Valentine Davies

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Valentine Loewi Davies
Born(1905-08-25)August 25, 1905
New York City
DiedJuly 23, 1961(1961-07-23) (aged 55)
Malibu, California
OccupationScreenwriter, playwright, director, producer
Alma materUniversity of Michigan
Notable worksMiracle on 34th Street
The Benny Goodman Story
The Bridges at Toko-Ri
It Happens Every Spring

Valentine Loewi Davies (August 25, 1905 – July 23, 1961) was an American film and television writer, producer, and director. His film credits included Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Chicken Every Sunday (1949), It Happens Every Spring (1949), The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954), and The Benny Goodman Story (1955). He was nominated for the 1954 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for The Glenn Miller Story.

Davies was born in New York City, served in the Coast Guard, and graduated from the University of Michigan. He wrote a number of Broadway plays and was president of the Screen Writers Guild and general chairman of the Academy Awards program.

He wrote the story for the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street, which was given screen treatment by the director, George Seaton. Davies also did a novelization of the story, which was published as a novella by Harcourt Brace & Company in conjunction with the film release. Miracle on 34th Street earned him an Academy Award for Best Story.

From 1949-50, he served as President of the Screen Writers Guild. The Valentine Davies Award was established in 1962, the year following his departure, by the Writers Guild of America, West, in his honor. It has been awarded annually, excepting the years 2006, 2010, and 2015.

External links

Non-profit organization positions
Preceded by
B. B. Kahane
President of Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences
1960-1961
Succeeded by