Maurice Zimm
Encyclopedia
Maurice Zimm (born June 19, 1909, Waterloo, Iowa, died November 17, 2005, Los Angeles, California) was an American radio, television and film writer whose most famous creation was the Creature from the Black Lagoon
. The son of Jewish immigrants who settled in Iowa shortly after the turn of the century, Zimring moved to Los Angeles in the 1930s to write for such mystery and drama radio series as Hollywood Star Playhouse and Murder By Experts under the pen name Maurice Zimm.
Zimring’s career transitioned to film when Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios bought his radio script “A Question Of Time” to be adapted into the 1953 Barbara Stanwyck film Jeopardy (also released under the title A Woman in Jeopardy). Zimring’s next project was developing the storyline for Creature from the Black Lagoon
for producer William Alland
. Alland had been developing an idea about a half-man/half-fish creature after being told of such a legendary creature by Mexican cinematographer Gabriel Figureoa at a dinner party at Orson Welles
’ home. Zimring produced a 59-page story treatment which was developed into a screenplay by Harry Essex
and Arthur A. Rose.
In 1955, Zimring worked on an early draft of the adaptation of the Tom Lea western novel The Wonderful Country, though he would receive no credit when the film was eventually released in 1959. Later that year, Zimring received his first full screenplay credit for the Biblical epic The Prodigal starring Lana Turner
. He followed this up with penning the noir Affair In Havana (1957) which starred John Cassavetes
and Raymond Burr
. Zimring’s final film was the 1959 western Good Day For A Hanging featuring Fred MacMurray
.
Zimring also wrote for television, contributing an episode to the mystery anthology series The Web and serving as a staff writer for Perry Mason
.
In 1960, Zimring left the film business and relocated to Hilo, Hawaii, where he created a real estate development, joined the Big Island Press Club, and served as an administrator for Peace Corps training and for the University of Hawaii’s East West Center. He spent most of the rest of his life in Hawaii, continuing to write and stage plays such as The Trial of Lili’uokalani based substantially on transcripts of the 1895 military trial of the queen.
Zimring died in Los Angeles on November 17, 2005. He had suffered a head injury in 1994 and spent much of his remaining years shuttling between Hilo and California, ultimately living in a retirement facility in Westwood.
Zimring was the older brother of longtime William Morris Agency agent Mike Zimring
(agent for, among others, Karl Malden
, Katharine Hepburn
, and Herbert Lom
). His son is University of California criminologist Franklin E. Zimring; grandsons include comedian Dan Lewis and environmental historian Carl A. Zimring
.
On June 19, 2009, the Palace Theater in Hilo celebrated Zimring's one-hundredth birthday by showing Jeopardy, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and The Prodigal.
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Creature from the Black Lagoon is a 1954 monster horror film directed by Jack Arnold, and starring Richard Carlson, Julia Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno, and Whit Bissell. The eponymous creature was played by Ben Chapman on land and Ricou Browning in underwater scenes...
. The son of Jewish immigrants who settled in Iowa shortly after the turn of the century, Zimring moved to Los Angeles in the 1930s to write for such mystery and drama radio series as Hollywood Star Playhouse and Murder By Experts under the pen name Maurice Zimm.
Zimring’s career transitioned to film when Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios bought his radio script “A Question Of Time” to be adapted into the 1953 Barbara Stanwyck film Jeopardy (also released under the title A Woman in Jeopardy). Zimring’s next project was developing the storyline for Creature from the Black Lagoon
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Creature from the Black Lagoon is a 1954 monster horror film directed by Jack Arnold, and starring Richard Carlson, Julia Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno, and Whit Bissell. The eponymous creature was played by Ben Chapman on land and Ricou Browning in underwater scenes...
for producer William Alland
William Alland
William Alland was an American actor, producer, writer and director of science fiction and western films. He is perhaps best known for his role as reporter Jerry Thompson, who investigates the life of newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane in Orson Welle's Citizen Kane...
