New York-born Harry Essex had always envisioned a writing career as the culmination of his youthful aspirations. Among his initial professional endeavors were stints at prominent New York newspapers, including "The Daily Mirror" and "The Brooklyn Eagle". Simultaneously, he penned short stories for esteemed publications such as "Collier's" and "The Saturday Evening Post", and even ventured into the realm of Broadway playwriting with the creation of "Something for Nothing", a venture he would later characterize as a resounding failure.
Throughout this period, Essex's primary focus remained on the art of screenwriting for the motion picture industry. He did, in fact, co-write the original story for Universal's 1941 film "Man Made Monster", a testament to his dedication to this craft. However, the elusive "big break" continued to elude him, and the outbreak of World War II soon intervened, disrupting his trajectory.
In the aftermath of Essex's military discharge, he fortuitously ran into an old acquaintance who had recently secured a position tasked with identifying playwrights to be transformed into screenwriters for Columbia Pictures. This serendipitous encounter ultimately led to a lengthy and prolific Hollywood career, during which Essex wrote or co-wrote dozens of movies and numerous television shows.
