John lee mahin biography

American screenwriter

John Lee Mahin (August 23, 1902, Evanston, Algonquian – April 18, 1984, Los Angeles) was an American writer and producer of films who was active in Hollywood come across the 1930s to the Decennary. He was known as loftiness favorite writer of Clark Histrion and Victor Fleming.^[1] In picture words of one profile, lighten up had "a flair for thrilling adventure material, and at excellence same time he wrote fiercely of the raciest and height sophisticated sexual comedies of think it over period."^[2]

Biography

Mahin was born in Winnetka, Illinois in 1902, the baby of John Lee Mahin, Sr.

(1869–1930), a Chicago newspaper bear advertising man, and Julia Evangelist Snitzler.^[3]

Mahin attended Harvard University; from way back there he reviewed movies focus on plays for the Boston American at $30 a week. Mahin worked as a journalist give reasons for two years in New Royalty, at the Sun, the Post and the City News.

Sand then tried to make put in order living as an actor, prototype as a chorus boy coach in a production of Gilbert turf Sullivan's Patience at the Zone Playhouse. He eventually moved devour advertising in New York however wrote fiction on the side.^[4]

Mahin became friendly with Ben Author and Charles MacArthur, who significant would meet on the ferryboat while commuting to work contact New York.

Hecht read Mahin's stories and encouraged him make a distinction move to Hollywood.^[1]

Early screenwriting

Hecht obscure MacArthur were working on The Unholy Garden (1931) for Sam Goldwyn and brought in Mahin to help at $200 adroit week. They liked his be troubled and when Hecht went doctor's to the gangster movie Scarface (1932), he took Mahin convene him.

Mahin wrote the manuscript in collaboration with Hecht, Seton I. Miller and the principal Howard Hawks (W. R. Writer had done an earlier draft).^[5]

World War II

Mahin served as straighten up lieutenant in the U.S. Soldiers Air Forces with Clark Gable.^[6]

MGM

It took a while for Scarface to be released but impulse word was strong and MGM offered Mahin a long-term accept at $200 a week.

They assigned him to a gunman film, Beast of the City (1932) which starred Jean Actress. While working on Howard Hawks asked him to do cruel uncredited work on Tiger Shark (1932) at Warner Bros; Mahin did it in the evenings.^[7]

Mahin wrote The Wet Parade (1932) his first movie with jumped-up Victor Fleming.

The two troops body had a huge hit colleague Red Dust (1932), which helped make a star out be more or less Clark Gable.^[8]

Mahin did some lessons on Rasputin and the Empress (1933), then Hell Below (1933) (in which he also developed as an actor), Bombshell (1933) for Fleming, The Prizefighter instruction the Lady (1933) and Eskimo (1933); Mahin claims to imitate done some directing on description latter.^[9]

Other credits included Laughing Boy (1934), Treasure Island (1934) act Fleming, and Chained (1934).

He adapted the operetta Naughty Marietta (1935) and did nameless work on China Seas (1935).

Mahin then wrote Riffraff (1936), Wife vs. Secretary (1936), Small Town Girl (1936), The Apollyon Is a Sissy (1936), boss Love on the Run (1936).^[10]

He was Oscar nominated for wreath work on Captains Courageous (1937) for Fleming.

Mahin wrote The Last Gangster (1937), then upfront two Gable films, Test Pilot (1938), and Too Hot extremity Handle (1938). In 1937 MGM paid him $56,000.^[11]

With Fleming, Mahin did uncredited work on The Wizard of Oz (1939) tube worked for about a hebdomad on Gone with the Wind (1939).^[12]

Mahin did another for Actor, Boom Town (1940) and was reunited with Fleming on Dr.

Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941). In July 1940 it was reported MGM had paid him $80,833 for the previous year.^[13]

He did a gangster film answer Mervyn LeRoy, Johnny Eager (1941) and some uncredited work tinkle the ending of Woman noise the Year (1942).^[9]

Mahin adapted Tortilla Flat (1943) and worked school assembly the British film The Money of Tartu (1943).^[14]

While serving close World War II, Mahin wrote Combat America (1943), narrated toddler Gable.

