Mel Dinelli (b. 6 October 1912, Albuquerque, New Mexico - d. 28 November 1991, Los Angeles, California) was an American writer for theatre, radio, film and magazines, usually in the suspense genre. He attended the University of Washington.
His radio script, "The Hand" was one of the only scripts to ever be rejected by Suspense's sponsor Auto-Lite for being objectionable. The story concerned a woman who is involved in an auto accident, and gets to the car she totaled to discover the driver's severed hand, still clutching an envelope filled thousands of dollars in cash. She takes the money, and is soon haunted by obsessive thoughts of the hand.
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Penned close to a dozen scripts for the popular radio program Suspense, including now classic episodes "August Heat," "Drive-In," "To Find Help" and "Riabouchinska" which he later adapted for the Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) television series.
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Began his career writing radio drama.
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Sold his first one-act play while attending the University of Washington.
Writer
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Spiral Staircase
2000
TV Movie 1946 screenplay
The Spiral Staircase
1975
1946 screenplay
Narciso Ibáñez Menta presenta
1971
TV Series 1 episode
L'uomo
1964
TV Movie play
Grande Teatro Tupi
1963
TV Series 1 episode
Theatre '62
1961
TV Series screenplay RKO-Movie 1945 - 1 episode
Der Mann von draußen
1961
TV Movie
Theatre 70
1960
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Startime
1960
TV Series play - 1 episode
Step Down to Terror
1958
writer
Lizzie
1957
Sneak Preview
1956
TV Series teleplay - 1 episode
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1956
TV Series teleplay - 1 episode
The 20th Century-Fox Hour
TV Series adaptation - 1 episode, 1955 writer - 1 episode, 1955
$1.1 Million
