Talk:David McDaniel

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[edit] Random discussion moved here from the Article

[edit] Comment from Contessa

If this is the case, the editor is unaware of it. According to the four close friends of David McDaniel, as related to the editor in a telephone conversation shortly after McDaniel's death, but before his memorial service. David had fallen in the bathtub, and then, suffering a head injury, had apparently walked through his apartment to the front hallway and fallen again, where he subsequently perished. Charles Lee Jackson II discovered the body after McDaniel failed to appear at a previously scheduled luncheon the next day. McDaniel was autopsied and no evidence of foul play was found. His body was cremated and the memorial service was held, probably Nov 3rd, which this editor attended along with various fans and his widow, Joyce Mcdaniel. IF McDaniel perished of autoerotic asphyxiation, the story has been "hushed up" and this editor (who was a close friend of david) was unaware of it. It would, however, explain the hastiness of the autopsy, cremation and burial. McDaniel's service was held at Chapel of the Pines which is located in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los angeles, where McDaniel's cremains are interred. This editor is inclined to believe the less salacious version of events as Charles Lee Jackson II stated that since the door was blocked by McDaniel's body, he (Charles) had to climb through a window to gain entry to the apartment.

[edit] Response from Barry

CLJII said that the outer door was locked. The door that was blocked was the door to the bedroom. You can believe what you like, but Charley reported that he found Dave hanging -- and Lee and I had to clean up the carpet by the bedroom door, where various fluids had dripped as his body decomposed. And the cause of death is listed by the Coroner as "accidental strangulation"; it is available in LA County public records if you care to look it up.

In any case, I have deleted your question/comment as not germane to the purpose of the Wiki article: to convey information about the subject (Dave) that is of interest to the general public. Feel free to email me [edress deleted per Wiki policy about editor's real names & contact info] if you want more info. An intelligent person should be able to figure out my email address from my username. Bgoldnyxnet 15:26, 3 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] From Contessa

David Edward Mcdaniel was the author's actual name. His pseudonym, Ted Johnstone, was the name he used at LASFS. He was also known by the nickname "Tedron". Ironically, at the time of his death, he had just sold a script to a major television series and was getting back into writing.

From Barry:

I folded this into another part of the article where this peculiarity (writing under his real name, social life under a pseudonym) is already discussed.


[edit] Comment from George Senda

Dave was one of those persons who was universally liked and could be very kind to new fans. I spent several days at his home, got to read the final draft for the Final Affair and even sent Dave money when he was in need of it. He loved U.N.C.L.E. and is missed by his friends in the San Francisco area who knew him.

[edit] Response from Barry

I deleted this as not germane to a Wikipedia entry. We really don't want the wiki administrators to decide that this is a "vanity page" and delete it.

[edit] Cleanup needed

There are quite a few statements in this article that need citations otherwise they may be deleted as original research. I have deleted the reference in the intro to "Vampire Affair" being McDaniel's best known work because there is nothing in the article to support this statement. Why is this book better known than the other half-dozen UNCLE novels he wrote, or any of his other work? Also, please note that you should sign talk page discussion using four tildes (~~~~) which will insert the date and username automatically. Don't use "Comment from Joe". That's not Wikipedia style. 23skidoo 17:38, 27 January 2007 (UTC)

I used the form "comment from xxx" because I was moving stuff from the article page to the talk page, where it belonged. It may not be Wikipedia style, but it made it clear who was saying what. Sometimes clarity trumps official style -- and I hope that would be the case in Wikipedia.
Citations: I'll go through and annotate what I can, but some of the writing comes from direct knowledge -- in particular, most of the contributors knew McDaniel personally, I helped clean up his apartment after his death, JMStine helped with his writing career, etc.
I could put up a webpage elsewhere and then cite it, but I'm not sure that would be really improve matters.
Bgoldnyxnet 21:42, 12 March 2007 (UTC)
Prose from personal acquaintances is never acceptable, even if taken from a website that you create. We need indepedent, reliable sources (as defined by Wikimedia; please read the linked policy page) in order to argue the accuracy of material. Wikipedia has no reasonable means to verify any claim that any editor makes that they "know" someone, especially given that usernames are anonymous. We use reliable, published sources to avoid such issues. ~ Jeff Q (talk) 01:03, 13 March 2007 (UTC)


MIght as well delete the whole article, then. All the contributors to this article (except people like 23Skidoo who roam around fixing other people's typos, for which many thanks) are personal friends of Dave's, and I also know them personally.

About the ony "reliable" sources are his actual published works, and you would have to search used book stores to find those. Royalty statements are in a box somewhere, if they can be found at all. Oh, and his death certificate, which simply lists the cause as "accidental strangulation". However, I have spoken with the person who found the body, helped clean up the apartment afterward, and been to the funeral.

Here, for your delectation, are the real names of the contributors:

Content deleted by 23skidoo as violation of Wikipedia's rules. See rationale below.

But, if you insist on reliable sources, I'll edit the article down to the birth, marriage, and death dates (assuming you're willing to take my word that the relevant county records exist) and the bibliography. Nothing else can be verified from "reliable sources". Bgoldnyxnet 23:09, 26 June 2007 (UTC)

This is coming several months too late because I never noticed this before. Listing an editors real name and contact information in a talk page or article is against Wikipedia rules and is grounds for blocking from editing. I'm not doing that because a) I understand your frustration and b) it's months after the fact. The fact is Wikipedia demands verifiable sources. I have had articles that I've written based upon first-hand information edited down almost to a stub by people removing information that otherwise does not exist in any printed or online source. This is related to Wikipedia's No Original Research policy which demands that all information on Wikipedia be, basically, second-hand. And even citing sources such as fan websites like the Man from UNCLE one currently cited is not generally considered acceptable. I personally disagree with that aspect of WP:CITE and WP:WEB as I feel in 2007 such websites have to be considered viable sources of information as they are gaining more and more respect. 23skidoo 15:12, 1 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Coventry

Note: I have taken the reference brackets off Coventry, it refers to a shared fantasy world, not to the city in England. Bgoldnyxnet 23:09, 26 June 2007 (UTC)