Morton Freedgood, 93; Wrote ‘The Taking of Pelham One Two Three’

Morton Freedgood, 93, a best-selling author who wrote “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” and other detective and mystery novels under the pen name John Godey, died Sunday at his home in West New York, N.J. The cause of death was not disclosed.

He published a novel, “The Wall-to-Wall Trap,” under his own name in 1957, but decided to be known as John Godey -- borrowed from the title of a women’s publication of the 1880s -- on work that wasn’t serious literature.

Under the Godey name, he achieved commercial success with the books “A Thrill a Minute With Jack Albany,” which was made into a 1968 movie titled “Never a Dull Moment” with Dick Van Dyke, and “Never Put Off Till Tomorrow What You Can Kill Today” in 1970.

In 1973’s “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three,” the New York native wove a story about the hijacking of a New York City subway train. The book became a best-seller and was turned into a movie starring Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw.