Voting Station

Philip Van Doren Stern

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Author

The Resume

    (September 10, 1900-July 31, 1984)
    Born in Wyalusing, Pennsylvania
    Author, editor, and Civil War historian
    Best known as the author of the short story 'The Greatest Gift,' written in 1943
    Story inspired the film 'It's a Wonderful Life' (1946)

Why he might be annoying:

    He was a Civil War buff.
    He wrote biographies of Robert E. Lee and John Wilkes Booth.
    He claimed to have been inspired to write 'The Greatest Gift' after experiencing a 'Christmas Carol'-style dream/nightmare.
    'It's a Wonderful Life' is infinitely and overwhelmingly better known than the story it is based on (Adaptational Displacement).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He published annotated compilations of the writings of Abraham Lincoln, Edgar Allan Poe, and Henry David Thoreau.
    During World War II, he was a member of the planning board of the United States Office of War Information.
    He was the general manager of the Armed Services Editions, which resized popular books to fit in the pockets of military uniforms.
    He had difficulty finding a publisher for 'The Greatest Gift,' so he sent out pamphlets of it as Christmas cards (one of which fell into the hands of an RKO executive who thought it would make a great film property).
    He claimed to have modeled Bedford Falls on Califon, New Jersey.
    Jimmy Stewart wrote a letter to him, calling the story 'an inspiration to everyone concerned with the picture ... the fundamental story was so sound and right.'

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 42 Votes: 21.43% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying