Melville Shavelson (April 1, 1917 - August 8, 2007) was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He was President of the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAw) from 1969 to 1971, 1979 to 1981, and 1985 to 1987. He came to Hollywood in 1938 as one of comedian Bob Hope's joke writers, a job he held for the next five years. He is responsible for the screenplays of such Hope films as The Princess and the Pirate (1944), Where There's Life (1947), The Great Lover (1949), and Sorrowful Jones (1949), which also starred Lucille Ball.
Shavelson was nominated twice for Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay -- first for 1955's The Seven Little Foys, starring Hope in a rare dramatic role, and then for 1958's Houseboat. He shared both nominations with Jack Rose. He also directed both films.
Other films he wrote and directed include Beau James (1957), The Five Pennies (1959) for which he won a Screen Writers Guild Award, It Started in Naples (1960), On the Double (1961), The Pigeon That Took Rome (1962), A New Kind of Love (1963), Cast a Giant Shadow (1966), and Yours, Mine and Ours (1968), one of Lucille Ball's final films, which also starred Henry Fonda.
Shavelson's autobiography, published by BearManor Media in April 2007, is entitled How to Succeed in Hollywood Without Really Trying, P.S. - You Can't! His other books include How to Make a Jewish Movie (1971), a memoir of his experiences while producing and directing Cast a Giant Shadow, and the Hollywood-themed novel Lualda (1973).
Shavelson's first wife, Lucille, died in 2000. He was married to his second wife, Ruth Florea, from 2001 until his death. He had two children, Lynne Joiner and Richard Shavelson.
The Shavelson Film Awards, given annually at Cornell University for promising filmmakers, were established and named in his honor.
President of the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAw), 1969-1971, 1979-1981, 1985-1987.
He was a gag writer for Bob Hope's radio show in the 1930s. He worked with many stars during his career as director and screenwriter, including Kirk Douglas, Lucille Ball, Jimmy Cagney, Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant, and Sophia Loren.
