Evan Hunter
Evan Hunter (born Salvatore Albert Lombino; October 15, 1926 – July 6, 2005) was an American author and screenwriter renowned for pioneering the police procedural genre through his extensive 87th Precinct series written under the pseudonym Ed McBain.[1][2] Born to Italian immigrant parents in New York City, Hunter legally changed his name from Lombino in 1952 after early struggles in publishing, adopting multiple pen names including Ed McBain for crime fiction, while using his legal name for other works.[2][3] His breakthrough came with the semi-autobiographical novel The Blackboard Jungle (1954), depicting challenges in urban education based on his brief teaching career, which sold millions and was adapted into a successful film.[4] Hunter also penned the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock's thriller The Birds (1963), adapting Daphne du Maurier's story into a seminal work of suspense cinema.[4] Under Ed McBain, he authored over 50 novels in the 87th Precinct series, set in a fictionalized version of New York City and featuring ensemble detectives solving diverse crimes with procedural realism, influencing the genre profoundly and achieving consistent commercial success.[2][1] Hunter succumbed to laryngeal cancer at age 78 in Weston, Connecticut, leaving a legacy of prolific output across genres, including science fiction and young adult novels under various pseudonyms.[5][2]Biography
Early life and family background
Salvatore Albert Lombino, later known as Evan Hunter, was born on October 15, 1926, in the kitchen of his parents' apartment in East Harlem, Manhattan, New York City.[2][5] He was the only child of Italian immigrant parents Charles E. Lombino, a substitute letter carrier who earned approximately $8 per week during the Great Depression and also played drums in local bands such as the Louisiana Five, and Marie Coppola Lombino, a mail-room clerk at the Harcourt, Brace publishing house.[6][5] The Lombino family lived at 120th Street between First and Second Avenues in East Harlem until Salvatore was 12 years old, after which they relocated to the Bronx in 1938 amid ongoing economic challenges.[6] During periods of hardship in the Depression era, Lombino stayed with his maternal grandparents, where his grandfather, a tailor, crafted his clothing.[6] These early experiences in working-class Italian-American neighborhoods of New York City shaped his familiarity with urban diversity and street life, which later influenced his writing.[2]Education and early professional experiences
Lombino graduated from Evander Childs High School in the Bronx in 1943 before briefly attending Cooper Union Art School from 1943 to 1944.[7] After his Navy service ended in 1946, he enrolled at Hunter College, majoring in English and psychology with minors in dramatics and education; he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1950.[8][9] Leveraging his education minor to secure an emergency teaching license, Lombino took a short-term position as a substitute English teacher at Bronx Vocational High School in September 1950, lasting approximately 17 days.[6][10] This brief tenure exposed him to the challenges of urban vocational education, which later shaped elements of his debut novel The Blackboard Jungle.[6][11] In 1951, Lombino joined the Scott Meredith Literary Agency in New York as an executive editor, a role that immersed him in manuscript evaluation, author development, and the mechanics of short story markets.[6][8] He supplemented his income with miscellaneous jobs, including performing as a pianist in a jazz band, while continuing to submit fiction to magazines.[2] These experiences provided practical insights into publishing and storytelling craft before his full transition to professional authorship.[6]Military service
Salvatore Albert Lombino, who later adopted the name Evan Hunter, enlisted in the United States Navy in 1944, shortly before his 18th birthday on October 15.[12] He served from 1944 to 1946 during the final years of World War II, primarily aboard a destroyer in the Pacific theater.[13] [14] During his naval service, Lombino began writing short stories, composing several while stationed at sea, though none were published at the time.[5] In June 1946, he declined a reenlistment bonus, opting instead to pursue civilian life and education upon discharge.[6] His military experience provided early discipline and material that influenced his later literary career, but no specific combat engagements or commendations are documented in primary accounts.[15]Personal life and relationships
