Talk:Hollister Noble

suggesting revised timeline

I suggest an edit to the first paragraph, which reads: "Charles Hollister Noble (September 2, 1901 – July 20, 1954[1]) was an American historical novelist and screenwriter. He committed suicide after it was alleged that he had plagiarized the research (not the text) of a book he had written. The decision that he was not guilty of plagiarism came only after his death by gunshot in the cellar of his home in Sherman Oaks, California.[2]"

Greenbie vs. Noble (1957), cited in this article, states that "The defendant Noble died on or about the time of the commencement of this action, which was instituted on July 21, 1954. Noble was never served in this action and his estate has not been made a party."

Additionally, the New York Times story on Noble's death (also cited here) speculates that his suicide may be related to marital difficulties or to the recent suicide of a friend. It does not mention accusations of plagiarism.

Thus I don't think the evidence supports the timeline in the first paragraph ("committed suicide after it was alleged...")

Therefore I propose a revision of the first paragraph to read:

Charles Hollister Noble (September 2, 1901 – July 20, 1954[1]) was an American historical novelist and screenwriter. He committed suicide by gunshot in the cellar of his home in Sherman Oaks, California.[2]

And insert the information about the plagiarism case in the "Career" section between his WWII service and the part about the movies made from his books, as follows:

Noble was a professional writer and editor in the newspaper, radio and motion picture fields, with strong interests in the American Civil War and railroads. From 1931 he had written numerous book reviews for the New York Times and had been the author of numerous magazine articles published by the New York Times Magazine. Noble owned a substantial Civil War library and had served as an Army officer with the Office of War Information during World War II.[3]

Shortly after his death, Noble's publisher was sued by Marjorie Greenbie, author of a biography of Anna Ella Carroll, who claimed the Noble had copied her research in his novel Woman with a Sword (1948). However, the US District Court ruled in Greenbie v. Noble (1957) that he was not guilty of plagiarism, finding that "the evidence in this case establishes that Noble independently researched the facts concerning the life of Anna Ella Carroll" and that "the plaintiff has not established that a substantial or material part of the copyrightable matter in 'My Dear Lady' was copied in 'Woman With A Sword.'"

Three of Noble's stories were the basis for full length cinema movies: Drums in the Deep South (1951), Mara Maru (1952), and Mutiny (1952).

Hollister Noble and his wife, Iris Noble, were represented by Barthold Fles.[4]

Jhunt2usfca (talk) 00:30, 24 September 2019 (UTC)

References