R.I.P. Walter Bernstein, blacklisted screenwriter and Oscar nominee
Variety, Oscar-nominated screenwriter Walter Bernstein who was blacklisted in the ‘50s but kept his career alive by writing pseudonymous scripts has died. The news was confirmed by former Writers Guild Of America West president Howard Rodman, who referred to Bernstein as a “legendary screenwriter” and “one of the great humans” in a post on social media.Bernstein was 101.
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Bernstein was born in Brooklyn in 1919 and began his writing career by doing movie reviews while in college. He later worked as a correspondent for the Army newspaper when he was drafted into the military during World War II, publishing stories about his experiences in
his friends and writing partner eyen mcclellan hunter acted as the front man for the team taking the official writing credit and secretly sharing the payment with trum bow. in mcclellan hunter himself was later black listed. in 1992,he to add trum bow s name to the writing credits of roman holiday . the academy then recognized that the film was really written by dalton trum bow and his partner ian mcclellan hunter along with john diten. it was too late for dalton trum bow to enjoy. he died 60 years earlier in 1976. the sons of the writing partners trumbow and mcclellan eventually became members of the guild themselves and eventually pursued a correction in the guild s official writing credits of roman holiday . it is the credits that the industry considers the official history of screen writing.
chris kaiser, president of the writers guild of america west, the president, said it s not in our power to erase the mistakes or the suffering of the past, but we can make amends. we can pledge not to the fall prey again to the dangerous power of fear or to the impulse to censor. even if than pledge is only a hope, and in the end, we can give credit where credit is due. in acknowledging the contributions of dalton trum bow, ian mcclellan hunter and john diten to the writing, the wga has at last and at least told the truth. that fact is a tribute to the friendship of two fathers and then two sons and to a thing we can hold on to which is that friendship was stronger than and outlived the hate. i have to say good-bye.
credited screen writer. trum bow wrote the story for roman holiday while in exile in mexico. his friends and writing partner eyen mcclellan hunter acted as the front man for the team taking the official writing credit and secretly sharing the payment with trum bow. in mcclellan hunter himself was later black listed. in 1992, the academy of motion picture arts and sciences voted to add trum bow s name to the writing credits of roman holiday . the academy then recognized that the film was really written by dalton trum bow and his partner ian mcclellan hunter along with john diten. it was too late for dalton trum bow to enjoy. he died 60 years earlier in 1976. the sons of the writing partners trumbow and mcclellan eventually became members of the guild themselves and eventually pursued a correction in the guild s official writing credits
of roman holiday . it is the credits that the industry considers the official history of screen writing. chris kaiser, president of the writers guild of america west, the president, said it s not in our power to erase the mistakes or the suffering of the past, but we can make amends. we can pledge not to the fall prey again to the dangerous power of fear or to the impulse to censor. even if than pledge is only a hope, and in the end, we can give credit where credit is due. in acknowledging the contributions of dalton trum bow, ian mcclellan hunter and john diten to the writing, the wga has at last and at least told the truth. that fact is a tribute to the friendship of two fathers and then two sons and to a thing we can hold on to which is that friendship was stronger than and