John McGreevey


John McGreevey was an American writer and screenwriter. He is the father of former Disney star and Emmy-nominated television writer Michael McGreevey. The elder McGreevey received four Christopher Awards, an Emmy Award, a Peabody Award, and a Writers Guild Paddy Chayefsky Award. Additionally, he was nominated for another Writers Guild Award, another Emmy Award, and a Silver Dove award

Early years

McGreevey was a native of Muncie, Indiana, who went on to live in other parts of Indiana, including Bloomington, Evansville, and Logansport. He began reading by the time he was 3 years old. By age 6 he was in the third grade at St. Vincent Catholic School in Logansport, and then he skipped from the third grade to the fifth grade. He wrote a play at age 7 and had his two sisters perform it with him with other family members as the audience.
When McGreevey was in high school he wrote, directed, and starred in a play as a fundraiser for the debate team; he subsequently wrote and starred in a production for the yearbook. He attended Indiana University, majoring in English and writing and performing in radio and theater. The drama department performed two of his plays during his senior year there.

Career

McGreevey began his career as a writer at WGBF radio in Evansville. After 18 months there he worked for nine years at KTAR radio in Phoenix, Arizona, primarily writing scripts and occasionally announcing. Additionally, radio networks bought more than 100 scripts that he submitted as a freelance writer for their programs. His first sale of a script came when he was 25 years old and had almost abandoned the idea of writing for network radio. A mail delivery in 1947 brought a $250 check for one of his submissions, and that marked the turning point in his career.
In 1952, after having sold six scripts for television programs, McGreevey moved to New York. TV programs for which McGreevey wrote included Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, ''Circle Theater, Philco Television Playhouse, Studio One, Suspense, and The Web''.

Personal life

McGreevey married Nota Scholl.

Recognition

McGreevey received Indiana University's distinguished alumnus service award in 1973, and he was the main speaker at the university's Alumni Day in 1983. Logansport declared April 26 and 27, 1962, John McGreevey Days.
YearName of AwardCategoryProjectWinner/Nominee
1964EmmyOutstanding Writing Achievement In Comedy Or VarietyThe Farmer's DaughterNominee
1973EmmyOutstanding Writing Achievement In DramaThe WaltonsWinner
1974EmmyBest Writing In DramaThe WaltonsNominee
1977EmmyOutstanding Writing In A Special Program - Drama Or Comedy - AdaptationJudge Horton and The Scottsboro BoysNominated

Filmography

;Films
;TV Series