Valentine Davies

Who was Valentine Davies?

Valentine Davies was an American film and television writer, producer, and director. His film credits included Miracle on 34th Street, Chicken Every Sunday, The Bridges at Toko-Ri, and The Benny Goodman Story. He was nominated for the 1954 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for The Glenn Miller Story.

Davies was born in New York City, served in the Coast Guard, and graduated from the University of Michigan. He wrote a number of Broadway plays and was president of the Screen Writers Guild and general chairman of the Academy Awards program.

He wrote the story for the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street, which was given screen treatment by the director, George Seaton. Davies also did a novelization of the story, which was published as a novella by Harcourt Brace & Company in conjunction with the film release. Miracle on 34th Street earned him an Academy Award for Best Story.