The Sweet Smell of Christmas

James Pinckney Miller was born on December 18, 1919 in Texas. He was a notable playwright during the Golden Age of Television, earning three Emmy nominations. He became a novelist and screenwriter and was known for Days of Wine and Roses. While attending Rice University in the late 1930s, he became a reporter for the Houston Post. After graduating from Rice in 1941, he traveled to Mexico as a feature writer. He later returned to Texas where he received a draft notice. He served in the Navy in the South Pacific as a gunnery officer earnig a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. After WWII, he studied writing and acting at the Yale Drama School.

Miller's first script for television was The Polecat Shakedown, a 30-minute drama for Man Against Crime about a man who blackmailed restaurants by injecting a foul-smelling substance into eggs. When an egg was cracked, customers fled, and the villain demanded cash to prevent future incidents. By 1954 he had five plays produced on television. His next success occurred on February 13, 1955 with The Rabbit Trap. Miller's teleplays were staged on Kraft Television Theatre and The Philco Television Playhouse. Miller received the most acclaim for Days of Wine and Roses, which was prompted by his notion to dramatize Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.The drama was telecast October 2, 1958.

In addition to poetry and short stories, Miller wrote four novels. The Race for Home, Surviving Joy, Liv and The Skook. At the age of 81, Miller died oof pneumonia on November 1, 2001.

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