Al Morgan

The novel was adapted for the screen as The Great Man (1956), directed by and starring José Ferrer, with a screenplay co-written by Morgan; the cast included Ferrer, Dean Jagger, and Julie London, and the film was released by Universal Pictures. Morgan and Ferrer later collaborated on the book for the Broadway musical Oh, Captain! (1958), which received a Tony Award nomination for Best Musical; Morgan also wrote the short-lived Broadway play Minor Miracle (1965). In television, Morgan produced NBC's Today from 1961 to 1968 and won the 1968 Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Daytime Programming. He died on March 3, 2011, at his home in Brattleboro, Vermont. The novel's use of the phrase “the…