James M. Cain

James M. Cain was a writer associated with the "Film Noir" genre. His father was a professor and later president of Washington College, while his mother was an opera singer in Maryland. James graduated from the same college in 1910 and became a writer for the *Baltimore American*, then the *Baltimore Sun*, by 1914. He was drafted in 1916 and spent 1918 in France as a writer for the *Army Times*. After his release, he continued writing for various publications, and by 1934, his first novel, *The Postman Always Rings Twice*, was published. The novel was adapted into a very popular film in 1946. With adaptations of his novels (credited only as "story contributor"), Cain became a sought-after figure in the "Film Noir" category during the 1940s. In 1946, he formed the "Cain Plan," also known as the "American Authors' Authority," through which writers would retain copyright control and serve as their own representatives in negotiations with movie producers and in court disputes. The plan, which resembled S.A.G., was opposed by an organization called the "American Writers' Assoc." The debate over the plan was carried on in the *Saturday Review*. Cain was married four times.