John McCabe (writer)

His father was an engineer; the son loved acting from an early age, and at seven started to perform professionally with the Jessie Bonstelle Stock Company in the city.

[1] After attending the University of Detroit High School, he served in Europe, from 1943 to 1945, as a sergeant with the United States Army Air Forces.

He also wrote separate books about each man: The Comedy World of Stan Laurel (1974) and Babe: The Life of Oliver Hardy (1989).

The founding members were McCabe, actors Orson Bean and Chuck McCann, cartoonist Al Kilgore, and John Municino.

After the group had grown to dozens of chapters around the world, McCabe took the title "Exhausted Ruler" (a quotation from the Sons of the Desert film).

He told a reporter that he modeled the group on The Baker Street Irregulars, a fan organization for Sherlock Holmes, of which he had been a member.

[2] McCabe was one of the chief contributors to the BBC's Omnibus arts strand tribute to the comedy duo, Cuckoo: A Celebration of Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy, in 1974.

Appearing alongside Dick Van Dyke, Jerry Lewis, Spike Milligan, Hal Roach, Marvin Hatley and Marcel Marceau, McCabe spoke about the Sons of the Desert.

There he oversaw theater productions by students and staff, their many performances including The Glass Menagerie, John Brown's Body, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Old Lady Shows Her Medals, Everyman, Salad Days, and The Zoo Story.

They continued with their interest in theatre and together they produced, directed and acted in numerous summer stock productions in Milford, Pennsylvania.