Michael Wilson (Author)

Michael Wilson (born July 1, 1914 in McAlester , Oklahoma , † April 9, 1978 in Los Angeles County ) was an American screenwriter .

Life

Michael Wilson wrote the scripts for 22 films between 1941 and 1969. During the McCarthy era he was on the black list of the entertainment industry of Hollywood ( entertainment industry blacklist ) set, which practically amounted to a prohibition. During this time he wrote scripts for European productions, but also for Hollywood films, but for these only unnamed or under a pseudonym and for a much lower payment than usual for an author. For example, he was denied the name of an author for the film The Two-Headed Spy ("The Spy with Two Faces"). Instead, he appeared under the name James O'Donnell, until later the authorship was credited back to him. In the Oscar nomination of his screenplay for the film Friendly Persuasion ("Alluring Temptation") from 1956, he was disqualified because his name was not seen in the credits.

Movies

• 1941: Novel of a Dancer ( The Men in Her Life )
• 1943: Border Patrol
• 1943: Colt Comrades
• 1943: Bar 20
• 1944: Forty Thieves
• 1946: isn't life beautiful? ( It's a Wonderful Life ) (co-author, anonymous)
• 1951: A Place in the Sun ( A Place in the Sun )
• 1952: The Cicero Case ( 5 Fingers )
• 1954: Lux Video Theater , Episode A Place in the Sun (TV series)
• 1954: The Salt of the Earth ( Salt of the Earth )
• 1954: fairground love ( Carnival Story ) (uncredited)
• 1954: Mannequins for Rio (unnamed)
• 1955: Damn silenced ( The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell ) (uncredited)
• 1956: Persuasion ( Friendly Persuasion ) (uncredited)
• 1957: The Bridge on the River Kwai ( The Bridge on the River Kwai )
• 1958: The Two-Headed Spy (originally as James O'Donnell)
• 1958: Storm in the East ( La tempesta ) (anonymous)
• 1960: Jovanka and the others ( 5 Branded Women )
• 1962: Lawrence of Arabia ( Lawrence of Arabia )
• 1965: ... who desire everything ( The Sandpiper )
• 1968: Planet of the Apes ( Planet of the Apes )
• 1969: Che!

Awards (selection)

1952 Wilson won an Oscar for a place in the sun . His script work (together with Carl Foreman ) on another Oscar-winning film (1958 for The Bridge on the Kwai ) was officially recognized posthumously only in 1984, since Wilson has not received a credit for being a blacklisted writer in Hollywood studios since 1953 . His work was nominated three more times for an Oscar, but officially only in 1953 for The Cicero Case . In 1957 for Alluring Temptation and 1963 for Lawrence of Arabia (co-writer with Robert Bolt ) this was done without Wilson having been named in the films. The nomination for Lawrence of Arabia was not made until 1995 by the Board of Directors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . The Writers Guild of America (WGA) presented Wilson with the 1976 Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement.

Web links

• Michael Wilson at the Internet Movie Database (English)