Screenwriter of "Marnie" dies....

Jay Presson Allen, a famed adapter of novels for stage and screen who
stood out in an era when few women worked in that field, died May 1 in
Manhattan after suffering a stroke. She was 84.

Allen's work is credited with bringing out the best in several female
actresses, including Vanessa Redgrave, Maggie Smith and Liza Minnelli.
The writer was also known for her sharp tongue and witty observations.

In the 1960s, Redgrave and Smith, as well as Zoe Caldwell, portrayed a
liberated schoolteacher in "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," which Allen
adapted for both the theater and film from Muriel Spark's novel. It was
perhaps the best critical success for Allen, and it yielded Caldwell a
Tony Award and Smith an Oscar.

In 1972, Allen's film adaptation of the musical "Cabaret" was nominated
for 10 Academy Awards. Liza Minnelli, in the role of Sally Bowles, won
best actress.

Born Jay Presson in Fort Worth, Texas, she moved to California at age
18 to act but soon turned to writing instead. She published a novel in
1948 titled "Spring Riot."

Jay Presson met her husband, Lewis M. Allen, a Tony Award-winner who
produced the Broadway hit "Annie," in 1955; he died in 2003.

Other works by Allen include a 1968 English adaptation of the French
play "Forty Carats" and "Family," a television drama she created. Using
Truman Capote's writings, Allen wrote and directed the 1989 play "Tru."
She also adapted the novel "Marnie" for Alfred Hitchcock. In later
years, she wrote and exec produced "Just Tell Me What You Want" for
director Sidney LumetSidney Lumet from her own novel as well as "Prince
of the City" and "Deathtrap."

She is survived by a daughter and two grandchildren.