. Alland had been developing an idea about a half-man/half-fish creature after being told of such a legendary creature by Mexican cinematographer Gabriel Figureoa at a dinner party at Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
’ home. Zimring produced a 59-page story treatment which was developed into a screenplay by Harry Essex
Harry Essex
Harry Essex was a prolific American screenwriter. He was born on 29 November 1910 in New York City. He died on 5 February 1997 in Los Angeles. His career spanned more than fifty years...
and Arthur A. Rose.
In 1955, Zimring worked on an early draft of the adaptation of the Tom Lea western novel The Wonderful Country, though he would receive no credit when the film was eventually released in 1959. Later that year, Zimring received his first full screenplay credit for the Biblical epic The Prodigal starring Lana Turner
Lana Turner
Lana Turner was an American actress.Discovered and signed to a film contract by MGM at the age of sixteen, Turner first attracted attention in They Won't Forget . She played featured roles, often as the ingenue, in such films as Love Finds Andy Hardy...
. He followed this up with penning the noir Affair In Havana (1957) which starred John Cassavetes
John Cassavetes
John Nicholas Cassavetes was an American actor, screenwriter and filmmaker. He acted in many Hollywood films, notably Rosemary's Baby and The Dirty Dozen...
and Raymond Burr
Raymond Burr
Raymond William Stacey Burr was a Canadian actor, primarily known for his title roles in the television dramas Perry Mason and Ironside. His early acting career included roles on Broadway, radio, television and in film, usually as the villain...
. Zimring’s final film was the 1959 western Good Day For A Hanging featuring Fred MacMurray
Fred MacMurray
Frederick Martin "Fred" MacMurray was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and a successful television series during a career that spanned nearly a half-century, from 1930 to the 1970s....
.
Zimring also wrote for television, contributing an episode to the mystery anthology series The Web and serving as a staff writer for Perry Mason
Perry Mason
Perry Mason is a fictional character, a defense attorney who was the main character in works of detective fiction authored by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason was featured in more than 80 novels and short stories, most of which had a plot involving his client's murder trial...
.
In 1960, Zimring left the film business and relocated to Hilo, Hawaii, where he created a real estate development, joined the Big Island Press Club, and served as an administrator for Peace Corps training and for the University of Hawaii’s East West Center. He spent most of the rest of his life in Hawaii, continuing to write and stage plays such as The Trial of Lili’uokalani based substantially on transcripts of the 1895 military trial of the queen.
Zimring died in Los Angeles on November 17, 2005. He had suffered a head injury in 1994 and spent much of his remaining years shuttling between Hilo and California, ultimately living in a retirement facility in Westwood.
Zimring was the older brother of longtime William Morris Agency agent Mike Zimring
Mike Zimring
Mike Zimring was an American entertainment agent. Zimring attended the drama school, Pasadena Playhouse, 1936–37, and was a radio actor in Hollywood and Chicago, 1938-41. He was a captain in the United States Army, 1941-46 heading the theatrical branch of the European Theater of Operations...
(agent for, among others, Karl Malden
Karl Malden
Karl Malden was an American actor. In a career that spanned more than seven decades, he performed in such classic films as A Streetcar Named Desire, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, On the Waterfront and One-Eyed Jacks...
, Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. In a career that spanned 62 years as a leading lady, she was best known for playing strong-willed, sophisticated women in both dramas and comedies...
, and Herbert Lom
Herbert Lom
Herbert Lom is a Czech film actor, best known for his role as former Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus in the Pink Panther movie series.-Life and career:...
). His son is University of California criminologist Franklin E. Zimring; grandsons include comedian Dan Lewis and environmental historian Carl A. Zimring
Carl A. Zimring
Carl Abraham Zimring is an American environmental historian. He currently serves as an assistant professor at Roosevelt University, where he and Professors Michael A. Bryson and D. Bradford Hunt founded the Sustainability Studies program in 2010...
.
On June 19, 2009, the Palace Theater in Hilo celebrated Zimring's one-hundredth birthday by showing Jeopardy, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and The Prodigal.