Daniel Lewis James

Daniel Lewis James Jr. (January 14, 1911 – May 18, 1988), was an American writer, best known for his novel, Famous All Over Town, about Mexican-Americans in Los Angeles. He published the novel under his pseudonym, Danny Santiago, and during most of his professional career, he kept his identity a secret. James's own agent Carl Brandt did not know his real name until it was revealed by fellow author and friend, John Gregory Dunne. Some critics call this use of a Latino pseudonym a literary fraud, while others appreciate his contributions to literature, regardless of his race. Although he was white, some critics believed he was able to convey an accurate portrait of the Chicano culture.

Early life

James was born on January 14, 1911, the son of a wealthy Kansas City businessman Daniel Lewis "D.L." James Sr., (1880–1944) and Mother Lillie Hyatt Snider (1883–1968). His father wrote plays, some of which were staged off Broadway in New York.

Seaward

His family came to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California in 1916, In 1918, his father purchased property in Carmel Highlands, California and hired the firm Greene and Greene to build a sandstone and granite Mediterranean-style on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The design of the house was based on Tintagel Castle in North Cornwall, England. It has arched windows and a red tile roof. The main house has three bedrooms and four bathrooms. There is a one-bedroom caretaker's cottage that was built in 1940. Greene supervised the construction of the granite house that took five years to complete. The house was later called "Seaward" and was a summer retreat for the family for 20 years.

When his father died in 1944, his wife Lily moved to Seaward. She supported many of the local groups, including the Carmel Bach Festival.

In 2022, actor Brad Pitt purchased Seaward for $40M.

Career After completing college in 1933, James moved back to the Seaward house full-time. While in Carmel, he was active in the local theater groups and performed with the Carmel Players. In 1938, James directed Chekov's comedy "The Book." Roasalie had the lead role.

James met filmmaker Charlie Chaplin at Seaward. The two became friends with John Steinbeck at the time he was working on The Grapes of Wrath, at his home in Los Gatos, California. James moved back to Hollywood and was an assistant director on the movie The Great Dictator with Charlie Chaplin in 1940. It was his business association with Chaplin, as well as his time in Hollywood, that brought him to the attention of the House Un-American Activities Committee. Both he and his wife Lilith were called to testify and refused to self-incriminate under their Fifth Amendment rights.

In 1942, James released Winter Soldiers, a play presented at the New School of Social Research on the efforts of the underground to impede the Nazi advance toward Moscow during World War II.

He and his second wife, Lilith, wrote the book for Bloomer Girl, a successful 1944 Broadway musical. It had 654 performances and traveled across state. Then he kept out of sight as an author for some time. When the Writers Guild of America corrected the attribution of writers affected by the Hollywood blacklist in 1986, James was credited as co-writer of The Giant Behemoth. Because of their work together on The Giant Behemoth and Gorgo it has been assumed that James was the co-writer of The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms that Lourié spoke of, but would not name in interviews, despite his willingness to speak openly about his association with James on the other projects.

He gained notice under the pseudonym Danny Santiago, after the publication of "The Somebody" in Redbook in 1970.

After his mother died in 1968, he inherited his family's Seaward where he and his wife had returned to live. He published the novel, Famous All Over Town, in 1983.