The screenwriters of Hollywood’s Golden Age were the pioneers of narrative storytelling. The writers were the architects who built the structures that are still in use today to construct our favorite movies. Writers of this era were often limited by technological advances as well as the domineering studios that presided over top of them, yet they always sought to create unique and original pieces.
Unlike the lionized directors and actors, often the screenwriters went unnoticed. They get none of the glory even though they conjured the details of existence from their own personal experiences. The Golden Age saw new forms of narratives and boundaries being pushed to advance the art form further. What makes the work these writers have still relevant is the realism and personality they put in, to make something no one else had seen before.
10 Seton I. Miller
Notable Work: 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' (1938)
A prominent storyteller from the late thirties into the late fifties, Miller worked under the guile of prominent film directors like Howard Hawks, Michael Curtiz, and John Farrow. He worked with the majority of studios such as Paramount, Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox, and Universal which had plagued most writers with rewrites and corporate policies that resulted in debates over proper screen credits. Miller got past most of this by also being a producer, seeking that his word and his vision were met indelibly.
His most prominent film The Adventures of Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn, saw a swashbuckling character that allowed audiences to suspend their disbelief. Miller understood the complexities of the art form and had a knack for the complexities of the action that made stars so appealing. His tactics on the page provided suspense and comedy that made him versatile in all the work he did.
The Adventures of Robin Hood
PG- Release Date
- May 14, 1938
- Director
- Michael Curtiz , William Keighley
- Cast
- Errol Flynn , Olivia de Havilland , Basil Rathbone , Claude Rains , Una O'Connor
- Runtime
- 102
9 Powell and Pressburger
Notable Work: 'The Red Shoes' (1948)
British filmmakers that expanded a creative partnership over six decades. The most notable classics from them came in the 1940s with movies like A Canterbury Tale, Black Narcissus, and The Red Shoes. Though the two filmmakers never quite got the credit they deserved for the era, they have gone on to be some of the most influential filmmakers. Their opinions were thought to be astoundingly British even though they were focusing on higher complexities in their art.
Under the production company known as the Archers, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger brought their own form of Cinema to the United States that brought a diverging experience from the Studio System’s pictures. They focused on the psychological abstract with narratives focusing on the inner struggles of creatives and the working class. The duo was able to mitigate responsibilities from writing to directing in order to create some of the best art films. Their emergence to other generations and filmmakers can be attributed to Martin Scorsese, the granddaddy of cinema who helped get their names to others and even introduced Thelma Schoonmaker to her husband, Michael Powell.
The Red Shoes
Not Rated- Release Date
- September 20, 1948
- Director
- Michael Powell , Emeric Pressburger
- Cast
- Anton Walbrook , Marius Goring , Moira Shearer , Robert Helpmann
- Runtime
- 135 minutes
- Main Genre
- Drama
8 Leigh Brackett
Notable Work: 'The Big Sleep' (1946)
Initially a writer of science fiction who was catapulted into the film industry through her 1944 novel, “No Good From a Corpse” when Howard Hawks insisted on getting a call with “this guy Brackett.” Propelling her into the industry, Brackett went on to write The Big Sleep, Rio Bravo, Hatari!, The Long Goodbye, and the first draft of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back before her death.
Brackett took general archetypes and molded them to the very limit. Taking The Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye, two separate movies centered around the same character Philip Marlowe by Raymond Chandler. The general cliché was created in the thirties which expounded on the attributes of the gangster and PI characters. In The Big Sleep, Marlowe is much more of this type of character, brought to life by Humphrey Bogart. The Long Goodbye took a divergence from this, as Robert Altman initially wasn’t even interested in the piece. That was until Brackett made a character that audiences could see themselves in. She took conventions and was able to dismantle them and bring them back in her own unique way.
The Big Sleep
NR- Release Date
- August 31, 1946
- Director
- Howard Hawks
- Cast
- Humphrey Bogart , Lauren Bacall
- Runtime
- 114
7 Julius and Philip Epstein
Notable Work: 'Casablanca' (1942)
Together, two brothers from New York were able to create the most prolific studio film Casablanca, which still gets debated as one of the best films to ever be made. They had a knack for the brooding wit and cynicism they gave to characters. Mr. Epstein said that the ability to write good dialogue was genetic: ''You're born with it like a good football player is born.''
The brothers worked on nine films together before the unfortunate passing of Philip. Though Julius was heartbroken over his brother's death, he continued his work, writing 2 Academy Award-nominated films as well as a novel and a stage play. Graduates of Penn State University, the brothers were versed in drama. Their films were made exhilarating but with a touch of sentiment.
Casablanca
PG- Release Date
- January 23, 1942
- Director
- Michael Curtiz
- Cast
- Humphrey Bogart , Ingrid Bergman , Paul Henreid , Claude Rains , Conrad Veidt , Sydney Greenstreet
- Runtime
- 102 minutes
6 Joseph Mankiewicz
Notable Work: 'All About Eve' (1950)
The brother to Herman Mankiewicz, Joseph was more malleable in his ability to adhere to Studio System procedures. He was attuned to the old guard, a majority of male writers in a room coming up with the next picture that would make the studio a profit. As Joseph began to stand out from the crowd and the relationship of filmmakers and development changed, Joseph’s voice found a place within the American audiences.
He wrote over 40 screenplays and produced dozens of films. He was responsible for some of the classics of the era including Philadelphia Story, Woman of the Year, All About Eve, and Guys and Dolls. Joseph had his hands on most of the films that saw daylight in the 40s and 50s making him one of the most prominent storytellers of the era.
