Henry Slesar
From Alfred Hitchcock Wiki
- born: 12/Jun/1927 (Brooklyn, New York, USA)
- died: 02/Apr/2002 (New York City, New York, USA)
Biography
Henry Slesar was an American author, playwright and copywriter. He was also known as O. H. Leslie, Jay Street.
He was born as Henry Schlosser in Brooklyn, New York City. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Russia and Germany.
After graduating from high school, he started his career as a copywriter. Around 1955, he started to write short stories. While working as a copywriter, he published hundreds of short stories, including detective stories, science fiction, criminal stories, mysteries and thrillers on Playboy, Imaginative Tales and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. Alfred Hitchcock highly appreciated Slesar's talent and hired him to a number of the scenarios for "Alfred Hitchcock Presents".
From 1957 to 1962, he wrote the Ruby Martinson series. "The Gray Flannel Shroud" (1958), his first long novel, was awarded Edgar Allan Poe Award in 1960.
In 1974, he was awarded Emmy as the head writer of a TV series "The Edge of Night" (1956-1984). His headwriting term was considered lengthy in terms of headwriting. During that time, he was also a headwriter for the Procter and Gamble soap operas "Somerset" and "Search for Tomorrow". During the 1974-75 television, he was the creator and headwriter for "Executive Suite", a CBS primetime serial.
In 1984, Procter and Gamble wanted to replace him as the headwriter of "The Edge of Night" but the ABC network wanted to keep him. After his replacement as headwriter by Lee Sheldon, the network named him (with Sam Hall) as the new co-headwriter of its soap opera "One Life to Live". He left that show after one year, and was later the headwriter of the CBS afternoon serial "Capitol".
In 1977, he was awarded Edgar Award again.
In 2002, he died of the complication from an operation.
Filmography
With Hitchcock...
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Heart of Gold (27/Oct/1957) - writer (story)
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Night of the Execution (29/Dec/1957) - writer (story)
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents - On the Nose (16/Feb/1958) - writer (story)
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents - The Right Kind of House (09/Mar/1958) - writer (story)
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents - The Hatbox (10/Oct/1961) - writer
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Cop for a Day (31/Oct/1961) - writer
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Keep Me Company (07/Nov/1961) - writer
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents - The Right Kind of Medicine (19/Dec/1961) - writer
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour - I Saw the Whole Thing (11/Oct/1962) - writer
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour - Final Vow (25/Oct/1962) - writer
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour - House Guest (08/Nov/1962) - writer
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour - What Really Happened (11/Jan/1963) - writer (teleplay)
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour - Blood Bargain (25/Oct/1963) - writer (screenplay & short story)
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour - Starring the Defense (15/Nov/1963) - writer (screenplay & short story)
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour - Behind the Locked Door (27/Mar/1964) - writer (short story & teleplay)
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour - Who Needs an Enemy (15/May/1964) - writer (story)
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour - The Second Verdict (29/May/1964) - writer (story & teleplay)
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour - Isabel (05/Jun/1964) - writer