Newspaperman turned war correspondent, his humorous, somewhat fictionalized difficulties in adjusting to military life before World War II became the basis of his best-selling book, "See Here, Private Hargrove." The title and some of the characters were brought successfully to the screen, with Robert Walker, Sr., as Hargrove. In 1964 he produced and wrote a pilot for MGM/NBC based on the hit movie. It starred Peter Helm and Jimmy Hawkins. It didn't make the NBC schedule. After the war, he settled in Hollywood to become a prolific screen and television writer. A winner of a Writer's Guild of America award for his screenplay for "The Music Man" in 1962.