Evan Hunter married Anita Melnick, a classmate from Hunter College, in 1949; the couple had three sons—Mark, Richard, and Ted—before divorcing.[16][17][2] His second marriage was to Mary Vann Finley (also referred to as Mary Vann Hughes) in 1973, which produced one stepdaughter and ended prior to his third marriage.[17][18] Hunter wed Dragica Dimitrijevic in September 1997; she was his wife at the time of his death on July 6, 2005, in Weston, Connecticut.[3][18]Literary Career
Adoption of pseudonyms and name change
Born Salvatore Albert Lombino on October 15, 1926, the author faced perceived barriers in the publishing industry due to his Italian heritage, prompting him to adopt a more Anglo-Saxon-sounding name to appeal to mainstream editors and readers.[19][2] In 1952, following advice from an editor that crediting a novel to "Evan Hunter" would boost sales, Lombino legally changed his name to Evan Hunter, using it for both personal and professional purposes thereafter.[8] This transition marked his shift from ethnic-associated identity to a neutral pseudonym that facilitated entry into literary markets skeptical of non-WASP authors.[2] Prior to the legal change, Lombino had already employed multiple pseudonyms for early short stories and novels across genres like science fiction, Westerns, and mysteries, including Hunt Collins, Richard Marsten, Curt Cannon, and Ezra Hannon, to maximize publication opportunities in pulp magazines and avoid oversaturating markets under one name.[20] These aliases allowed him to sell works rapidly in the competitive freelance market of the late 1940s and early 1950s, where outlets like Argosy and Manhunt demanded prolific output.[21] The most enduring pseudonym, Ed McBain, emerged in 1956 with the publication of Cop Hater, the debut of the 87th Precinct series, as Hunter sought to compartmentalize his "serious" literary fiction—written under his legal name—from the procedural crime novels he viewed as commercial genre work.[8] This separation preserved Evan Hunter's reputation for standalone novels like The Blackboard Jungle (1954), while Ed McBain became synonymous with ensemble police stories drawing from his experiences sketching courtroom scenes in Brooklyn.[22] Hunter maintained the dual identity rigorously, rarely acknowledging the connection publicly until later in his career, enabling distinct branding and readerships for each.[8]Breakthrough works and initial success
Evan Hunter achieved his literary breakthrough with the 1954 publication of The Blackboard Jungle by Simon & Schuster, a novel inspired by his brief tenure teaching English at New York City vocational high schools.[9] The work depicted the challenges of classroom discipline amid juvenile delinquency and racial tensions, resonating with postwar American concerns over youth culture and urban education.[9] It garnered immediate critical acclaim and commercial triumph as a bestseller, marking Hunter's transition from pulp fiction and short stories to mainstream recognition.[9] [8] The novel's success propelled Hunter's career, leading to its adaptation into a 1955 film directed by Richard Brooks, featuring Glenn Ford as the protagonist teacher and Sidney Poitier in a breakout role, which amplified its cultural impact through its soundtrack's inclusion of Bill Haley and His Comets' "Rock Around the Clock."[9] Building on this momentum, Hunter followed with Second Ending in 1956, a story of a fading musician's existential struggles, further solidifying his output of socially observant dramas.[9] By 1958, Strangers When We Meet reinforced his initial acclaim, chronicling suburban adultery and moral ambiguity in a narrative adapted by Hunter himself into a film starring Kirk Douglas and Kim Novak, released the following year.[9] This New York Times bestseller exemplified Hunter's skill in probing mid-century domestic tensions, contributing to his establishment as a versatile author capable of blending psychological depth with broad appeal before his deeper immersion in crime genres under pseudonyms.[9] [23]Development of the Ed McBain persona and police procedurals
