Thonnis Calhoun Explained

Thonnis Watson Calhoun (1917 – 1965) was an American writer of plays, radio programs, and television shows.^{[1] [2]}

Biography

Calhoun attended Central High School in Houston, Texas.^[3] He was in the Navy.^[4]

Calhoun earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Texas.^{[5] [6]} He performed in a play for the college's Experimental Theater in 1947.^[7] While he was a sophomore in 1948, his political satire Josephine was produced.^{[8] [9]}

He was involved in theatre in Houston.^{[10] [11]} He submitted a script to Elliott Lewis of the radio show On Stage; Lewis called Calhoun in the middle of the night to express his interest. The script was produced as the episode "Canary Yellow".^[12] He wrote other scripts for radio and television in the 1950s.^{[13] [14]}

Thonnis Calhoun died of a brain tumor at Sawtelle Veterans' Hospital in Los Angeles in 1965. Calhoun's mother, and his sister, Evelyn, survived him.^{[15] [16]}

Selected works

Plays

• And the Clown Laughed. 1945.^[17]
• Josephine. 1948.
• Aeneas '63: A Play in Three Acts. 1948.^[18]
• Take My Hand: A Play in Three Acts. 1948.
• Story of a Boy: A Play in Three Acts. 1950.^[19]

Radio

• "Canary Yellow". On Stage with Cathy and Elliott Lewis, 1954.
• "Ditty and Mr. Jasper". On Stage with Cathy and Elliott Lewis, 1954.^[20]
• "Fork of the Road". On Stage with Cathy and Elliott Lewis, 1954.^{[21] [22]}
• "Driftwood". On Stage with Cathy and Elliott Lewis, 1954.^[23]
• "The Courage of Carver". Hallmark Hall of Fame, 1955.

Television work

• The Lineup. Actor: "The Submachine Gun Case", 1955.
• Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. Writer: "Devils Mountain", 1956.
• Circus Boy. Story: "Elmer the Great", 1956.
• This Man Dawson. Teleplay: "The Silent Men", 1959.

References

1. Web site: 1965-12-06 . Houston . 2023-04-18 . Box Office . SW-3 . en.
2. Book: Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series . 1955 . Library of Congress Copyright Office . en.
3. Web site: 1934 . Central High School - Cosmos Yearbook (Houston, TX), Class of 1934 . 2023-04-18 . e-yearbook.com . 60 . en-US.
4. News: 1954-07-11 . Cinderella setting shapes for Houston man who sells scripts to CBS series . 48 . Lubbock Avalanche-Journal . 2023-04-18.
5. News: 1954-07-13 . News 'n' notes down TV's star lanes . 3 . The Napa Valley Register . 2023-04-18.
6. Book: The Alcalde: The University of Texas Alumni Magazine . May 1966 . Emmis Communications . en.
7. News: 1947-11-17 . Tonight at 8 p.m. . 8 . Austin American-Statesman . 2023-04-26.
8. News: 1948-04-01 . UT to stage political satire . 27 . Austin American-Statesman . 2023-04-26.
9. News: 1948-04-02 . Political satire opens 3-day run . 13 . The Austin American . 2023-04-26.
10. Book: Durham, Weldon B. . American Theatre Companies, 1931-1986 . 1989 . Greenwood Press . 978-0-313-25360-7 . en.
11. Book: Dauphin, Sue . Houston by Stages: A History of Theatre in Houston . 1981 . Eakin Press . 978-0-89015-303-1 . en.
12. News: 1953-08-06 . The Open Mike . 14 . The Kokomo Tribune . 2023-04-26.
13. Web site: Thonnis W. Calhoun . 2023-04-26 . Writers Guild of America West.
14. News: 1955-01-15 . Something to listen to . 4 . Jackson Advocate . 2023-04-18.
15. Web site: Evelyn Kent Obituary (2004) . 2023-04-18 . Legacy . Houston Chronicle.
16. "Obituaries". Variety. Dec 1, 1965. 241, 2. Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive. pg. 71. Via Proquest.
17. Book: Catalog of Copyright Entries. Part 1. [C] Group 3. Dramatic Composition and Motion Pictures. New Series ]. 1945 . Library of Congress Copyright Office . en.
18. Book: Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series . 1948 . Library of Congress Copyright Office . en.
19. Book: Catalog of Copyright Entries. Third Series . 1950 . Library of Congress Copyright Office . en.
20. News: 1953-10-14 . Wednesday Radio-TV . 16 . Courier-Post . 2023-04-26.
21. Book: Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series . 1955 . Library of Congress Copyright Office . en.
22. News: 1954-06-13 . Today's radio highlights . 20 . The Roanoke Times . 2023-04-26.
23. News: 1954-08-08 . Today's radio highlights . 18 . The Roanoke Times . 2023-04-26.