Jules Furthman (March 5, 1888 – September 22, 1966) was an American magazine and newspaper writer before working as a

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. T ...

Biography

Furthman was born in Chicago. His brother was the writer Charles Furthman. During World War I he wrote under the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

"Stephen Fox" as he thought Furthman sounded too German. He wrote screenplays for a number of important or popular films, including ''

The Docks of New York ''The Docks of New York'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring George Bancroft, Betty Compson, and Olga Baclanova. The movie was adapted by Jules Furthman from the John Monk Saunders story ''The D ...

'' (1928), ''

Thunderbolt A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hell ...

'' (1929), ''

Merely Mary Ann ''Merely Mary Ann'' a 1931 American pre-Code romantic comedy drama film starring Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell. Gaynor and Farrell made almost a dozen films together, including Frank Borzage's classics '' Seventh Heaven'' (1927), '' Street A ...

'' (1931), '' Shanghai Express'' (1932), '' Bombshell'' (1933), ''

Mutiny on the Bounty The mutiny on the Royal Navy vessel occurred in the South Pacific Ocean on 28 April 1789. Disaffected crewmen, led by acting-Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, seized control of the ship from their captain, Lieutenant William Bligh, and set ...

'' (1935), '' Come and Get It'' (1936), ''

Only Angels Have Wings ''Only Angels Have Wings'' is a 1939 American Adventure film, adventure drama (film and television), drama film directed by Howard Hawks, starring Cary Grant and Jean Arthur, and is based on a story written by Hawks. Its plot follows the manager ...

'' (1939), '' To Have and Have Not'' (1944), ''

The Big Sleep ''The Big Sleep'' (1939) is a hardboiled crime novel by American-British writer Raymond Chandler, the first to feature the detective Philip Marlowe. It has been adapted for film twice, in 1946 and again in 1978. The story is set in Los Ange ...

'' (1946), and '' Nightmare Alley'' (1947). He wrote credited screenplays for eight films directed by Josef Von Sternberg and an equal number for Howard Hawks. He was nominated for an

Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay adapted from previously established material. The most frequently adapted media are novels, but other adapted narrative formats include stage plays, musica ...

for ''Mutiny on the Bounty''. In 1920, he married the actress Sybil Seely, who played in five films directed by

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression ...

. She and Furthman had a son in 1921, and she retired from acting in 1922. They remained together until his death. Furthman died of a

cerebral hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...

in 1966 in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

, United Kingdom. His remains were brought home and interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from 191,719 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth-larges ...

Legacy

Pauline Kael Pauline Kael (; June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) was an American film critic who wrote for ''The New Yorker'' magazine from 1968 to 1991. Known for her "witty, biting, highly opinionated and sharply focused" reviews, Kael's opinions oft ...

once wrote that Furthman "has written about half of the most entertaining movies to come out of Hollywood." On the UK television program ''Scene By Scene'', host Mark Cousins said, "Furthman wrote some of your best lines and he also wrote for her (Marlene Deitrich), those sort of, sexy and ambiguous lines."

Lauren Bacall Lauren Bacall (; born Betty Joan Perske; September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014) was an American actress. She was named the 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute and received an Academy Honorary Aw ...

replied, "He did? Well, that I didn't know. I asked Howard Hawks once, why he used Furthman; as he didn't write the entire screenplay. And he (Hawks) said, 'If there are five ways to play a scene, he (Furthman) will write a sixth way.' And of course, that makes perfect sense and that's exactly what Furthman did. He always came around the back way and suddenly there was a little surprise there."

List of screenplays

*'' Steady Company'' (1915) (story) (as Julius G. Furthman) *'' Bound on the Wheel'' (1915) (story) (as Julius G. Furthman) *''Chasing the Limited'' (1915) (scenario) *'' Mountain Justice'' (1915) (story) (as Julius G. Furthman) *''A Fiery Introduction'' (1915) (story) (as Julius G. Furthman) *''Quits'' (1915) (as Julius G. Furthman) *''The Little Blonde in Black'' (1915) *''High Play'' (1917) (scenario) (as Jules Grinnell Furthmann) *''The Frame-Up'' (1917) *''The Shackles of Truth'' (1917) (story) (as Julius Grinnell Furthman) *''The Masked Heart'' (1917) (story) (as Julius Grinnell Furthmann) *'' Souls in Pawn'' (1917) (story) *''The Mantle of Charity'' (1918) (as Stephen Fox) *''A Camouflage Kiss'' (1918) (as Stephen Fox) * '' Hearts or Diamonds?'' (1918) * '' Up Romance Road'' (1918) (as Stephen Fox) * '' A Japanese Nightingale'' (1918) * '' Hobbs in a Hurry'' (1918) (scenario) (as Stephen Fox) * '' All the World to Nothing'' (1918) (as Stephen Fox) *'' Wives and Other Wives'' (1918) (as Stephen Fox) *''When a Man Rides Alone'' (1919) (as Stephen Fox) * '' Where the West Begins'' (1919) * '' Brass Buttons'' (1919) (as Stephen Fox) * '' Some Liar'' (1919) (scenario) (as Stephen Fox) *'' A Sporting Chance'' (1919) (as Stephen Fox) * '' This Hero Stuff'' (1919) (story) (as Stephen Fox) * '' Six Feet Four'' (1919) (as Stephen Fox) *''

Victory The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes a ...

