BAXT, George (Leonard) 1923-2003

OBITUARY NOTICE—

See index for CA sketch: Born June 11, 1923, in Brooklyn, NY; died from complications after heart surgery June 28, 2003, in New York, NY. Author. Baxt was an author of horror and thriller film screenplays who also penned mysteries, most notably the novels featuring an openly gay African-American detective named Pharoah Love (the first name is deliberately misspelled). Born to immigrant parents, Baxt attended City College and Brooklyn College in New York before serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. Returning home, he took a job as a disc jockey before finding work as a casting agent. Early success led to his opening his own agency, but he lost money during the 1950s because so many of his clients were targets of Senator Joseph McCarthy's blacklist. Baxt weathered this setback by moving to England and writing episodes for a television series titled Sword of Freedom in 1958. He found historical drama boring, however, and began to write original horror and thriller scripts, starting with City of the Dead (1960), which was released in the United States as Horror Hotel. His next film, Circus of Horrors (1960), won a cult following; other films by Baxt include Shadow of the Cat (1961) and Night of the Eagle (1962), which was released in the United States as Burn, Witch, Burn. He was also an uncredited writer for the Vincent Price cult horror flick The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971). Money problems during the 1960s again prompted Baxt to change his career path, and this time he began novel-writing. His first book, A Queer Kind of Death (1966), introduced Pharoah Love and caused a sensation among critics and readers alike. Love also appeared to critical acclaim in Swing Low, Sweet Harriet (1967) and Topsy and Evil (1968). Two subsequent Love appearances—in A Queer Kind of Love (1994) and A Queer Kind of Umbrella (1995)—did less well, however, as the novelty of the character wore off. But Baxt also wrote other mystery and thriller novels, including a number of books that feature real-life celebrities in fictional situations, such as The Dorothy Parker Murder Case (1984), The Alfred Hitchcock Murder Case (1986), The Mae West Murder Case (1993), and his last novel, The Clark Gable and Carole Lombard Murder Case (1997). In all, Baxt published twenty-seven novels, as well as the play, Spinechiller, which was successfully produced in London in 1977.

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

BOOKS

Writers Directory, 18th edition, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 2003.

PERIODICALS

Independent (London, England), July 10, 2003, p. 16.

Times (London, England), July 12, 2003, p. 42.