Michael Fessier, 82; Novelist, Screenwriter on Westerns

Screenwriter and author Michael Fessier, son of an Angels Camp saloon keeper who became known for his witty Westerns, has died at his Northridge home.

He was 82 when he died Monday.

A journalist and novelist (“Fully Dressed and in His Right Mind” and “Clovis”), Fessier worked primarily for Universal Studios, occasionally as a producer.

But his two major writing credits came at Columbia where he and Ernest Pagano wrote the Fred Astaire-Rita Hayworth films “You Were Never Lovelier” and “You’ll Never Get Rich.” The latter was credited with making a star of Miss Hayworth.

His other pictures included “Frontier Gal,” “San Diego I Love You,” “It All Came True” and “Red Garters,” a 1954 Western musical.

Fessier is survived by his wife, former actress Lillian Bond; a daughter, Josephine; a son, writer Michael Fessier Jr.; five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.