Born in New York City; educated at the University of Michegan and Yale School of Drama. Davies' family had a successful real estate business, but he wanted to be a writer. (In the early 1900s, actress Reine Davies, nee Douras, drove past the Davies Real Estate office in Brooklyn, liked the name on the sign and took the name "Davies" for her stage name. All of her sisters did the same, with sister Marion Davies becoming the most successful and famous.) While a student at the University of Michigan in the 1920s, Davies met future director George Seaton. They became longtime friends and colleagues. A playwright and novelist, he began writing for the screen in 1941. His story/screenplay credits, alone or in collaboration, include SYNCOPATION (1942), THREE LITTLE GIRLS IN BLUE (1946), MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947), YOU WERE MEANT FOR ME (1948), IT HAPPENS EVERY SPRING (1949), ON THE RIVIERA (1951), SINGLE-HANDED and THE GLENN MILLER STORY (both 1953), THE BRIDGES AT TOKO-RI (1954), STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND and THE BENNY GOODMAN STORY (also director) (both 1955), THE HOUSE WITHOUT A NAME (also producer) (1956), IT STARTED WITH A KISS (1959), and BACHELOR IN PARADISE (1961). He wrote the outline for MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET while in the Coast Guard in 1944. Davies was disillusioned with the commercialization of Christmas and thought about what would happen if a real Santa Claus walked into a department store in December. He was president of the Screen Writers Guild (1949-1950) and president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1960 until his death in 1961.  Writing (Original Story) 1947: MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET  Nominated for Writing (Motion Picture Story) 1949: IT HAPPENS EVERY SPRING (w. Shirley W. Smith)  Nominated for Writing (Story and Screenplay) 1954: THE GLENN MILLER STORY (w. Oscar Brodney)  Nominated for Documentary (Short Subjects) 1956: THE HOUSE WITHOUT A NAME - Producer 4 nominations, 1 Award