Daniel Pratt Mannix IV (October 27, 1911 – January 29, 1997) was an American writer, journalist, photographer, sideshow performer, stage magician, animal trainer, and filmmaker. His best-known works are the 1958 book Those About to Die, which remained in continuous print for three decades and became the basis for the Ridley Scott movie Gladiator; and the 1967 novel The Fox and the Hound which in 1981 was adapted into an animated film by Walt Disney Productions.
The Mannix family had a long history of service in the United States Navy, and Mannix' father, Daniel P. Mannix, III, was an American naval officer.[1] His mother would often join her husband on his postings, and the Mannix children would stay at their grandparents' farm outside Philadelphia.[2] It was there that Mannix began to keep and raise various wild animals. In time, the cost of feeding them led him to write his first book, The Back-Yard Zoo.[3] Following family tradition, Mannix enrolled in the U.S. Naval Academy in 1930, but left the next year, moving to the University of Pennsylvania and earning a degree in journalism instead of zoology.[4]
Career
Mannix served as a naval lieutenant with the Photo-Science Laboratory in Washington, D.C. during World War II.[1] His varied career included time spent as a sword swallower and fire eater in a traveling carnivalsideshow, where he performed under the stage name The Great Zadma. His magazine articles about these experiences, co-written with his wife Jule Junker Mannix, proved very popular and were reprinted several times in 1944 and 1945, and later expanded into book form in his 1951 account of carnival life Step Right Up, which in turn was reprinted in 1964 as Memoirs of a Sword Swallower. He was also at times a professional hunter, a collector of wildlife for zoos and circuses, and a bird trainer. The latter skill was showcased in the 1956 short film Universal Color Parade: Parrot Jungle, in which he is credited as the writer, actor, director, producer, photographer, and bird trainer.
Mannix covered a wide variety of subject matter as an author. His books ranged from fictional stories for children, novels for adults featuring animal characters with accurate biology and psychology, the natural history of animals, and adventurous accounts about hunting big game to sensational adult non-fiction topics such as a biography of the occultist Aleister Crowley, sympathetic accounts of carnival performers and sideshowfreaks, and works describing, among other things, the Hellfire Club, the Atlantic slave trade, the history of torture, and the Roman games. In 1983, he edited The Old Navy: The Glorious Heritage of the U.S. Navy, Recounted through the Journals of an American Patriot by Rear Admiral Daniel P. Mannix, 3rd, his father's posthumously-published autobiographical account of his life and naval career from the Spanish–American War of 1898 until his retirement in 1928.
In his role as a photo-journalist, Mannix witnessed the death of the famed herpetologistGrace Olive Wiley when she was fatally bitten by a venomous snake.[5] On July 20, 1948, Wiley, then 64 years old, invited Mannix to her home in Cypress, California, to photograph her collection of snakes. She posed for him with a venomous Indian cobra she had recently acquired, at Mannix's suggestion, and the snake bit her on the finger when it was spooked by his camera flash. At her instruction, Mannix put tourniquets on her arm, but unfortunately, in trying to administer her only vial of cobra antivenom he found the needle was rusty, and he accidentally broke the vial. At her request, he took her to Long Beach Municipal Hospital, but the hospital only had antivenom serums for North American snakes. Wiley was placed in an iron lung to assist her breathing, but to no avail; she was pronounced dead less than two hours after being bitten.[6] Fifteen years later, Mannix wrote an account of the event in his book All Creatures Great and Small, in which he titled Wiley the "Woman Without Fear."[7]
Mannix was also a skilled stage magician,[8] magic historian, and collector of illusions and apparatus. In 1957, he was one of the 16 charter members who co-founded the Munchkin Convention of the International Wizard of Oz Club.[9] He prepared a manuscript encyclopedia of Oz and contributed numerous articles to The Baum Bugle, including on the subject of the 1902 musical extravaganza The Wizard of Oz.