Evan Hunter adopted the pseudonym Ed McBain in 1956 specifically for his police procedural novels, separating them from his literary fiction published under his legal name, which had gained prominence with The Blackboard Jungle (1954).[19] This distinction allowed Hunter to maintain distinct authorial voices: Evan Hunter for character-driven, socially conscious narratives, and McBain for terse, ensemble-focused crime stories emphasizing institutional routines over individual heroics.[8] Publishers at the time often restricted authors to one book per year per name to avoid market saturation, prompting the use of pseudonyms for prolific output.[24] The Ed McBain persona debuted with Cop Hater, the first 87th Precinct novel, published by Pocket Books in September 1956 following a 1955 contract for three such works.[25] Hunter developed the persona through meticulous research into New York Police Department operations, including visits to precincts and consultations with officers to capture authentic procedures, jargon, and bureaucratic dynamics—elements he contrasted with the lone-detective tropes of earlier American detective fiction.[26] This approach innovated the police procedural subgenre, pioneered in the U.S. by McBain's shift toward depicting an urban precinct as a collective entity, with rotating ensembles of detectives like Steve Carella and Meyer Meyer handling diverse crimes amid personal interruptions, administrative hurdles, and the city's multicultural grit.[27] McBain's style evolved rapidly in subsequent novels, such as The Mugger (November 1956) and The Pusher (December 1956), establishing a formula of short chapters, clipped dialogue, and procedural realism that prioritized causal chains of investigation over psychological introspection.[28] Hunter revealed his identity as McBain in 1958, yet continued the pseudonym exclusively for the series, which spanned 55 volumes until 2005, influencing later procedurals by grounding narratives in empirical depictions of law enforcement teamwork rather than stylized vigilantism.[14] The persona's enduring appeal lay in its causal fidelity to real-world policing, avoiding romanticization while acknowledging systemic flaws like interdepartmental rivalries and resource constraints.[29]Later career, screenplays, and collaborations
In the decades following his early successes, Evan Hunter sustained a high level of productivity, particularly through the ongoing 87th Precinct series under the Ed McBain pseudonym, releasing one or two installments annually from 1958 until his death in 2005, resulting in over 50 novels in the police procedural genre.[14] He also authored standalone works under his own name, including Criminal Conversation (1994), which examined ethnic tensions and infidelity in New York City, and The Moment She Was Gone (2004), a psychological thriller centered on sibling disappearance.[2] These later novels under Hunter often delved into social issues like immigration and family dynamics, diverging from the procedural focus of his McBain output while maintaining his emphasis on realistic character portrayals.[6] Hunter extended his influence into screenwriting, adapting material for prominent directors. He penned the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963), transforming Daphne du Maurier's short story into a narrative of avian terror in a coastal California town, earning an Oscar nomination for his contributions despite tensions with Hitchcock over script revisions.[30] Earlier, he scripted Strangers When We Meet (1960), directed by Richard Quine and starring Kirk Douglas and Kim Novak, based on his 1958 novel about suburban adultery.[3] Other credits include Fuzz (1972), a comedic crime film adaptation of his 1968 McBain novel featuring detectives battling a serial arsonist, and Walk Proud (1979), which he wrote and produced, depicting Chicano gang life in Los Angeles with a focus on redemption through music.[30] His work King's Ransom (1959, as Ed McBain) was adapted by Akira Kurosawa into High and Low (1963), a Japanese film exploring kidnapping and class disparity, though Hunter had no direct scripting role.[3] Notable among Hunter's collaborative efforts was Candyland (2001), presented as a joint novel by Evan Hunter and Ed McBain—pseudonyms of the same author—to contrast a protagonist's internal fantasies (Hunter's voice) with external realities (McBain's procedural style) in a tale of sexual compulsion and murder.[31] This structural innovation highlighted his versatility without involving external co-authors. Hunter also contributed to television, including episodes for the short-lived 87th Precinct series (1961–1962) based on his novels, though his later involvement shifted primarily to literary output.[30]Major Works
