Jack Lewis (screenwriter)

Lt. Colonel Jack Lewis or C. Jack Lewis USMC retired (November 13, 1924 – May 24, 2009), was a former Marine, screenwriter, author of 12 books and an estimated 6,000 magazine articles and short stories, He was the co-founder and editor of Gun World magazine and continued contributing articles to that publication until the time of his death. Lewis wrote under the name C. Jack Lewis due to four other writers with the name of Jack Lewis.

Lewis was born in Iowa in 1924. He sold his first short story The Cherokee Kid's Last Stand at the age of 14 for $5.00, which Lewis thought was better money than a field hand's wage which was then a dollar a day. Buoyed by his success Lewis submitted an unsolicited Andy Hardy screenplay that was rejected by MGM. He did not sell any more stories until he was 22.

Lewis recalled being lost as a child in a Department Store and being found by two Marines in dress blues. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at 18 years of age in World War II and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in 1945.

After the war, Lewis attended the University of Iowa where he earned a bachelor's degree in Journalism. After obtaining the degree, Lewis reentered the Marine Corps through the Marine Corps Reserve. He worked on a Marine training film then was assigned as a technical advisor to the film Sands of Iwo Jima where Lewis said he advised the cast how to lace up their leggings.

Lewis began his screenwriting career in 1950 with several Westerns, including the Lash LaRue feature King of the Bullwhip for Ron Ormond.

With the start of the Korean War, Lewis returned to active duty for six years in the Corps. He served as a Combat Correspondent and Photographer, where he earned the Bronze Star during his second Korean tour, filming Marine aircraft bombing enemy positions. During the Korean War, Lewis had his first experience with the M1 carbine. He fired eight rounds at an enemy soldier before a Marine with a Thompson submachine gun felled the soldier. Lewis discovered that six of his rounds had hit his target with no effect; Lewis began to carry a Thompson.

...
Wikipedia