Personal life
Mannix and his wife and sometime co-author Jule Junker Mannix travelled around the world and raised exotic animals. Jule Mannix wrote the book Married to Adventure in 1954 as an autobiographical account of her adventurous life with Mannix. The couple had a son, Daniel Pratt Mannix V, and a daughter, Julie Mannix von Zerneck (who married Frank von Zerneck).[8] From 1950 onward, Daniel and Jule Mannix lived in the same house in East Whiteland, near Malvern, Pennsylvania. Jule Mannix died May 25, 1977.[10] Mannix died on January 29, 1997, at the age of 85, and was survived by his son and daughter, four grandchildren (including Danielle von Zerneck), and four great-grandchildren.[8]
Literary influence
According to Martin M Winkler's book, Gladiator: Film and History, Mannix's 1958 non-fiction book Those About to Die (reprinted in 2001 as The Way of the Gladiator) was the inspiration for David Franzoni's screenplay for the 2000 movie Gladiator.[11]
Bibliography
The Back-Yard Zoo, Coward-McCann, 1934
More Back-Yard Zoo, 1936
Step Right Up!. New York: Harper. 1951. OCLC 529468.; reprinted as Memoirs of a Sword Swallower, Ballantine, 1964; reprinted again in 1992 by Brainiac Books as Memoirs of a Sword Swallower with a new introduction by Herschell Gordon Lewis
Hunter, Hamish Hamilton, 1952
King of the Sky, 1953
Tales of the African Frontier (with J.A. Hunter), Harper & Bros., 1954
The Wildest Game (with Peter Ryhiner), J.B. Lippincott, 1958
Those About to Die, Ballantine, 1958; reprinted as The Way of the Gladiator, 2001
The Hellfire Club, Ballantine, 1959
The Beast: The Scandalous Life of Aleister Crowley, Ballantine, 1959
Black Cargoes: A History of the Atlantic Slave Trade 1518–1865 (with Malcolm Cowley), Viking Press, 1962
The Autobiography of Daniel Mannix: All Creatures Great and Small, McGraw-Hill, 1963
The History of Torture, Dell, 1964 (paperback); Hippocrene Books, 1986
The Outcasts, 1965
A Sporting Chance: Unusual Methods of Hunting, E.P. Dutton, 1967
Troubled Waters: The Story of a Fish, a Stream and a Pond (with Patricia Collins), E.P. Dutton, 1969
The Healer, E.P. Dutton, 1971
Drifter, E.P. Dutton, 1974
The Secret of the Elms, Crowell, 1975
Freaks: We Who Are Not As Others, Re/Search Publications, 1976
The Wolves of Paris, (hardcover) 1978; Avon (paperback), 1979, 1983
The Old Navy: The Glorious Heritage of the U.S. Navy, Recounted through the Journals of an American Patriot by Rear Admiral Daniel P. Mannix, 3rd, as edited by Daniel P. Mannix 4th, Macmillan, 1983
A Running Brook of Horror, A Dark and Stormy Night
Filmography
King of the Sky, 1953 (documentary short) (writer, actor, director, producer, bird trainer)
^ Mannix, Daniel P. (1963). . All Creatures Great and Small. New York: McGraw-Hill. OCLC 1435759. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2007-09-13.
