Frank S. Nugent
Frank Stanley Nugent (27 May 1908, New York City – 29 December 1965, Los Angeles) was an American journalist, film reviewer, script doctor, and screenwriter who wrote 21 film scripts, 11 for John Ford.[1] He received a nomination for the Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay for film The Quiet Man in 1953; the film also won him his first Writers Guild of America Award for 'Best Written American Comedy', an award he was to receive again in 1956 for Mister Roberts (1955)[2].
His screenplay for The Searchers (1956), ranks amongst the top 101 screenplays of all time by Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) [3], while the film itself is now widely acknowledged as one of the best Westerns ever made, being named the Greatest Western of all time by the American Film Institute in 2008. It also placed 12th on the American Film Institute's 2007 list of the 100 Greatest American Films of all time.[4].
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[edit] Biography
Frank S. Nugent studied journalism at Columbia University, started his career as a news reporter with The New York Times in 1929 and in 1934 moved into reviewing films; two years later he succeeded Andre Sennwald as the NYT's motion picture editor and critic in 1936, a post he held till 1940 [5][6][7]. It was Nugent who wrote the very favorable New York Times review of the classic MGM film The Wizard of Oz in 1939.
Nugent's not so positive review of The Story of Alexander Graham Bell that same year led to a reduction of 20th Century Fox's advertising in the Times for six months, costing the Times $50,000 in lost advertising revenue [8][1] A review of Fox's The Grapes of Wrath led to an offer from studio head Darryl F. Zanuck to work as a script editor at the studio with Zanuck saying "if you can't fire 'em, hire 'em".[1][8] Nugent freelanced as a journalist during this period.
Nugent met Ford when an assignment for the New York Times Magazine to Mexico to meet with John Ford during the filming of The Fugitive (1947) led to a long and fruitful association with the John Ford Stock Company. Nugent also worked in England (The Red Beret and North West Frontier), Scotland (Trouble in the Glen), Ireland (The Quiet Man and The Rising of the Moon), and Hawaii (Donovan's Reef).
Nugent wrote a variety of Western films such as Fort Apache, 3 Godfathers, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Wagonmaster and The Searchers for John Ford with other westerns for Stuart Heisler (Tulsa), Robert Wise (Two Flags West), Raoul Walsh (The Tall Men), and They Rode West and Gunman's Walk for Phil Karlson. Nugent also worked on the troubled Mister Roberts [9].
He served as the President of the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW), from 1957 to 1958, he also served a three-year stint (1956-59) as chairman of the building fund committee that oversaw the construction of its headquarters in Beverly Hills [8]. He died on 29 December 1965 in Los Angeles, California.
[edit] Further reading
- The Searchers: Screenplay, by Frank S Nugent, Alan Le May, John Ford. Published by Warner Bros, 1956. Online Version
- American Film Criticism, from the Beginnings to Citizen Kane: Reviews of Significant Films at the Time They First Appeared, by Stanley Kauffmann, Bruce Henstell. Published by Liveright, 1972. ISBN 0-87140-557-1.
- Talking Pictures: Screenwriters in the American Cinema, 1927-1973, by Richard Corliss. Overlook Press. 1974.
- Talking Pictures: Screenwriters of Hollywood, by Richard Corliss. Published by David & Charles, 1975.
- The New York Times at the Movies, by Arleen Keylin, Christine Bent. Published by Arno Press, 1979. ISBN 0-405-12415-5.
- Close Viewings: An Anthology of New Film Criticism, by Peter Lehman. Published by University Press of Florida, 1990. ISBN 0-8130-0967-7.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Cecile Starr. "Frank S. Nugent". filmreference.com. http://www.filmreference.com/Writers-and-Production-Artists-Ni-Po/Nugent-Frank-S.html.
- ^ Awards Internet Movie Database.
- ^ 101 screenplays Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW).
- ^ AFI's website listing Top 100 films
- ^ Frank S. Nugent Profile New York Times.
- ^ FRANK S. NUGENT FETED; Times Critic Honored at Dinner --To Be Film Script-Writer New York Times, February 28, 1940.
- ^ American Film Criticism, from the Beginnings to Citizen Kane: Reviews of Significant Films at the Time They First Appeared, by Stanley Kauffmann, Bruce Henstell. Published by Liveright, 1972. ISBN 0-87140-557-1.Page 337.
- ^ a b c Frank S. Nugent - Biography, Milestones and Filmography Film.com.
- ^ Filmography Channel 4.
