William M. Conselman

William Marien Conselman was at the time of his death one of Hollywood's best-paid writers. Like many others, he came from the ranks of newspaper writers, having worked on papers in both Los Angeles and New York. In 1925 Conselman, along with artist Charles Plumb, started the daily comic strip "Ella Cinders", a modern version of the Cinderella story. The strip would stay in syndication until 1961. Conselman's entrance into the film industry as a gag writer came as a result of work he did in the mid-20s for a Hollywood studio publicity department. Conselman was the oldest of three children born to Henry and Marian Connely Conselman. His father was originally from Pennsylvania, where his parents settled after arriving from Germany. Henry was employed in the theater districts in New York as a carpenter. Marian was born in Ireland and came to America at an early age. Conselman and his wife Mina were both collectors. He loved to cook and had a large collection of dishes, while her passion was acquiring sculptured hands. They had two children: daughter Diedre was, for a while, married to tennis champion Don Budge and son William Conselman Jr. who would also have a career in Hollywood. William Marien Conselman died at home after a month's illness. His early death at the age of 43 was attributed to a liver ailment.