William Charles Anderson
Encyclopedia
William Charles Anderson (better known as William C. Anderson) (born in La Junta, Colorado
; May 7, 1920 – died May 16, 2003, in Fairfield, California
) was the author of several novels, historical and true life stories, and author or coauthor of several screenplays for film and television, including the adaptation of his own Bat*21, which was made into a film, starring Gene Hackman
and Danny Glover
, and Hurricane Hunters, was made into a TV-movie for ABC, starring Martin Milner
.
He served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II up through the Vietnam War
, retiring as a colonel. He began writing in the 1950s, with a series of columns for MATS Flyer, the magazine of the Air Force's Military Air Transport Service
(later MAC Flyer, after MATS became the Military Airlift Command
).
Several of his books were autobiographical accounts of the adventures of Anderson, his wife, Dortha, and their children, Ann, Scott and Holly.
His fiction books all featured a supporting character named Colonel Cornelius C. (for "Catastrophe") Callaghan. Callaghan, a career Air Force officer, is a wheeler-dealer who uses his detailed knowledge and skill to help the lead characters, often despite regulations or higher authority.
In addition to his books, Anderson wrote a monthly column for Motor Home, under the titles Back Roads and Off Ramp. The last column was published two months before his death.
La Junta, Colorado
The City of La Junta is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Otero County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 7,568 at the U.S. Census 2000. La Junta is located on the Arkansas River in southeastern Colorado east of Pueblo.-History:During...
; May 7, 1920 – died May 16, 2003, in Fairfield, California
Fairfield, California
Fairfield is a city located in Solano County in Northern California, USA. It is generally considered the midpoint between the cities of San Francisco and Sacramento, approximately from the city center of both cities, approximately from the city center of Oakland, less than from Napa Valley, 18...
) was the author of several novels, historical and true life stories, and author or coauthor of several screenplays for film and television, including the adaptation of his own Bat*21, which was made into a film, starring Gene Hackman
Gene Hackman
Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and novelist.Nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two, Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned five decades. He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde...
and Danny Glover
Danny Glover
Danny Lebern Glover is an American actor, film director, and political activist. Glover is perhaps best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film franchise.-Early life:...
, and Hurricane Hunters, was made into a TV-movie for ABC, starring Martin Milner
Martin Milner
Martin Sam Milner is an American actor best known for his performances in two popular television series, Adam-12 and Route 66....
.
He served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II up through the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, retiring as a colonel. He began writing in the 1950s, with a series of columns for MATS Flyer, the magazine of the Air Force's Military Air Transport Service
Military Air Transport Service
The Military Air Transport Service is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy Naval Air Transport Service and the United States Air Force Air Transport Command into a single, joint, unified command...
(later MAC Flyer, after MATS became the Military Airlift Command
Military Airlift Command
The Military Airlift Command is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command of the USAF which was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. It was constituted on 1 January 1966 and active until the end of the Cold War, when the Air Force table of organization was revised...
).
Several of his books were autobiographical accounts of the adventures of Anderson, his wife, Dortha, and their children, Ann, Scott and Holly.
His fiction books all featured a supporting character named Colonel Cornelius C. (for "Catastrophe") Callaghan. Callaghan, a career Air Force officer, is a wheeler-dealer who uses his detailed knowledge and skill to help the lead characters, often despite regulations or higher authority.
In addition to his books, Anderson wrote a monthly column for Motor Home, under the titles Back Roads and Off Ramp. The last column was published two months before his death.
Books
- Valley of the Gods, as Andy Anderson (1957)
- Five, Four, Three, Two, One—Pfft (1960)
- Penelope (1963)
- Adam M-1 (1964)
- Pandemonium on the Potomac (1966)
- The Gooney Bird (1968)
- The Two-ton Albatross, or Across a Transcontinental Highway in a Travel Trailer...(1969)
- The Apoplectic Palm Tree (1969)
- Roll up the Wallpaper, We're Moving (1970)
- Hurricane Hunters (1972)
- The Headstrong Houseboat (1972)
- The Great Bicycle Expedition: Freewheeling through Europe...(1973)
- Different Spokes for Different Folks (1973)
- Penelope, the Damp Detective (1974)
- When the Offspring Have Sprung (1978)
- Home Sweet Home Has Wheels, or, Please Don't Tailgate the Real Estate (1979)
- BAT-21 (1980)
- Bomber Crew 369 (1986)
- Taming Mighty Alaska: an RV Odyssey (1990)
- Lady Bluebeard (1994)
- How to Survive Hospital Care, or "Why They Keep Bedpans in the Freezer"(1996)