"The Adventure of the Remarkable Worm" was a humorous Sherlock Holmes
pastiche
that was published in Ellery Queen
's The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes in 1944. In 1960, "The Adventure of the Marked Man" was published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. This short pastiche takes the detective Sherlock Holmes and his companion Dr. Watson to the seaside village of Penzance
, in Cornwall
, where they investigate the strange warnings given to Allen Pendarvis, and the subsequent attempt on his life. "The two pastiches, one serious and one comic, were written while Palmer was marooned at an army post in Oklahoma, where he was serving as an instructor.…."
Palmer also wrote a few detective novels with the lead character of Howie Rook and served for one year as President of the Mystery Writers of America
.
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, best known for his character Hildegarde Withers
Hildegarde Withers
Hildegarde Withers is a fictional character who appeared in several films and novels. She was created by Stuart Palmer.Miss Withers "whom the census enumerator had recently listed as 'spinster, born Boston, age thirty-nine, occupation school teacher'" becomes an amateur sleuthin the first book of...
.
Palmer was born in Baraboo, Wisconsin
Baraboo, Wisconsin
Baraboo is the largest city in, and the county seat of Sauk County, Wisconsin, USA. It is situated on the Baraboo River. Its 2010 population was 12,048 according to the US Census Bureau...
. He "was descended from some of the earliest English colonists, [and] had held a variety of jobs including seaman, apple picker, taxi-driver and newspaper reporter before turning to fiction." His first novel, "The Penguin Pool Mystery" was published in 1931 and filmed the following year by RKO Radio Pictures as "Penguin Pool Murder". Character actress Edna May Oliver
Edna May Oliver
Edna May Oliver was an American stage and film actress. During the 1930s, she was one of the best-known character actresses in American films, often playing tart-tongued spinsters.-Early life:...
starred as Palmer's heroine, Hildegarde Withers, a spinster schoolteacher who was an amateur sleuth – something of an American version of Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
's Miss Marple
Miss Marple
Jane Marple, usually referred to as Miss Marple, is a fictional character appearing in twelve of Agatha Christie's crime novels and in twenty short stories. Miss Marple is an elderly spinster who lives in the village of St. Mary Mead and acts as an amateur detective. She is one of the most famous...
although considerably more comic and caustic. "The model for the unusual sleuth had been his high school teacher, a Miss Fern Hakett, he later admitted." The casting of Oliver for the role was a happy coincidence, as Palmer had been influenced by her performance in the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production of "Showboat
Showboat
A showboat, or show boat, was a form of theater that traveled along the waterways of the United States, especially along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers . A showboat was basically a barge that resembled a long, flat-roofed house, and in order to move down the river, it was pushed by a small tugboat...
" when creating the character. The film was a hit and Oliver starred in two more Withers films, but she left RKO in 1935. The series foundered, with Helen Broderick
Helen Broderick
Helen Broderick was an American film and stage actress known for her comic roles, especially as a wisecracking sidekick.-Career:...
and later ZaSu Pitts
ZaSu Pitts
ZaSu Pitts was an American actress who starred in many silent dramas and comedies, transitioning to comedy sound films.-Early life:ZaSu Pitts was born in Parsons, Kansas to Rulandus and Nellie Pitts; she was the third of four children...
in the role for another three films. "The success of his first novel also inspired Palmer to collect pictures and statues of penguins and he even devised a personal trademark featuring one of these birds."
Palmer wrote several Hildegarde Withers novels, including "Murder on the Blackboard" (1932), "Murder on Wheels" (1932), "The Puzzle of the Pepper Tree" (1934), "Four Lost Ladies" (1949), and "Cold Poison" (1954), set in the thinly disguised Walter Lantz
Walter Lantz
Walter Benjamin Lantz was an American cartoonist, animator, film producer, and director, best known for founding Walter Lantz Productions and creating Woody Woodpecker.-Early years and start in animation:...
animation studio. The short story collection, "People vs. Withers and Malone" (1963), was a collaboration with Craig Rice
Craig Rice
Craig Rice may refer to:* Craig Rice , pseudonym of Georgiana Ann Randolph Walker Craig, American author of mystery novels and short stories* Craig L. Rice , American politician...
and featured Rice's hard-drinking lawyer detective J. J. Malone; and "Hildegarde Withers Makes the Scene" (1969) was completed by Fletcher Flora upon Palmer's death and published posthumously. Palmer also featured Withers in short stories that were published in newspapers and mystery magazines; some were collected in "The Riddles of Hildegarde Withers" (1947), "The Monkey Murder" (1950), and "Hildegarde Withers: Uncollected Riddles" (2002).
Several of Palmer's stories were made into motion pictures. In 1936, he penned his first screenplay and would go on to write several others, most of them B movies. He scripted the first three Bulldog Drummond
Bulldog Drummond
Bulldog Drummond is a British fictional character, created by "Sapper", a pseudonym of Herman Cyril McNeile , and the hero of a series of novels published from 1920 to 1954.- Drummond :...
films for Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, and later entries in Columbia's Lone Wolf
Lone Wolf (fictional detective)
The Lone Wolf is the nickname of the fictional character Michael Lanyard, a jewel thief turned private detective in a series of novels written by Louis Joseph Vance . A large number of movies based on and inspired by the books have been made...
and RKO's The Falcon series.
"The Adventure of the Remarkable Worm" was a humorous Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
pastiche
Pastiche
A pastiche is a literary or other artistic genre or technique that is a "hodge-podge" or imitation. The word is also a linguistic term used to describe an early stage in the development of a pidgin language.-Hodge-podge:...
that was published in Ellery Queen
Ellery Queen
Ellery Queen is both a fictional character and a pseudonym used by two American cousins from Brooklyn, New York: Daniel Nathan, alias Frederic Dannay and Manford Lepofsky, alias Manfred Bennington Lee , to write, edit, and anthologize detective fiction.The fictional Ellery Queen created by...
's The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes in 1944. In 1960, "The Adventure of the Marked Man" was published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. This short pastiche takes the detective Sherlock Holmes and his companion Dr. Watson to the seaside village of Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
, in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, where they investigate the strange warnings given to Allen Pendarvis, and the subsequent attempt on his life. "The two pastiches, one serious and one comic, were written while Palmer was marooned at an army post in Oklahoma, where he was serving as an instructor.…."
Palmer also wrote a few detective novels with the lead character of Howie Rook and served for one year as President of 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....
.