Horace McCoy
Encyclopedia
Horace McCoy was an American writer whose hardboiled
novels took place during the Great Depression
. His best-known novel is They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
(1935), which was made into a movie of the same name in 1969, fourteen years after McCoy's death.
. During World War I
McCoy served in the United States Army Air Corps
. He flew several missions behind enemy lines as a bombardier
and reconnaissance
photographer. He was wounded and received the Croix de Guerre
for heroism from the government of France.
mystery magazines.
He performed as an actor with the Dallas Little Theater. He had a prominent role in Philip Barry
's The Youngest. He described the acting experience in a Dallas Morning News
piece. His acting was good enough for him to be cast in the leads in Molnár's
Liliom
(1928), and Sidney Howard
's They Knew What They Wanted
(1929). A 1928 column in the Morning News described McCoy as "a sort of enfant terrible of journalism and amateur theatricals in Dallas."
, McCoy followed him to Hollywood to become a film actor. He appeared in a short, "The Hollywood Handicap" (1932), then moved on to screenwriting.
McCoy also worked a number of odd job
s. For example, he washed cars, picked lettuce
in the Imperial Valley
, and served as a bouncer
at a Santa Monica
pier.
. His novel I Should Have Stayed Home dealt with the experiences of a young Southern actor attempting to find work in 1930s Hollywood. Another novel, No Pockets in a Shroud, featured the paradoxical cliché of a heroic, misunderstood reporter as the protagonist.
In 1948, McCoy published the noir
classic Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
. The story is narrated by the amoral protagonist, Ralph Cotter. It was made into a James Cagney
movie of the same name. Its influence—McCoy's influence—on the French filmmakers who love pulp fiction and film noir
can be seen, for example, in Jean-Luc Godard
's film Made in U.S.A, in which one character is reading this novel in its French translation, Adieu la vie, adieu l'amour.
In Hollywood, McCoy wrote westerns, crime melodramas, and other films for various studios. Although most of his movie work is unmemorable, McCoy worked with such movie directors as Henry Hathaway
, Raoul Walsh
, and Nicholas Ray
. He was also an uncredited script assistant for King Kong
(1933).
. He was survived by his wife, Helen Vinmont McCoy; two sons, Horace Stanley McCoy II and Peter McCoy; and a daughter, Amanda McCoy.
Hardboiled
Hardboiled crime fiction is a literary style, most commonly associated with detective stories, distinguished by the unsentimental portrayal of violence and sex. The style was pioneered by Carroll John Daly in the mid-1920s, popularized by Dashiell Hammett over the course of the decade, and refined...
novels took place during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. His best-known novel is They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (novel)
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? is a novel written by Horace McCoy and first published in 1935. The story mainly concerns a dance marathon during the Great Depression...
(1935), which was made into a movie of the same name in 1969, fourteen years after McCoy's death.
Early life
McCoy was born in Pegram, TennesseePegram, Tennessee
Pegram is a town in Cheatham County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,146 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Pegram is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
McCoy served in the United States Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
. He flew several missions behind enemy lines as a bombardier
Bombardier (air force)
A bombardier , in the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force, or a bomb aimer, in the Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth air forces, was the crewman of a bomber responsible for assisting the navigator in guiding the plane to a bombing target and releasing the aircraft's bomb...
and reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
photographer. He was wounded and received the Croix de Guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
for heroism from the government of France.
Post-war
From 1919 to 1930 he worked as a sports editor for the Dallas Journal in Texas. In 1924, he did the play-by-play of a baseball game for radio broadcast. In the late 1920s he began getting stories published in various pulpPulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
mystery magazines.
He performed as an actor with the Dallas Little Theater. He had a prominent role in Philip Barry
Philip Barry
Philip James Quinn Barry was an American playwright born in Rochester, New York.-Early life:Philip Barry was born on June 18, 1896 in Rochester, New York to James Corbett Barry and Mary Agnes Quinn Barry. James would die from appendicitis a year after Philip's birth, and his father's marble and...
's The Youngest. He described the acting experience in a Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News is the major daily newspaper serving the Dallas, Texas area, with a circulation of 264,459 subscribers, the Audit Bureau of Circulations reported in September 2010...
piece. His acting was good enough for him to be cast in the leads in Molnár's
Ferenc Molnár
LanguageFerenc Molnár was a Hungarian dramatist and novelist. His Americanized name was Franz Molnar...
Liliom
Liliom
Liliom is a 1909 play by the Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnár. It was very famous in its own right during the early to mid-20th century, but is best known today as the basis for the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel.- Plot :...
(1928), and Sidney Howard
Sidney Howard
Sidney Coe Howard was an American playwright and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1925 and a posthumous Academy Award in 1940 for the screenplay for Gone with the Wind.-Early life:...