Novels under Evan Hunter
Evan Hunter, the legal name adopted by Salvatore Albert Lombino in 1952, published a diverse array of standalone novels distinct from his police procedurals under the Ed McBain pseudonym. These works often explored themes of urban alienation, adolescence, family dynamics, and social realism, drawing on Hunter's experiences as a teacher and New Yorker. Notable early successes include The Blackboard Jungle (1954), a semi-autobiographical depiction of high school teaching amid juvenile delinquency, which sold millions and was adapted into a 1955 film starring Glenn Ford and Sidney Poitier.[32][33] Similarly, Strangers When We Meet (1958) examined suburban infidelity and ambition, later adapted into a 1960 film with Kirk Douglas and Kim Novak.[32][33] Later novels shifted toward suspense and psychological drama, such as Last Summer (1968), which provoked controversy for its portrayal of teenage sexuality and was adapted into a 1969 film, and Mothers and Daughters (1961), a multi-generational saga spanning over 700 pages that became a bestseller.[32][33] Hunter's output under this name totaled over 20 novels, with many receiving film or TV adaptations, reflecting his versatility beyond genre fiction.[32] The following table lists key novels published under Evan Hunter, ordered by publication year:| Title | Year | Publisher (First Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Don't Crowd Me | 1953 | Popular Library |
| The Blackboard Jungle | 1954 | Simon & Schuster |
| Second Ending | 1956 | Simon & Schuster |
| Strangers When We Meet | 1958 | Simon & Schuster |
| A Matter of Conviction | 1959 | Simon & Schuster |
| Mothers and Daughters | 1961 | Simon & Schuster |
| Happy New Year, Herbie | 1963 | Simon & Schuster |
| The Paper Dragon | 1966 | Delacorte Press |
| A Horse's Head | 1967 | Delacorte |
| Last Summer | 1968 | Doubleday |
| Sons | 1969 | Doubleday |
| Nobody Knew They Were There | 1971 | Doubleday |
| Every Little Crook and Nanny | 1972 | Doubleday |
| Come Winter | 1973 | Little Brown |
| Streets of Gold | 1974 | Harper & Row |
| The Chisholms | 1976 | Harper & Row |
| Love, Dad | 1981 | Crown Publishers |
| Far From the Sea | 1983 | Atheneum |
| Lizzie | 1984 | Arbor House |
| Criminal Conversation | 1994 | Warner Books |
| Privileged Conversation | 1996 | Warner Books |
| Candyland | 2001 | Simon & Schuster |
| The Moment She Was Gone | 2002 | Simon & Schuster |
87th Precinct series under Ed McBain
The 87th Precinct series comprises 55 police procedural novels authored by Evan Hunter under the pseudonym Ed McBain, spanning from Cop Hater in 1956 to Fiddlers in 2005.[26][34] The books depict the routine and high-stakes investigations of detectives in the fictional 87th Precinct of Isola, a stand-in for New York City divided into districts like Calm's Point and Riverhead, emphasizing ensemble teamwork over a single hero.[35][28] Central to the series is Detective Steve Carella, a dedicated family man and the precinct's lead investigator, whose deaf-mute wife Teddy appears recurrently, adding personal stakes to cases.[36] Supporting characters include Meyer Meyer, Carella's observant Jewish partner known for his bald pate and dry wit; the red-haired Cotton Hawes, distinguished by a white forelock from a past injury; rookie-turned-veteran Bert Kling, often entangled in romantic subplots; and others like Hal Willis and Arthur Brown, contributing to a rotating cast that reflects precinct diversity and dynamics.[37][36] The novels prioritize procedural realism, detailing authentic police methods such as squad room banter, forensic processes, and inter-departmental coordination, informed by McBain's consultations with law enforcement.[38] Early entries like The Mugger (1956) and The Pusher (1956) rapidly followed the debut, establishing a pattern of annual or near-annual releases that built a loyal readership through gritty urban crimes ranging from murders and heists to kidnappings.[28] Later volumes, such as Money, Money, Money (2001) and The Frumious Bandersnatch (2004), incorporated evolving societal issues like terrorism while maintaining the core focus on precinct operations.[39]| Key Novels | Publication Year |
|---|---|
| Cop Hater | 1956[40] |
| Killer's Wedge | 1959[28] |
| Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here! | 1971[40] |
| Bread | 1974[40] |
| Fiddlers | 2005[37] |