^ abc"Daniel Mannix, 85, Adventure Writer", New York Times, February 8, 1997
^International Wizard of Oz Club : Munchkin Convention history 2010-07-14 at the Wayback Machine
^Solomon, John (2004). "Gladiator from Screenplay to Screen." In Winkler, Martin M. (Ed.), Gladiator: Film and History, pp. 1–15. Blackwell Publishers. ISBN1-4051-1042-2
External links
Quotations related to Daniel P. Mannix at Wikiquote
daniel, mannix, australian, bishop, daniel, mannix, daniel, pratt, mannix, october, 1911, january, 1997, american, writer, journalist, photographer, sideshow, performer, stage, magician, animal, trainer, filmmaker, best, known, works, 1958, book, those, about,. For the Australian bishop see Daniel Mannix Daniel Pratt Mannix IV October 27 1911 January 29 1997 was an American writer journalist photographer sideshow performer stage magician animal trainer and filmmaker His best known works are the 1958 book Those About to Die which remained in continuous print for three decades and became the basis for the Ridley Scott movie Gladiator and the 1967 novel The Fox and the Hound which in 1981 was adapted into an animated film by Walt Disney Productions Contents 1 Childhood 2 Career 3 Personal life 4 Literary influence 5 Bibliography 6 Filmography 7 References 8 External linksChildhood EditThe Mannix family had a long history of service in the United States Navy and Mannix father Daniel P Mannix III was an American naval officer 1 His mother would often join her husband on his postings and the Mannix children would stay at their grandparents farm outside Philadelphia 2 It was there that Mannix began to keep and raise various wild animals In time the cost of feeding them led him to write his first book The Back Yard Zoo 3 Following family tradition Mannix enrolled in the U S Naval Academy in 1930 but left the next year moving to the University of Pennsylvania and earning a degree in journalism instead of zoology 4 Career EditMannix served as a naval lieutenant with the Photo Science Laboratory in Washington D C during World War II 1 His varied career included time spent as a sword swallower and fire eater in a traveling carnival sideshow where he performed under the stage name The Great Zadma His magazine articles about these experiences co written with his wife Jule Junker Mannix proved very popular and were reprinted several times in 1944 and 1945 and later expanded into book form in his 1951 account of carnival life Step Right Up which in turn was reprinted in 1964 as Memoirs of a Sword Swallower He was also at times a professional hunter a collector of wildlife for zoos and circuses and a bird trainer The latter skill was showcased in the 1956 short film Universal Color Parade Parrot Jungle in which he is credited as the writer actor director producer photographer and bird trainer Mannix covered a wide variety of subject matter as an author His books ranged from fictional stories for children novels for adults featuring animal characters with accurate biology and psychology the natural history of animals and adventurous accounts about hunting big game to sensational adult non fiction topics such as a biography of the occultist Aleister Crowley sympathetic accounts of carnival performers and sideshow freaks and works describing among other things the Hellfire Club the Atlantic slave trade the history of torture and the Roman games In 1983 he edited The Old Navy The Glorious Heritage of the U S Navy Recounted through the Journals of an American Patriot by Rear Admiral Daniel P Mannix 3rd his father s posthumously published autobiographical account of his life and naval career from the Spanish American War of 1898 until his retirement in 1928 In his role as a photo journalist Mannix witnessed the death of the famed herpetologist Grace Olive Wiley when she was fatally bitten by a venomous snake 5 On July 20 1948 Wiley then 64 years old invited Mannix to her home in Cypress California to photograph her collection of snakes She posed for him with a venomous Indian cobra she had recently acquired at Mannix s suggestion and the snake bit her on the finger when it was spooked by his camera flash At her instruction Mannix put tourniquets on her arm but unfortunately in trying to administer her only vial of cobra antivenom he found the needle was rusty and he accidentally broke the vial At her request he took her to Long Beach Municipal Hospital but the hospital only had antivenom serums for North American snakes Wiley was placed in an iron lung to assist her breathing but to no avail she was pronounced dead less than two hours after being bitten 6 Fifteen