Haase, John 1923-2006

OBITUARY NOTICE—

See index for CA sketch: Born August 21, 1923, in Frankfurt, Germany; died of complications from emphysema, August 3, 2006, in Montecito, CA. Dentist and author. A Los Angeles-based dentist who catered to famous actors and musicians, Haase was an accomplished novelist who was praised for such works as Big Red (1980) and Me and the Arch Kook Petulia (1966), the latter being adapted as the acclaimed 1967 film Petulia. Haase was born to Jewish parents in Germany, and his family fled to San Francisco in 1936 to avoid the Nazis. Although he was interested in writing at a young age, his parents persuaded him to pursue a more practical career. After military service in Texas in the early 1940s, he graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1944. Four years later, he earned his D.D.S. there and began practicing dentistry in Los Angeles. After establishing a successful business, Haase began to work on novels and saw his first, The Young Who Sin, published in 1958. This was followed in 1960 by Road Show and in 1961 by The Fun Couple, the latter being adapted as a short-run Broadway play starring Jane Fonda and Dyan Cannon. Next, Haase published Erasmus—with Freckles (1963), which was made into the popular Jimmy Stewart film Dear Brigitte (1965). When Me and the Arch Kook Petulia was filmed as Petulia, however, Haase was not satisfied with the results. The movie, starring George C. Scott and directed by Richard Lester, was nonetheless a critical success. Haase's later works include The Nuptials (1969), the historical novel Big Red (1980), and his last book, 1983's San Francisco.

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Los Angeles Times, August 16, 2006, p. B10.

New York Times, August 18, 2006, p. C10.