'' (1919) (as Stephen Fox) *'' The Lincoln Highwayman'' (1919) (adaptation) * ''

The Beloved Cheater ''The Beloved Cheater'' (originally titled ''The Pleasant Devil'') is a 1919 American silent comedy film, directed by Christy Cabanne. It stars Lew Cody, Doris Pawn, and Eileen Percy, and was released on December 6, 1919. Plot Kingdon Challoner ...

'' (1919) (story) (as Steven Fox) *''Would You Forgive?'' (1920) * '' The Valley of Tomorrow'' (1920) (as Stephen Fox) *''

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure n ...

'' (1920) (as Stephen Fox) *''Leave It to Me'' (1920) (scenario) *'' Twins of Suffering Creek'' (1920) (scenario) *''A Sister to Salome'' (1920) *''

The Great Redeemer ''The Great Redeemer'' is a 1920 American silent Western film co-directed by Maurice Tourneur and Clarence Brown and starring House Peters, Marjorie Daw, Jack McDonald, and Joseph Singleton. Cast * House Peters as Dan Malloy * Marjorie ...

'' (1920) (adaptation) *'' The White Circle'' (1920) *''The Man Who Dared'' (1920) (as Julius G. Furthman) *''

The Skywayman ''The Skywayman'' was a 1920 American silent action drama film directed by James P. Hogan and produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation. The film starred noted aerial stunt pilot Ormer Locklear and Louise Lovely. After having appeared i ...

'' (1920) *'' The Texan'' (1920) (scenario) * '' The Iron Rider'' (1920) (scenario) *''

The Land of Jazz ''The Land of Jazz'' is a 1920 American silent comedy film produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation. Directed by Jules Furthman and written by Barbara La Marr, it starred Eileen Percy and Ruth Stonehouse. Cast *Eileen Percy as Nina Dum ...

'' (1920) *''High Gear Jeffrey'' (1921) *''The Cheater Reformed'' (1921) *''

The Big Punch ''The Big Punch'' is a 1921 American silent Western film directed by John Ford. No copy of the film is known to survive in either a public repository or private collection, so it is currently presumed to be a lost film. In France, the film wa ...

'' (1921) *''The Blushing Bride'' (1921) *'' Colorado Pluck'' (1921) * '' Singing River'' (1921) * '' The Last Trail'' (1921) *''The Roof Tree'' (1921) * '' Pawn Ticket 210'' (1922) *''Gleam O'Dawn'' (1922) * '' The Ragged Heiress'' (1922) *'' Arabian Love'' (1922) *''The Yellow Stain'' (1922) *'' Strange Idols'' (1922) * '' Calvert's Valley'' (1922) *'' The Love Gambler'' (1922) *'' A California Romance'' (1922) *''Lovebound'' (1923) *'' St. Elmo'' (1923) *'' North of Hudson Bay'' (1923) *'' The Acquittal'' (1923) * '' Condemned'' (1923) * ''

Try and Get It ''Try and Get It'' is a 1924 American silent comedy film directed by Cullen Tate and starring Bryant Washburn, Billie Dove, and Edward Everett Horton. Plot As described in a film magazine review, Larry Donovan, owner of a printing business, ...

'' (1924) (adaptation) *''Call of the Mate'' (1924) *'' Romola'' (1924) (titles) *''

Sackcloth and Scarlet ''Sackcloth and Scarlet'' is a lost 1925 American silent drama film directed by Henry King and written by Jules Furthman, Thomas J. Geraghty, George Fort Gibbs and Julie Herne. The film stars Alice Terry, Orville Caldwell, Dorothy Sebasti ...

'' (1925) *'' Any Woman'' (1925) * ''

Before Midnight ''Before Midnight'' is a 2013 American romantic drama film directed by Richard Linklater, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. The sequel to ''Before Sunrise'' (1995) and ''Before Sunset'' (2004), it is the third insta ...

'' (1925) * ''

Big Pal ''Big Pal'' is a 1925 American silent sports drama film directed by John G. Adolfi and starring William Russell, Julanne Johnston and Mary Carr. A newly restored copy exists at the Library of Congress. It was released in Britain in 1926, dist ...

'' (1925) *''

The Wise Guy ''The Wise Guy'' is a 1926 American silent crime drama film produced and directed by Frank Lloyd and distributed through First National Pictures. Jules Furthman provided a screen story with scenario by Adela Rogers St. Johns. Mary Astor, Jame ...

'' (1926) *''

You'd Be Surprised "You'd Be Surprised" is a song written by Irving Berlin in 1919 which Eddie Cantor interpolated it into Ziegfeld's ''Follies of 1919''. Cantor soon recorded it and it became a major hit. Other popular versions in 1920 were by the All-Star Trio ...

