Herman Raucher
Encyclopedia
Herman Raucher is an American author who has written several screenplays, among them the popular Summer of '42
and The Great Santini
and several novels and plays. He was married to Broadway
dancer Mary Kathryn Raucher from 1960 until her death in 2002; they had two daughters.
Many of his works have autobiographical
undertones or are straightforward memoirs. His 1980 book, There Should Have Been Castles, was a re-telling of the early years of his relationship with his wife. The book also chronicles his early years in the film industry and his wife's time on Broadway. Though he took certain dramatic license for the sake of the story (for example, minor elements relating to his wife were actually taken from a girl he dated in college; the names of certain real-life people were changed for their protection and Raucher's; Raucher changed his and his wife's names to Ben and Ginny in the final draft of the book), he maintains that the book is still over ninety percent accurate. Despite being a bestseller
, the book went out of print in the mid-1980s along with all of Raucher's other works, following an unexplained falling out between Raucher and his publishers. The book fared much better in Poland
where it has come to be considered a classic of contemporary literature
and remains in print under the title Prawie Jak w Bajce. In the 1980s, Raucher sold the film rights
to the book for $250,000. The movie was never made, but because the studio retained the rights Raucher was allowed to keep the money.
Summer of '42
began as Raucher's tribute to his real-life friend Oscar Seltzer, who was killed in action in the Korean War
while tending a wounded soldier as an Army medic. But it evolved into the retelling of his real-life summer on Nantucket Island, in 1942, and on his friendship with and crush on a woman named Dorothy, who befriended him with her husband until the man went to fight and die in World War II
and---in her grief upon learning of her widowhood---slept with Raucher only to leave the island the following day. Raucher has long since revealed that the woman wrote him when the film became a surprise hit, saying she had hoped their unexpected affair hadn't traumatised him.
Raucher was subsequently commissioned to write the novelization and screenplay for Ode to Billie Joe
based on the song by Bobbie Gentry
. He met with Gentry to learn the reason for the protagonist's suicide, which is not revealed in the song. Gentry replied that she had never come up with a reason.
Summer of '42
Summer of '42 is a 1971 American coming-of-age drama film based on the memoirs of screenwriter Herman Raucher. It tells the story of how Raucher, in his early teens on his 1942 summer vacation on Nantucket Island, off the coast of New England, embarked on a one-sided romance with a woman, Dorothy,...
and The Great Santini
The Great Santini
The Great Santini is a 1979 film which tells the story of a Marine officer whose success as a military aviator contrasts with his shortcomings as a husband and father. The film explores the high price of heroism and self-sacrifice...
and several novels and plays. He was married to 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...
dancer Mary Kathryn Raucher from 1960 until her death in 2002; they had two daughters.
Many of his works have autobiographical
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
undertones or are straightforward memoirs. His 1980 book, There Should Have Been Castles, was a re-telling of the early years of his relationship with his wife. The book also chronicles his early years in the film industry and his wife's time on Broadway. Though he took certain dramatic license for the sake of the story (for example, minor elements relating to his wife were actually taken from a girl he dated in college; the names of certain real-life people were changed for their protection and Raucher's; Raucher changed his and his wife's names to Ben and Ginny in the final draft of the book), he maintains that the book is still over ninety percent accurate. Despite being a bestseller
Bestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
, the book went out of print in the mid-1980s along with all of Raucher's other works, following an unexplained falling out between Raucher and his publishers. The book fared much better in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
where it has come to be considered a classic of contemporary literature
Contemporary literature
Contemporary literature is literature with its setting generally after World War II. Subgenres of contemporary literature include contemporary romance.-History:This table lists literary movements by decade. It should not be assumed to be comprehensive....
and remains in print under the title Prawie Jak w Bajce. In the 1980s, Raucher sold the film rights
Film rights
Film rights are the rights under copyright law to make a derivative work—in this case, a film—derived from an item of intellectual property. Under U.S...
to the book for $250,000. The movie was never made, but because the studio retained the rights Raucher was allowed to keep the money.
Summer of '42
Summer of '42
Summer of '42 is a 1971 American coming-of-age drama film based on the memoirs of screenwriter Herman Raucher. It tells the story of how Raucher, in his early teens on his 1942 summer vacation on Nantucket Island, off the coast of New England, embarked on a one-sided romance with a woman, Dorothy,...
began as Raucher's tribute to his real-life friend Oscar Seltzer, who was killed in action in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
while tending a wounded soldier as an Army medic. But it evolved into the retelling of his real-life summer on Nantucket Island, in 1942, and on his friendship with and crush on a woman named Dorothy, who befriended him with her husband until the man went to fight and die 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...
and---in her grief upon learning of her widowhood---slept with Raucher only to leave the island the following day. Raucher has long since revealed that the woman wrote him when the film became a surprise hit, saying she had hoped their unexpected affair hadn't traumatised him.
Raucher was subsequently commissioned to write the novelization and screenplay for Ode to Billie Joe
Ode to Billie Joe
"Ode to Billie Joe" is a 1967 song written and recorded by Bobbie Gentry , a singer-songwriter from Chickasaw County, Mississippi. The single, released in late July, was a number-one hit in the United States, and became a big international seller. The song is ranked #412 on Rolling Stones list of...
based on the song by Bobbie Gentry
Bobbie Gentry
Roberta Lee Streeter , professionally known as Bobbie Gentry, is a former American singer-songwriter notable as one of the first female country artists to compose and produce her own material...
