Whitney Ellsworth

Infobox Comics creator

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imagesize = 150
caption =
birthname = Fredric Whitney Ellsworth [http://www.bailsprojects.com/(S(u2xc3445yg00pzajkwapm355))/bio.aspx?Name=Ellsworth%2c+Whitney Who's Who in American Comics: Whitney Ellsworth] . Accessed May 10, 2008]
birthdate = November 27 1908
location = Brooklyn, New York, USA
deathdate = death date and age|1980|9|7|1908|11|27|mf=y
deathplace = North Hollywood, California, USA
nationality = American
area = Comic book editor, television producer
alias = Frederic Wells,
Fred Whitby,
Whit Ellsworth,
Richard Fielding (w/ Robert Maxwell)
notable works = Batman
("The Adventures of Superman" (TV series))
awards =

Fredric Whitney Ellsworth (November 27 1908 – September 7 1980) was an American comic book editor, and sometime writer and artist for DC Comics during the period known to historians and fans as the Golden Age of Comic Books. He was also DC's "movie studio contact," becoming both a producer and story editor on the TV series "The Adventures of Superman".Biography by Joe Desris, in "Batman Archives", Volume 3 (DC Comics, 1994), p. 222 ISBN 1-56389-099-2]

Biography

Whitney "Whit" Ellsworth was born in Brooklyn, New York. [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0255323/bio Whitney Ellsworth biography at IMDb] . Accessed May 10, 2008] He took a cartooning course at the YMCA in Brooklyn and worked on the syndicated features "Dumb Dora" (for Newspaper Feature Service), "Embarrassing Moments" (providing plots, pencils and inks for both) and "Just Kids" (assisting with pencils and inks, for the King Features Syndicate) between 1927 and 1929. In the early 1930s, he began working on another syndicated feature, "Tillie the Toiler" for King, as well as writing gag cartoons, articles and features for the "Newark Star-Eagle/Ledger" newspaper (1931-1934), also finding time to work on a number of pulp magazine stories throughout the 1930s.

National Allied Publications (DC)

In late 1934, he became associated with Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's fledgling company National Allied Publications, later known as DC Comics. Initially an assistant editor, before becoming associate editor (1936-38), Ellsworth worked on such titles as "Billy the Kid", "Little Linda" and "More Fun Comics", as well as producing cover roughs for several years. Ellsworth left the company in c. 1937-38 for a brief hiatus in California before returning to DC a couple of years later. He subsequently served as editorial director until c. 1951-1953, in particular on such titles as the flagship titles "Action Comics", "Adventure Comics", "Batman", "Detective Comics" and "Superman" between 1939 and 1951, and later on such diverse titles as "The Adventures of Alan Ladd", "All-Star Comics", "Green Lantern", "Mr. District Attorney", "Real Fact Comics", "Real Screen Comics", "Scribbly", "Superboy" and "Wonder Woman" (among others) between 1948 and 1951.

Pulps

Ellsworth also wrote short stories for the pulp titles "Black Bat", "G-Man" (including the "Dan Fowler" novel "Spotlight on Murder" in September 1942 [ [http://www.adventurehouse.com/pulpdata/ultimate_d.htm Pulp Superhero #D] . Accessed May 10, 2008] ) and "Phantom Detective" (for which title he certainly ghosted two pulps - #76 "Murder at the World's Fair" and #77 "The Forty Thieves" in June and July 1939), among others. [ [http://www.mindspring.com/~phantom21/PD-Index.html The "Phantom Detective" index] . Accessed May 10, 2008]

Comics, including "Batman"

Acting as DC's major creative guide and editor during the company's early years, Ellsworth oversaw editorially both scripts "and" art for several diverse comics (including the above as well as "World's Best Comics" and "World's Finest Comics" et al), developed a number of projects (including creating Congo Bill in 1941) and wrote several more, including "Hollywood Screen Shots" (1936) (which, like some others, he also pencilled an inked), "Slam Bradley", "Genius Jones", "Laughing at Life", "Speed Saunders" and "Starman", among many other characters and comics.

He also sketched "rough cover layouts for DC's top titles," including notably some for "Batman" and "Detective Comics" until about 1946."

Newspaper strip

Ellsworth was also the first writer on the "Batman & Robin" newspaper strip, which appeared first on Sundays and later on weekdays. Featuring artwork primarily from Sheldon Moldoff and Joe Giella, Ellsworth wrote the strip between 1966 and 1970, whereupon E. Nelson Bridwell took over for a couple of years.

TV and film

"The Adventures of Superman"

In addition to his extensive comics work, Ellsworth "was DC's movie studio contact" on a number of projects, keeping his "editorial director" title, but working mainly on "DC properties in Hollywood" between c. 1951-1959. Most notably, Ellsworth was a consultant on the theatrical feature "Atom Man Vs. Superman" (1950) (with Kirk Alyn), and co-wrote the sequel "Superman and the Mole Men" (1951) before becoming a producer, episode writer, and script editor on the subsequent live-action TV series "The Adventures of Superman" (both starring George Reeves as the Man of Steel). In 1958, he created a pilot titled "Superpup", which attempted to capitalise on that series' success by recasting the Superman mythos in a fictional universe populated by dogs instead of people.

Three years later, Ellsworth helped produce another ultimately-aborted pilot for another spin-off series called "The Adventures of Superboy".

Other

According to noted comics historian Jerry Bails, Ellsworth was also a consultant on the two "Batman" serials in 1943 and 1949; the Superman serial starring Kirk Alyn that was a precursor to the later live-action Superman features, and the "Congo Bill" serial (1949). He is listed as having been - for "one week only" - a consultant on the 1966 "Batman" TV series (with Adam West), and a writer for the Superman radio show during the war years.

In addition, he wrote the Off-Broadway production "Maiden Voyage" (1935), for the TV series "The Millionaire" [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047758/ ¹] (1955) between c. 1954-56 and produced another pilot in 1961, this time for a "comedy-detective series starring Sheree North" to be called "Here's O'Hare" (ABC did not pursue the show). [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0255323 Whitney Ellsworth at the IMDb] . Accessed May 10, 2008]

Ellsworth is also said by Bails to have helped co-write "The Godfather".

Later life

Ellsworth left DC (shortly after leaving the Batman newspaper strip) in 1970/1971. He died on September 7 1980 in North Hollywood, California.

References in popular culture

*The actor Jim Beaver, who also acts as a biographer of George Reeves, played a character called "Ellsworth" in the TV series "Deadwood" (2004). Producer David Milch subsequently okayed the character being given the first name "Whitney" in homage to Reeves' "Adventures of Superman" producer.

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0255323