years later Mannix wrote an account of the event in his book All Creatures Great and Small in which he titled Wiley the Woman Without Fear 7 Mannix was also a skilled stage magician 8 magic historian and collector of illusions and apparatus In 1957 he was one of the 16 charter members who co founded the Munchkin Convention of the International Wizard of Oz Club 9 He prepared a manuscript encyclopedia of Oz and contributed numerous articles to The Baum Bugle including on the subject of the 1902 musical extravaganza The Wizard of Oz Personal life EditMannix and his wife and sometime co author Jule Junker Mannix travelled around the world and raised exotic animals Jule Mannix wrote the book Married to Adventure in 1954 as an autobiographical account of her adventurous life with Mannix The couple had a son Daniel Pratt Mannix V and a daughter Julie Mannix von Zerneck who married Frank von Zerneck 8 From 1950 onward Daniel and Jule Mannix lived in the same house in East Whiteland near Malvern Pennsylvania Jule Mannix died May 25 1977 10 Mannix died on January 29 1997 at the age of 85 and was survived by his son and daughter four grandchildren including Danielle von Zerneck and four great grandchildren 8 Literary influence EditAccording to Martin M Winkler s book Gladiator Film and History Mannix s 1958 non fiction book Those About to Die reprinted in 2001 as The Way of the Gladiator was the inspiration for David Franzoni s screenplay for the 2000 movie Gladiator 11 Bibliography EditThe Back Yard Zoo Coward McCann 1934 More Back Yard Zoo 1936 Step Right Up New York Harper 1951 OCLC 529468 reprinted as Memoirs of a Sword Swallower Ballantine 1964 reprinted again in 1992 by Brainiac Books as Memoirs of a Sword Swallower with a new introduction by Herschell Gordon Lewis Hunter Hamish Hamilton 1952 King of the Sky 1953 Tales of the African Frontier with J A Hunter Harper amp Bros 1954 The Wildest Game with Peter Ryhiner J B Lippincott 1958 Those About to Die Ballantine 1958 reprinted as The Way of the Gladiator 2001 The Hellfire Club Ballantine 1959 The Beast The Scandalous Life of Aleister Crowley Ballantine 1959 Black Cargoes A History of the Atlantic Slave Trade 1518 1865 with Malcolm Cowley Viking Press 1962 The Autobiography of Daniel Mannix All Creatures Great and Small McGraw Hill 1963 The History of Torture Dell 1964 paperback Hippocrene Books 1986 The Outcasts 1965 A Sporting Chance Unusual Methods of Hunting E P Dutton 1967 The Last Eagle 1967 The Fox and the Hound E P Dutton 1967 The Killers E P Dutton 1968 Troubled Waters The Story of a Fish a Stream and a Pond with Patricia Collins E P Dutton 1969 The Healer E P Dutton 1971 Drifter E P Dutton 1974 The Secret of the Elms Crowell 1975 Freaks We Who Are Not As Others Re Search Publications 1976 The Wolves of Paris hardcover 1978 Avon paperback 1979 1983 The Old Navy The Glorious Heritage of the U S Navy Recounted through the Journals of an American Patriot by Rear Admiral Daniel P Mannix 3rd as edited by Daniel P Mannix 4th Macmillan 1983 A Running Brook of Horror A Dark and Stormy NightFilmography EditKing of the Sky 1953 documentary short writer actor director producer bird trainer Universal Color Parade Parrot Jungle 1958 short writer director producer photographer bird trainer Killers of Kilimanjaro 1959 book African Bush Adventures The Fox and the Hound 1981 book References Edit a b The Old Navy by Rear Admiral Daniel P Mannix 3rd as edited by Daniel P Mannix 4th Macmillan 1983 Daniel P Mannix The Back Yard Zoo pp 15 16 Daniel P Mannix The Back Yard Zoo p 33 Mark Davis and Andy Wallace Daniel Pratt Mannix 4th 85 Adventurer And Author obituary The Philadelphia Inquirer February 2 1998 Archived copy Archived from the original on 2011 05 31 Retrieved 2007 09 13 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Creeping Death Time August 2 1948 Mannix Daniel P 1963 Woman Without Fear All Creatures Great and Small New York McGraw Hill OCLC 1435759 Archived from the original on 2011 05 31 Retrieved 2007 09 13 a b c Daniel Mannix 85 Adventure Writer New York Times February 8 1997 International Wizard of Oz Club Munchkin Convention history Archived 2010 07 14 at the Wayback Machine Chester County Deed Book N24 585 153 Solomon John 2004 Gladiator from Screenplay to Screen In Winkler Martin M Ed Gladiator Film and History pp 1 15 Blackwell Publishers ISBN 1 4051 1042 2External links Edit Quotations related to Daniel P Mannix at Wikiquote Daniel P Mannix at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Daniel P Mannix amp oldid 1135255363, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