. He met with Gentry to learn the reason for the protagonist's suicide, which is not revealed in the song. Gentry replied that she had never come up with a reason.
Autobiographical works
- Summer of '42Summer of '42Summer of '42 is a 1971 American coming-of-age drama film based on the memoirs of screenwriter Herman Raucher. It tells the story of how Raucher, in his early teens on his 1942 summer vacation on Nantucket Island, off the coast of New England, embarked on a one-sided romance with a woman, Dorothy,...
(novel and screenplay) - Class of '44Class of '44Class Of '44 is the 1973 sequel to Summer of '42.The film is a slice-of-life style autobiography of sorts, depicting Herman Raucher's first year in college, where he falls in love with Julie under the shadow of the growing threat of WW II...
(screenplay) - There Should Have Been CastlesThere Should Have Been CastlesThere Should have been Castles is a 1980 romantic comedy novel by Herman Raucher. It is a roman a clef, with Raucher acknowledging that the male and female main characters are based on him and his wife, to whom he had been married for twenty years at the time of the book's publication.-Plot:It is...
(novel)- Published in Italy as La Vestaglia Della Zingara (The Gypsy Robe)
- Published in Poland as Prawie Jak w Bajce (Almost a Fairy Tale)
Non Autobiographical Works
- Studio OneStudio One (TV series)Studio One is a long-running American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by the 26-year-old Canadian director Fletcher Markle, who came to CBS from the CBC.-Radio:...
(television series) - Goodyear Television PlayhouseGoodyear Television PlayhouseThe Goodyear Television Playhouse produced live television dramas from 1951 to 1957 during the "Golden Age of Television".Sponsored by Goodyear, the hour-long anthology series was telecast Sundays at 9pm on NBC...
(television series) - The Alcoa HourThe Alcoa HourThe Alcoa Hour is a live anthology television series sponsored by Alcoa and telecast in the United States from 1955 to 1957. The series was seen Sundays on NBC at 9pm.-Overview:...
(television series, episodes "Finkle's Comet" and "The Magic Horn") - Sweet November (1968 film)Sweet November (1968 film)Sweet November is a 1968 romantic drama film written by Herman Raucher and starring Sandy Dennis, Anthony Newley and Theodore Bikel. The film had originally been written as a stage play by Raucher, but before it was even performed, Universal Pictures got wind of the project and paid Raucher...
(screenplay) - Follow that DreamFollow that DreamFollow That Dream is a 1962 musical film starring Elvis Presley made by Mirisch Productions. The movie was based on the 1959 novel Pioneer, Go Home! by Richard P. Powell. Producer Walter Mirisch liked the song Follow that Dream and retitled the picture...
(play adaptation, "Pioneer, Go Home!Pioneer, Go Home!Pioneer, Go Home! is a satirical novel by Richard P. Powell, first published in 1959. The novel follows a New Jersey family, The Kwimpers, who relocate to Columbiana, a fictional state that resembles Florida, and squat on the side of a highway where a new bridge is being built, outraging local...
"; uncredited) - Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? (screenplay)
- Watermelon ManWatermelon Man (film)Watermelon Man is a 1970 American comedy-drama film directed by Melvin Van Peebles and based on the book The Night the Sun Came Out on Happy Hollow Lane by Herman Raucher...
(novel and screenplay; novel originally published as The Night the Sun Came Out on Happy Hollow Lane) - Harold (play)
- A Glimpse of TigerA Glimpse of TigerA Glimpse of Tiger is a 1971 novel by Herman Raucher. It was his first original novel; his previous novel, Summer of '42, was based on his own screenplay of the same name, and written at the request of Warner Brothers as a means of promoting the film...
(novel)- Published in Spanish as Requiem por una secretaria (Requiem by a Secretary)
- Remember When (screenplay)
- Ode to Billie JoeOde to Billie Joe"Ode to Billie Joe" is a 1967 song written and recorded by Bobbie Gentry , a singer-songwriter from Chickasaw County, Mississippi. The single, released in late July, was a number-one hit in the United States, and became a big international seller. The song is ranked #412 on Rolling Stones list of...
(novel and screenplay) - The Other Side of MidnightThe Other Side of Midnight (film)The Other Side of Midnight is a 1977 American film directed by Charles Jarrott and starring Marie-France Pisier, John Beck and Susan Sarandon...
(screenplay) - The Great SantiniThe Great SantiniThe Great Santini is a 1979 film which tells the story of a Marine officer whose success as a military aviator contrasts with his shortcomings as a husband and father. The film explores the high price of heroism and self-sacrifice...
(screenplay based on the novel by Pat Conroy, with Lewis John Carlino; uncredited) - Maynard's HouseMaynard's HouseMaynard's House is a horror novel by Herman Raucher. The book is the story of a young Vietnam War veteran, Austin, suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder who learns that his best friend, the eponymous Maynard, has been killed in combat; in his will, Maynard leaves the narrator his house, a...
(novel) - Sublime Amor Juvenile (novel)
- Ginger (play)
- Kitty Hawk: The Musical (play)