Novelist David Westheimer, who wrote My Sweet Charlie and Von Ryan’s Express that was turned into a movie starring Frank Sinatra, has died. He was 88.
Westheimer died on Tuesday of heart failure at the UCLA Medical Centre, according to his son Fred.
Born in Houston, Westheimer graduated from Rice University in 1937 and joined the Houston Post where he was an editor and columnist. During World War II, he served in the army air forces and was a navigator aboard a B-24 bomber that was shot down by Italian fighter planes. He spent 28 months as a prisoner-of-war and was released in 1945.
He drew upon the experience and wrote Von Ryan’s Express, a story about an American prisoner-of-war leading his fellow prisoners on a daring escape from the Germans in Italy. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for best sound effects.
In 1965, Westheimer wrote My Sweet Charlie, which dealt with racial tensions in a Texas town. The story focused on a bond that develops between a black civil rights activist and a white teen who is pregnant but not married. The book was made into a successful play, which was produced on Broadway in 1966. It was later made into a television movie that earned an Emmy Award for actress Patty Duke.
Other books written by Westheimer include Summer on the Water, Sitting It Out and Delay En Route.
He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Dody; sons Fred and Eric; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. — Sapa-AP