Sydney Stone Field
Sydney Stone, also known as S.S. Field, was an American author, playwright, journalist and essayist, best known for his book The American Drink Book, which was published in 1953 by Farrar, Straus & Young and for the short story "Pete's Dragon and the USA (Forever After)" upon which was based the Disney animated musical film Pete's Dragon (1977 film) as well as the re-release of a live action, non-musical film Pete's Dragon (2016 film). He was a member of the Author's League and the Dramatists Guild.[1] He was married twice, had a daughter Catherine Upton Field Bacon*, born October 30, 1935 by his first wife Elizabeth Favorite, and lived the majority of his adult life in New York. He died February 26, 1986 in Tallahassee, Florida[2] and is buried in the family plot at Metairie Cemetery along with his mother Flo, grandmother Martha and his great grandparents Emma (née Reinhard) Smallwood and W.M. Smallwood.
Early life and education
Sydney Stone Field was born in Winston-Salem, NC in 1906 and moved as a very young child to New Orleans, Louisiana.[3]
He was the only child of Flora Field, Writer and New Orleans Historian better known as Flo Field (May 21, 1876 - September 30, 1972), who was herself a writer. Flo was married, but there is little record of the father. Family lore hinted that Sydney may have been the illegitimate child of the writer William Sydney Porter, better known by his pen name O. Henry, for whom he was named and with whom Flo had been acquainted.[4][5]
Flora (Flo) Marian Field was the daughter of Martha R. Field, who wrote under the pen name Catherine Cole, who was the first female journalist in New Orleans and one of the first in the American South.[6]
Sydney attended Tulane University and the University of Pennsylvania.[7]
Writing career
Stories written for American Mercury and Southern Review, "Torrent of Darkness" and "Goodbye to Cap'm John" appeared in the O'Brien Collection of Short Stories and other collections.[8] He sold the short story for Pete's Dragon to Walt Disney in 1957 (ref: Disney archives), but the story was shelved for many years before ultimately being made into the first feature film of its name, with writing credit shared with Seton I. Miller.[9]
S.S. Field was Features Editor for Esquire Magazine, a copy writer for and a regular contributor to Readers' Digest. He published The American Drink Book in 1953.[10]
Late career, retirement and death
Sydney and his second wife Martine Pearce Field lived in Manhattan from the time of their marriage, and frequently vacationed in upper New York State at their summer home at Alligator Point on Eagle Crag Lake near Tupper Lake, NY.[11] The couple eventually retired there and were one of only a few year-round resident families to endure the hard winters. Sydney continued to write but had little success in publishing further work, and turned much of his attention to letter writing.[12]
As his health declined, Mr. & Mrs. Field moved from their home in New York State to Panacea, Florida. He died at Tallahassee Memorial Regional Medical Centre on February 26, 1986 and was interred at Metairie Cemetery.[13]
References
- ↑ The New York Times, March 19, 1986
- ↑ The New York Times, March 19, 1986
- ↑ New York Times, March 19, 1986
- ↑ Letter from S.S. Field to Catherine Bacon, 1980
- ↑ "queerplaces - Flo Field". www.elisarolle.com. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
- ↑ http://www.catharinecole.com/
- ↑ New York Times, March 19, 1986
- ↑ The Wakulla News, March 20, 1986
- ↑ jmcmullen (2016-08-16). "For Pete's Sake: The Long Road to Pete's Dragon". D23. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
- ↑ Library of Congress, Catalogue # 53-9118
- ↑ The Free Press and Herald, March 19, 1986
- ↑ Letters to Catherine Field Bacon, 1960- 1986
- ↑ The New York Times, March 19, 1986
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