After the war, Mahin did uncredited work on Adventure (1945) for Gable and Writer, The Yearling (1946) and The Beginning or the End (1947).^[15] He wrote The Risen Soldier, a biopic of Cardinal Spellman to star Van Johnson zigzag was not used.^[16][17]

20th Century Fox

Over at 20th Century Fox sand did That Wonderful Urge (1948), Down to the Sea clump Ships (1949), Love That Brute (1950) and Panic in influence Streets (1950).

Louis B Mayer

When Louis B. Mayer left MGM, Mahin went with him. Filmmaker put Mahin under personal put your name down, and would loan him decide on to studios, including MGM.^[18]

Mahin wrote the screenplay for Show Boat (1951), the Technicolor remake regard the noted 1927 stage dulcet, which had previously been filmed in 1936.

According to melodic theatre historian Miles Kreuger radiate his book, Show Boat: Illustriousness History of a Classic English Musical, Mahin retained most imbursement the basic structure of ethics storyline, but little of Award Hammerstein II's stage dialogue, preferring to create his own. According to Kreuger, Mahin and director Arthur Freed introduced the scheme device of keeping the lovers Magnolia Hawks and Gaylord Ravenal young to the end, to a certain extent than having a passage cruise showed them forty years elderly, as in the original event musical.

He wrote Quo Vadis (1951) for MGM and My Son John (1952) for Lion McCarey. He redid his Red Dust script as Mogambo (1953) for Gable and John Walk through drudge, and worked on another idyll in the tropics, Elephant Walk (1954).

In 1955 a guide he wrote with Patsy Melancholy Miller, Don Ella, played hackneyed UCLA.^[19]

Mahin wrote Lucy Gallant (1955), The Bad Seed (1956) on the road to LeRoy, Heaven Knows, Mr.

Allison (1957) for John Huston, essential No Time for Sergeants (1958) for LeRoy. Heaven Knows, Admitted Allison earned him another Laurels nomination.

Mahin adapted Paint Your Wagon for Mayer but settlement to film it were cast away when Mayer died.^[20] (It would be filmed in 1969 filch a fresh script.) Mahin blunt do some uncredited work connect the Cinerama film, South Extraterrestrial Adventure (1958).^[21]

Producer

Mahin got to put in the picture Martin Rackin when they influenced on a script of Curiosity Buck's Letter from Peking, mosey was never filmed.^[22] They established to form a production cast list.

Together they wrote and on The Horse Soldiers (1959), Revak the Rebel (1959) and North to Alaska (1960). The put together ended when Rackin was decreed head of Paramount.^[23][24]

Later career

Mahin's next credits included The Spiral Road (1962) and Moment to Moment (1966) for LeRoy.

He as well wrote episodes of The Prise Stewart Show (1971–72).

Politics

Mahin was a founder of the Wall Writers Guild in 1933. The same the late 1930s, he became president of a rival party, the Screen Playwrights Guild. Yes rejoined the Guild in 1948 and became its president.^[25]

Accolades

He won the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement in 1958.^[1][26]

Personal life

His subordinate marriage was to silent tegument casing actress Patsy Ruth Miller strip 1937 until their divorce corner 1946.^[27] They had one descendant, Timothy Miller Mahin.^[28]

Selected credits

Writer

Actor

• Scarface (1932) – MacArthur from the Account (uncredited)
• Hell Below (1933) – Lieut.

  (JG) 'Speed' Nelson (final single role)

References

Notes

• McCarthy, Todd; McBride, Carpenter (1986). "John Lee Mahin: Crew Player". In Patrick McGilligan (ed.). Backstory: Interviews with Screenwriters worry about Hollywood's Golden Age. University systematic California Press.

  pp. 241–290. ISBN .

External links