All About Eve
NRA seemingly timid but secretly ruthless ingénue insinuates herself into the lives of an aging Broadway star and her circle of theater friends.
- Release Date
- October 6, 1950
- Director
- Joseph L. Mankiewicz
- Cast
- Bette Davis , Anne Baxter , George Sanders , Celeste Holm , Gary Merrill , Hugh Marlowe
- Runtime
- 138
5 Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin
Notable Work: 'A Double Life' (1947)
The Hollywood couple co-wrote films that put a spotlight on the sexual disparity between men and women in the country. These films challenged the status quo, allowing for more women to become part of the industry as well as within society at large.
Mainly in the realm of romantic comedy, the two did not tell the traditional tropes associated with the genre. No meet cutes, only the confrontation between a dynamic of an equal match of witty and strong characters that are able to hold their own against each other and the world they take part in. Throughout their creative partnership, they had more control over their projects than others had. Writing without a producer or studio above them, they were able to collaborate with the filmmaker George Cukor, where they were able to take part in the production as well as post-production of their films.
4 Herman Mankiewicz
Notable Work: 'Citizen Kane' (1941)
A fundamental person that shaped the content studios were putting out was Herman Mankiewicz. He moved to California in the 20s to take part in silent films and was in and out of the industry until he passed away. The early studio writer went on to write what many debate as the best movie of all time… the infamous Citizen Kane. Sixty years removed from the film, and it is still one of the great classics of the era. David Fincher’s film Mank gives an accurate portrayal of his life.
In part, he is responsible for bringing the fast talking, wise cracking, cynical characters to the screen. Think James Stewart in It’s A Wonderful Life. Mankiewicz was an astute reader as much as he was a writer. He knew everything from ancient philosophies to the works of Shakespeare that helped to influence the worlds he created, even getting him in trouble sometimes when the McCarthy era swept through the industry.
Citizen Kane
NR- Release Date
- April 17, 1941
- Director
- Orson Welles
- Cast
- Orson Welles , Joseph Cotten , Dorothy Comingore , Agnes Moorehead , Ruth Warrick , Ray Collins
- Runtime
- 119
3 John Huston
Notable Work: 'The Maltese Falcon' (1941)
A writer of the majority of films that he directed, John Huston was another multi-talented individual who was able to take his ideas and execute them to his desires. Huston wrote and directed the Maltese Falcon, regarded as the first major film noir to gain significant attraction. Huston is able to take very big broad ideas and suffocate them into his characters that exude the folly of existence.
Huston appeared in the majority of his movies, which today is always a fun game of watching to spot where he shows up, though you’ll always know given his voice and stature. His films can be considered patriotic as they deal with intense psychology, especially after the war efforts in the 40s. Huston brought his own sense of realism and what it meant to be an American during that time, as themes of truth and freedom were ingrained in characters in their search for meaning around the contextual plot that Huston juxtaposed them with.
The Maltese Falcon
NRSan Francisco private detective Sam Spade takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar and their quest for a priceless statuette, with the stakes rising after his partner is murdered.
- Release Date
- October 18, 1941
- Director
- John Huston
- Cast
- Humphrey Bogart , Mary Astor , Gladys George , Peter Lorre , Barton MacLane , Lee Patrick
- Runtime
- 101
2 Billy Wilder
Notable Work: 'Sunset Boulevard' (1950)
Escaping the Nazi regime, Billy Wilder came to America to continue his film career. What makes Wilder one of the best writers in general, was his flexibility in writing different genres of films, from gritty film noirs such asDouble Indemnity and Sunset Blvd. to comedies like Some Like It Hot. His abilities far exceeded those of just a screenwriter as he directed and produced most of his films, which allowed him to be the first ever person to win an Academy Award as a writer, director, and producer for The Apartment.
Wilder never takes the audience out of the experience in his movies. His concepts have depth to them, but they are easy to understand. He made plot points unrecognizable to the viewer because he didn’t want audiences to realize they were watching something manufactured. Wilder's writing is seamless and subtle, which is what has allowed many of his movies to be universal and continue to be popular among movie lovers for decades.
Sunset Boulevard
NR- Release Date
- August 10, 1950
- Director
- Billy Wilder
- Cast
- William Holden , Erich von Stroheim
- Runtime
- 110 minutes
1 Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Notable Work: 'Singin' in the Rain' (1952)
The creative partnership between Betty Comden and Adolph Green set the stage for some of the best musicals of the day. The two met at New York University and went on to write sketch comedy together before going to Hollywood together. This started a decade-long partnership that allowed them to create some of the best musicals of the era.
The acme of their achievements came with Singin’ in the Rain. Comden and Green’s writing touched on the essence of the witty nature that other writers had previously bestowed as the norm, though Comden provided an emotional perspective that other musicals didn’t have. The plots they devised worked so well with Gene Kelly’s imagination of dance that the musical numbers felt on the same rhythm as the story and not just a one-off chance for a performer to take over. This is perhaps one of the greatest collaborations to come out of the 20th century.
Singin in the Rain
G- Release Date
- April 9, 1952
- Director
- Stanley Donen , Gene Kelly
- Cast
- Gene Kelly , Donald O'Connor , Debbie Reynolds , Jean Hagen , Millard Mitchell , Cyd Charisse
- Runtime
- 103