'' (1926) *''

Hotel Imperial The Hotel Imperial, also known as The Imperial, is a five-star luxury hotel in Vienna, Austria. It is located on the Vienna Ring Road (''Ringstraße'') at Kärntner Ring 16, in the Innere Stadt district. Description The Hotel Imperial's façade ...

'' (1927) *''The Love Wager'' (1927) *''

Casey at the Bat Casey at the Bat is a poem written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer. Casey at the Bat may also refer to: * ''Casey at the Bat'' (1916 film), a film based on the poem * ''Casey at the Bat'' (1927 film), a film based on the poem * ''Casey at the Bat'', a ...

'' (1927) *''

Fashions for Women Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

'' (1927) *''

The Way of All Flesh ''The Way of All Flesh'' (sometimes called ''Ernest Pontifex, or the Way of All Flesh'') is a semi-autobiographical novel by Samuel Butler that attacks Victorian-era hypocrisy. Written between 1873 and 1884, it traces four generations of the ...

'' (1927) *''

Barbed Wire A close-up view of a barbed wire Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire Barbed wire, also known as barb wire, is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strands. Its primary use is ...

'' (1927) *'' The City Gone Wild'' (1927) *''

Abie's Irish Rose ''Abie's Irish Rose'' is a popular comedy by Anne Nichols, which premiered in 1922. Initially a Broadway play, it has become familiar through repeated stage productions, films and radio programs. The basic premise involves an Irish Catholic gir ...

'' (1928) *'' The Drag Net'' (1928) *''

'' (1928) *''

The Case of Lena Smith ''The Case of Lena Smith'' is a 1929 American silent drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg, starring Esther Ralston and James Hall, and released by Paramount Pictures. ''The Case of Lena Smith'' is ranked by film critics as among the “l ...

'' (1929) *''

'' (1929) (story) *'' New York Nights'' (1929) (adaptation) *''For the Defense'' (1930) (story) *'' Common Clay'' (1930) *'' Renegades'' (1930) (adaptation) *''

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

'' (1930) (adaptation) *'' Body and Soul'' (1931) *''Cuerpo y alma'' (1931) *''

'' (1931) *''

The Yellow Ticket ''The Yellow Ticket'' is a 1931 pre-Code American drama film based on the 1914 play of the same name by Michael Morton, produced by the Fox Film Corporation, directed by Raoul Walsh, and starring Elissa Landi, Lionel Barrymore and Laurence Ol ...

'' (1931) *'' Over the Hill'' (1931) *'' Shanghai Express'' (1932) *''

Blonde Venus ''Blonde Venus'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film starring Marlene Dietrich, Herbert Marshall and Cary Grant. It was produced and directed by Josef von Sternberg from a screenplay by Jules Furthman and S. K. Lauren, adapted from a story ...

'' (1932) (story) (uncredited) *'' Bombshell'' (1933) *''

China Seas The China Seas consist of a series of marginal seas in the Western Pacific Ocean, around China. They are the major components signifying the transition from the continent of Asia to the Pacific Ocean.Pinxian Wang, Qianyu Li, Chun-Feng Li, ''Geolo ...

'' (1935) *''

'' (1935) *'' Come and Get It'' (1936) *''

Spawn of the North ''Spawn of the North'' is a 1938 American adventure film about rival fishermen in Alaska starring George Raft and featuring Henry Fonda, Dorothy Lamour, Akim Tamiroff and John Barrymore. The picture was directed by Henry Hathaway and was an unof ...

'' (1938) *''

'' (1939) *'' Zaza'' (1939) (uncredited) *''

'' (1940) (story) *''

The Shanghai Gesture ''The Shanghai Gesture'' is a 1941 American film noir directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Gene Tierney, Walter Huston, Victor Mature, and Ona Munson. It is based on a Broadway play of the same name by John Colton, which was adapted for ...

'' (1941) *''

The Outlaw ''The Outlaw'' is a 1943 American Western film, directed by Howard Hughes and starring Jack Buetel, Jane Russell, Thomas Mitchell, and Walter Huston. Hughes also produced the film, while Howard Hawks served as an uncredited co-director. The ...

'' (1943) *'' To Have and Have Not'' (1944) *''

'' (1946) *''

Moss Rose Moss Rose, known as The Leasing.com Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England, which is the home ground of Macclesfield F.C., and the former home of Macclesfield Town, a club wound up in Septembe ...

'' (1947) *'' Nightmare Alley'' (1947) *'' Pretty Baby'' (1950) (story) *'' Peking Express'' (1951) *'' Jet Pilot'' (1957) *'' Rio Bravo'' (1959)

References

External links

*
Jules Furthman papers
Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Matthew J. Bruccoli collection of Jules Furthman
at the University of South Carolina Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections.
Jules Furthman screenplay collection
at the University of South Carolina Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections. {{DEFAULTSORT:Furthman, Jules 1888 births 1966 deaths American male journalists American male screenwriters Writers from Chicago Furtham, Jules Screenwriters from Illinois 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters