Ferguson, Otis, 1907-1943

Otis Ferguson was born in Worcester, MA, Aug. 14, 1907; joined the Navy at the age of 17 and served four years; he graduated from Clark Univ. (1933), where he was senior class poet and editor of the yearbook; Ferguson was hired at The New Republic where he eventually became an asst. editor; he reviewed books, films, and sometimes theater (1933-1941); in 1936 he started writing about music, particularly big swing bands and loaned his title to Dorothy Bakers novel, Young man with a horn; he was sent to Hollywood to write a series of articles about the movies and is best remembered as a film critic; soon after Pearl Harbor, he joined the Merchant Marines and was killed during the war, ca. 1943.

Biography

Otis Ferguson was born in Worcester, MA, Aug. 14, 1907. At the age of 17, Ferguson joined the Navy and served four years. After graduating from Clark University in 1933, where he was senior class poet and editor of the yearbook, Ferguson was hired at The New Republic. There he reviewed books, films, and sometimes theater and eventually became an assistant editor. In 1936 Ferguson started writing about music, particularly big swing bands and loaned his title to Dorothy Bakers novel, Young man with a Horn . He was later sent to Hollywood to write a series of articles about films and is best remembered as a film critic. Soon after Pearl Harbor, Ferguson joined the Merchant Marines and was killed during the war, ca. 1943.