James Warner Bellah

James Warner Bellah (1899 – 1976) was a well-known popular author from the 1930s to the 1950s. His pulp-fiction writings on cavalry and Indians were published in paperbacks or serialized in the "Saturday Evening Post". Some of his short works were turned into movies by John Ford. These movies include "Fort Apache", "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon", and "Rio Grande". With Willis Goldbeck he wrote the screenplay for "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance".

Bellah also served as a pilot in the 117th Squadron of Great Britain's Royal Flying Corps during World War I. He worked as a journalist for the "New York Post" in the 1930s and saw combat as an infantry officer during World War II.

His short story Spanish Man's Grave is considered by some to be one of the finest western stories ever written. His last script was A Thunder of Drums. Bellah's depiction of the Apache is protested by some and lauded as realistic by others.