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by Claudia Reynolds
Before Stephen King, Thomas Tryon wrote a bestselling horror novel that is now recognized as a classic in the genre. “The Other,” Tryon’s first novel was published in 1971 and adapted to film in 1972. The “LA Times” hailed it as “a lyrical, impressive horror story that is a cross between “The Bad Seed” and John Cheever’s “The Wapshot Chronicles.” Many today recognize “The Other” as one of the iconic works of horror, comparing it to such classics as “Rosemary’s Baby.”
Thomas Tryon was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on January 14, 1926. His family was one of the oldest in New England, having settled in the area in the 17th century. The Tryon family can claim William Tryon, Tory governor of New York among its American Revolutionary War period ancestors. Thomas served in the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific during World War II (1943-1946) before attending Yale University. He graduated from Yale with a degree in art. (Tryon designed all the dust covers and end papers for his books.) With the encouragement of Gertrude Lawrence, Noel Coward’s partner, Tryon decided to try his hand at acting.
He debuted on Broadway in 1952, in the chorus of the musical, “Wish You Were Here.” Tryon also worked as a production assistant for NBC-TV before moving to California in 1955, where he hoped to act in films. In 1956, he made his film debut in “The Scarlet Hour,” and was then cast in the title role of the Disney television series “Texas John Slaughter,” which aired during 1958. During that same year, he also appeared in horror and science fiction films, along with Westerns.
Tryon acted in Otto Preminger’s “The Cardinal” (1962). Several accounts credit (or blame) Preminger’s harsh treatment of the actor as Tryon’s motivation for ultimately abandoning acting for writing. However, Tryon himself stated in at least one interview that it was watching the film version of “Rosemary’s Baby” that inspired him to write his first novel, “The Other.” The novel remained on the “New York Times’” bestseller list for more than six months. Its success spelled the end of Tryon’s acting career.
The actor-turned-writer pursued his new career full-time, writing eight to 10 hours a day, using legal pads and writing in pencil. It was until several years later that Tryon began to use a typewriter for writing his fiction. In his “New York Times” obituary, Tryon is quoted as saying, “When I began writing all that I had going for me was that I could type 80 words per minute, I could spell and I liked words. But in doing it, I found that the real reward was the writing itself, working at it day by day and finally accomplishing something-that was it. To have a book published is one of the most exciting things that can happen to you. Infinitely more rewarding than acting."
With the success of his first novel, Thomas Tryon seems to have never looked back. A second novel, “Harvest Home” (1973), is a dark tale of pagan rituals still taking place in a fictional New England town. The novel became a 1978 made-for-television mini-series titled "The Dark Secret of Harvest Home," in which the movie icon Bette Davis appeared. His novel, “Crowned Heads” (1976), was the inspiration for Billy Wilder’s film “Fedora” (1978).
Tryon’s third novel, “Lady,” (1975) features a mysterious 1930s New England widow and her friendship with an eight-year-old boy. “All That Glitters“ (1986) is a novel about the darker side of Hollywood’s golden age. “The Night of the Moonbow,” published in 1989, is a dark and violent tale about a boy who is ultimately driven to violent acts as the result of the bullying he endures at a summer camp. “The Wings of Morning” was published the following year, with “In the Fire of Spring” and “The Adventures of Opal and Cupid” both appearing in 1992.
Thomas Tryon’s final novel, “Night Magic,” about a street magician who possesses extraordinary powers was finished shortly before his death from stomach cancer on September 4, 1991, and published posthumously in 1995.
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