's They Knew What They Wanted
They Knew What They Wanted (play)
They Knew What They Wanted is a 1924 play written by Sidney Howard that tells the story of Tony, an aging Italian winegrower in the California Napa Valley, who proposes by letter to Amy, a San Francisco waitress who waited on him once. Fearing that she will find him too old and ugly, Tony sends her...
(1929). A 1928 column in the Morning News described McCoy as "a sort of enfant terrible of journalism and amateur theatricals in Dallas."
California
When Oliver Hinsdell, director of the Dallas Little Theater from 1923-31, was engaged as an acting coach for MGMMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
, McCoy followed him to Hollywood to become a film actor. He appeared in a short, "The Hollywood Handicap" (1932), then moved on to screenwriting.
McCoy also worked a number of odd job
Odd job
Odd job may refer to:*"Odd job", work that is not regular or skilled *Odd Job Stores, Inc. , which was bought out by Amazing Savings Holding LLC in 2003, and which subsequently closed in 2005*Odd Jobs, a 1986 comedy film*The Odd Job, a 1978 comedy film*Oddjob, a James Bond villain*Oddjob...
s. For example, he washed cars, picked lettuce
Migrant worker
The term migrant worker has different official meanings and connotations in different parts of the world. The United Nations' definition is broad, including any people working outside of their home country...
in the Imperial Valley
Imperial Valley
The Imperial Valley is an agricultural area of Southern California's Imperial County. It is located in southeastern Southern California, centered around the city of El Centro. Locally, the terms "Imperial Valley" and "Imperial County" are used synonymously. The Valley is bordered between the...
, and served as a bouncer
Bouncer
Bouncer or The Bouncer may refer to:* Bouncer , a person who provides security at a public venue* Bouncer or BNC, a piece of software used to relay traffic and connections in computer networksIn sport:...
at a Santa Monica
Santa Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
pier.
Novels and film work
The bouncer job inspired They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, the story of a Depression-era dance marathonDance marathon
A dance marathon is an event in which people stay on their feet for a given length of time. It started as a popular fad in the 1920s and 1930s, when organized dance endurance contests attracted people to compete to achieve fame or win monetary prizes...
. His novel I Should Have Stayed Home dealt with the experiences of a young Southern actor attempting to find work in 1930s Hollywood. Another novel, No Pockets in a Shroud, featured the paradoxical cliché of a heroic, misunderstood reporter as the protagonist.
In 1948, McCoy published the noir
Hardboiled
Hardboiled crime fiction is a literary style, most commonly associated with detective stories, distinguished by the unsentimental portrayal of violence and sex. The style was pioneered by Carroll John Daly in the mid-1920s, popularized by Dashiell Hammett over the course of the decade, and refined...
classic Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye is a 1950 film noir starring James Cagney, directed by Gordon Douglas and based on the novel by Horace McCoy. The film was banned in Ohio as "a sordid, sadistic presentation of brutality and an extreme presentation of crime with explicit steps in commission."Supporting Cagney...
. The story is narrated by the amoral protagonist, Ralph Cotter. It was made into a James Cagney
James Cagney
James Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American actor, first on stage, then in film, where he had his greatest impact. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances, he is best remembered for playing "tough guys." In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth...
movie of the same name. Its influence—McCoy's influence—on the French filmmakers who love pulp fiction and film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
can be seen, for example, in Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard is a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter and film critic. He is often identified with the 1960s French film movement, French Nouvelle Vague, or "New Wave"....
's film Made in U.S.A, in which one character is reading this novel in its French translation, Adieu la vie, adieu l'amour.
In Hollywood, McCoy wrote westerns, crime melodramas, and other films for various studios. Although most of his movie work is unmemorable, McCoy worked with such movie directors as Henry Hathaway
Henry Hathaway
Henry Hathaway was an American film director and producer. He is best known as a director of Westerns, especially starring John Wayne.-Background:...
, Raoul Walsh
Raoul Walsh
Raoul Walsh was an American film director, actor, founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the brother of silent screen actor George Walsh...
, and Nicholas Ray
Nicholas Ray
Nicholas Ray was an American film director best known for the movie Rebel Without a Cause....
. He was also an uncredited script assistant for King Kong
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional character, a giant movie monster resembling a gorilla, that has appeared in several movies since 1933. These include the groundbreaking 1933 movie, the film remakes of 1976 and 2005, as well as various sequels of the first two films...
(1933).
Personal life
McCoy died in Beverly Hills, CA of a heart attackMyocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. He was survived by his wife, Helen Vinmont McCoy; two sons, Horace Stanley McCoy II and Peter McCoy; and a daughter, Amanda McCoy.