Donald Ogden Stewart, writer and American screenwriter. Born on November 30, 1894 in Columbus Grove, Ohio). He died as a result of heart failure in London, on 2 August 1980.
Son of a wealthy resources family study at Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut). During the first world war, he served in the Navy and was in Europe.
At the end of the war, he settled in New York, where he began writing satirical novels (where with much humor is parodied the American lifestyle). This type of novels were consistent with the taste of the time. It works as a Perfect Behavior or A Parody Outline of History (with Henry Roth ilustracones) 1921.
In 1924, Stewart married Beatrice Ames with who would have two children (Ames Ogden Stewart and Donald Stewart). They divorced in 1938, becoming married Ella Winter with whom 2 agpstp 1980 he married until his death in 1939.
In 1925, he proposed that you adapt some of his own works to the big screen, however, at the time, these projects were not forward.
In 1926, he wrote his first screenplay. The film was moult of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Brown of Harvard. This film directed by Jack Conway has gone down in history as John Wayne’s first contact with the seventh art (appeared, ephemerally, as walk-on). Stewart was not responsible for the story, because it was an adaptation of a play by Rida Johnson Young. For his work gained $ 250 per week, a not insignificant amount.
In 1928, he met Philip Barry, and through him the world of Broadway. In 1930 he wrote his first play Rebound and his first musical, which was also the first musical in which music was composed entirely by a woman. That woman composer was Kay Swift.
In these early days, also flirted with interpretation and between 1929 and 1935 intervened in five films:
1. 1929 – Humorous Flights short twelve minutes comedy film directed by Fred Fleck and which had also signed the Indent.
2. Robert Florey Night Club.
3. 1930 – Not So Dumb King Vidor. Film starring Marion Davies Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
4. 1933 – Sister white (The White Sister) Victor Fleming. Starring Clark Gable in which Stewart also participated in the script.
5. 1935 – Not more women (No More Ladies) screenplay and Edward H. Griffith. Film starring Joan Crawford and Robert Montgomery that Stewart also participated in the script.
Donald Ogden Stewart was gaining a reputation in the world of cinema thanks to their dialogues with spark. In fact, many times, his work as writers consisted only in writing or monitor the dialogues in other scripts in dinner at eight or the prisoner of Zenda.
In 1940 he had obtained recognition of profession Academy Award nomination as fellow film Philadelphia stories. The odd thing is that being the author of many original stories, this nomination came by the adaptation of a play by his friend Philip Barry.
When Adolf Hitler came to power, Stewart was among the Hollywood Anti-nazi League drivers. Later, during the McCarthy this League was regarded as a nursery for Communists, in 1950, he was considered a Communist and made its name will appear on the black list, which in 1951 decided to emigrate to London (Great Britain), where he remained until his death. In fact, in the early years, but had decided again, there could not, because the State Department considered it a threat to the United States and have not had renewed you the Passport.
Although, after their forced exile returned to work, their pace of work was never the same and their scripts were being more sporadic. His work suffered hard experience, because Stewart lost its spark (his humorous touch). They shelter in his literary activity and periodísitcos articles.
In 1975, he wrote his autobiography By Stroke of Luck.
Filmography
1. 1926 – Jack Conway Brown of Harvard.
2. 1929 – Humorous Flights of Fred Fleck (12-minute short film).
3. Traffic Regulations (short film of 6 minutes).
4. 1930 – Laughter of Harry d’Abbadie d’Arrast.
5. 1931 – Mancillado honor (Tarnished Lady) screenplay.
6. 1932 – Called eternal (Smilin’ Through) Sidney Franklin.
7. Land of passion (Red Dust) Victor Fleming.
8. 1933 – Dinner at eight (Dinner at Eight) screenplay.
9. Husband y Cía (Another Language) Edward H. Griffith.
10. Sister white (The White Sister) Victor Fleming.
11. Love in Hollywood (Going Hollywood) Raoul Walsh.
12. 1934 – The virgins of Wimpole Street (The Barretts of Wimpole Street) Sidney Franklin.
13. 1935 – Not more women (No More Ladies) screenplay.
14. The indomitable (Reckless) Victor Fleming.
15. 1937 – The prisoner of Zenda (The Prisoner of Zenda) John Cromwell.
16. 1938 – Live to enjoy (Holiday’) George Cukor.
17. Marie Antoinette W.S. (Marie Antoinette) Van Dyke.
18. 1939 – Women (The Women) screenplay.
19. Appointment de Amor (Love Affair) Leo McCarey.
20. 1940 – Philadelphia stories (The Philadelphia Story) screenplay.
21. Mirage of love (Kitty Foyle: The Natural History Of A Woman) of Sam Wood.
22. 1941 – Called eternal (Smilin’ Through) of Frank Borzage.
23. A woman face (A woman’s Face) screenplay.
24. What women think (That Uncertain Feeling) Ernst Lubitsch.
25. 1942 – Six destinations (Tales Of Manhattan) Julien Duvivier.
26. Called sacred (Keeper of the flame) screenplay.
27. 1943 – Always and one day (Forever and a Day), film with different episodes that had seven directors including René Clair.
28. 1945 – Without love (Without Love) of Harold S. Bucquet.
29. 1947 – Two ages of love George Sidney (Cass Timberlane).
30. Life with father (Life with father) of Michael Curtiz.
31. 1949-Edward, my son (Edward, My Son) screenplay.
32. 1952 – The prisoner of Zenda (The Prisoner of Zenda) Richard Thorpe.
33. Europe 1951 (Europa ‘ 51) Roberto Rossellini.
34. 1955 – Summer Follies (Summertime) David Lean.
35. Philip Leacock Escapade.
36. 1957 – Tú y yo (An Affair To Remember) Leo McCarey
37. 1960 – László Benedek Moment of Danger.
38. 1975 – The last night of Boris ended (Love and Death) of Woody Allen.
* In 1994 he is represented by David Gow in the film La Mrs. Parker and the vicious circle.
Novels and works endorsed adapted to film
1. Mr and Mrs Haddock Abroa novel it adapted for film Finn and Hattie (1931) Norman z. McLeod and Norman Taurog.
2. Rebound play adapted the Rebound (1931) by Edward H. Griffith, Horace Jackson quión film.
