Milford chronicle., 1961-12-22
John O'Horu Keeps
Active In of Times
BY MILES A. SMITH
AP Arts Editor

(ADVANCE) PRINCETON, N. j.,
Dec. 23 (AP) In author John
OHara's study here there is a
photograph of the late humorist
and longtime O'Hara friend, Rob-
ert Benchley, standing with his
arm tucked Napoleon-fashion into
the long admiral's coat he is wear
ing.
Benchley smiles proudly, obliv-
ious to the fact that he is not
wearing trousers.
THAT was at party. He was
tight" O'Hara explains.
"The party was over when
Denchley died in 1886" O'Hara
told the Princeton Packet in an
interview.
The newspaper said he speaks
now about quieter, mellowed
new O'Hara" in sharp contrast to
his days as the nightclubbing and
elbow-bending companion of al
most everybody who was some
body in the twenties and thirties.
"But the real break came later"
he continues 81 nearly died eight
years ago. My doctor told me I'd
better take care of myself. So
eight years ago l went on the
wagon. Now | take better care of
myself"
At Sc, the author of Appoint
ment in Samarra," "Butterfield s,
"Ten North Frederick" and From
the Terrace" among others is a
broad six-footer who has trimmed
his weight down to 1876 pounds
through a steady diet and walk
ing lot"
He won the National Book A
ward, his only fiction prize, for
"Ten North Frederick" but still
considers From the Terrace" his
best book
at used to hurt, never winning
an award" he says.
But I've never been the pet Of
the intellectuals, the eggheads. I'm
an extremely conscientious writer,
and | kOw my trade. When /
write a novel | do lot of digging
/ was okay for good notices when
q book came out, but not good
enough for an award. | was NOM
mated but never won. 1t used to
hurt quite a bit"
Perhaps that's why O'Hara says
he doesn't intend to write an auto
biography.
Maybe if / live to be 70 I'll
write one. I've got too damned
much other work to do" he ex-
plains.
Writing an autobiography is all
right for a public official, it's al
most his duty. But if | ever wrote
an autobiography I'd have to level,
and / wouldn't want to level while
the people I'd be writing about are
still alive" O'Hara continues.
He intensely dislikes being
photographed or interviewed. He
SHES away from meeting new peo-
pie.
But if there is a new O'Hara"
at least one former trait remains.
I'm writing so much I'm over
taking myself" he says.
His first collection of h or t
stories since "Hellbox" appeared
in 1947, new book of 26 short
stories entitled Assembly" was
published Thanksgiving Day. 1t!
was his third new book in the last
year.
The others were Five Plays
and Sermons and Soda Water"
In addition, he is still working
on "big novel; now about two
thirds finished to be called "The
Lockwood Concern" 1t won't be
ready for quite while, he says.
And he has two other completed
novels tucked away with no re-
lease date set for either one.
One of the completed novels,
"The Big Laugh" concerns an
actor who becomes movie star
during the "mid-talkies." The 9TH
er centers on "a mythical college
town in Pennsylvania" during the
thirties. fourties and fifties.
O'Hara's father, surgeon, and
his four brothers attended t h e.
University of Pennsylvania The
author, his first wife who died
years ago. and their dau h t r
moved to Princeton in 1919.
O'Hara, who later remarked,
says he likes college town be-
cause there's no keeping up with
the Joneses. The pace-the eco
nomic level of the towns set by
the full professors"
When he speaks of his own col
lege experience, O'Hara points to
Columbia University plaque on
his study wall and says, There's
my alma mater. l took a history
course there once, my only college
education"
A former engineer, boat stew
ard. gas meter reader, fr e g h t
clerk, press agent, soda clerk, re-
porter, editor and critic, O'Hara
stayed with fiction after his novel,
Appointment in Samarra," pub
lished in 1884, became a success.
Asked how. as a critic, he would
sum up the career of John O'Hara,
the writer, he replied:
Better than anyone else, e
told the truth about his time, the
first half of the twentieth century
He was professional, He wrote
honestly and we'll"