John Van Alstyne Weaver

John Van Alstyne Weaver, Jr. (July 17, 1893 – June 14, 1938, often credited as John V. A. Weaver) was an American poet, novelist and screenwriter whose poems attracted the approbation of H. L. Mencken, whose works were produced on stage and on film, and who had several screenwriting credits for work on properties where he was not the author of the original work. Background Weaver was born 17 July 1893 in Charlotte, North Carolina, the son of John Van Alstyne Weaver, Sr. and Anne Randolph Tate Weaver. He married American actress Peggy Wood in 1924 and the couple had one son, David Weaver, in 1927. Weaver was educated at Hamilton College, graduating in 1914. His literary career began with employment at the Chicago Daily News in 1919 as a book editor, and continued with employment at the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. He ceased newspaper work around in 1924 to pursue a purely literary career. He moved to work for Paramount in 1928. Weaver attracted notice for his adaptation of American vernacular to iambic pentameter rhythms. His financial success came from successful adaptations of his work on stage and in films and, later, from screenwriting.