Samuel Badisch Ornitz (November 15, 1890 – March 10, 1957) was an American

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

and novelist from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

; he was one of the "

Hollywood Ten The Hollywood blacklist was the mid-20th century banning of suspected Communists from working in the United States entertainment industry. The blacklisting, blacklist began at the onset of the Cold War and Red Scare#Second Red Scare (1947–1957 ...

"Obituary '' Variety'', March 13, 1957, page 63. who were

blacklisted Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list; if people are on a blacklist, then they are considere ...

from the 1950s on by

movie studio A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company that makes films. Today, studios are mostly financing and distribution entities. In addition, they may have their own studio facility or facilities; howe ...

bosses after his appearance before the

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative United States Congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 19 ...

when he was held in contempt of Congress for refusing to testify about his alleged membership in the Communist Party. In his later years, he wrote novels, including ''Bride of the Sabbath'' (1951), which became a bestseller.

Early life and education

Born to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family in 1890 in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, the son of immigrants from Eastern Europe. Ornitz attended public schools and Hebrew School. His father became a successful dry goods merchant who wanted his sons to go into business with him. From an early age, Ornitz became interested in socialism, giving street talks at the age of 12, and writing.

Work

Unlike his brothers, Ornitz was not interested in following their father into business. At the age of 18 he began work as a social worker for the New York Prison Association (1908–14). He next worked for the Brooklyn Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (1914–20)."Samuel Ornitz"
, Spartacus Educational, accessed 22 April 2014

Writing career

Ornitz started writing plays, and had ''The Sock'' performed in 1918. His ''Deficit'' was produced by the People's Playhouse in New York City in 1919. His first literary success was his debut novel ''Haunch Paunch and Jowl'' (1923), an "anonymous autobiography" about his Jewish roots, which gained national notice. It contains an early use of stream-of-consciousness writing in American fiction, a technique originated by Irish writer

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...

in his novel '' Ulysses''. In 1928, Ornitz moved to California to work in

motion pictures A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

, which was a booming industry as "talkies" were being introduced. The next year he worked on his first screenplay for a Hollywood film. Up until 1945, he wrote or co-wrote another twenty-nine screenplays. These included '' The Case of Lena Smith'' (1929), '' Chinatown Nights'' (1929), '' Hell's Highway'' (1932), '' Imitation of Life'' (1934), about a young

mixed-race The term multiracial people refers to people who are mixed with two or more races and the term multi-ethnic people refers to people who are of more than one ethnicities. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mul ...

woman who passes as white; ''

Mark of the Vampire ''Mark of the Vampire'' is a 1935 American horror film directed by Tod Browning, and starring Lionel Barrymore, Elizabeth Allan (British actress), Elizabeth Allan, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, and Jean Hersholt, produced by Metro Goldwyn Mayer. ...

'' (1935), '' Follow Your Heart'' (1936), ''Army Girl'' (1938), ''

Little Orphan Annie ''Little Orphan Annie'' was a daily American comic strip created by Harold Gray and print syndication#Comic strip syndication, syndicated by the Tribune Media Services. The strip took its name from the 1885 poem "Little Orphant Annie" by James ...

'' (1938), '' They Live in Fear'' (1944), about Nazi Germany; and ''

Circumstantial Evidence Circumstantial evidence is evidence that relies on an inference to connect it to a conclusion of fact, such as a fingerprint at the scene of a crime. By contrast, direct evidence supports the truth of an assertion directly, i.e., without need ...

'' (1945). In 1931, Ornitz collaborated with

Theodore Dreiser Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser (; August 27, 1871 – December 28, 1945) was an American novelist and journalist of the naturalism (literature), naturalist school. His novels often featured main characters who succeeded at their objectives despi ...

John Dos Passos John Roderigo Dos Passos (; January 14, 1896 – September 28, 1970) was an American novelist, most notable for his U.S.A. (trilogy), ''U.S.A.'' trilogy. Born in Chicago, Dos Passos graduated from Harvard College in 1916. He traveled widely as a ...

and other left-leaning writers on the report of the Dreiser Committee, an investigation of the Harlan County War, a miners' strike in

Harlan County, Kentucky Harlan County is a county located in southeastern Kentucky. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 26,831. Its county seat is Harlan, Kentucky, Harlan. It is classified as a moist county—one in which alcohol sale ...

that was violently suppressed by private police hired by mine owners. This inspired his short play, "A New Kentucky", published in '' The New Masses'' in April 1934. In 1933, he joined with

Lester Cole Lester Cole (June 19, 1904 – August 15, 1985) was an American screenwriter. He was one of the Hollywood Ten, a group of screenwriters and directors who were cited for contempt of Congress and blacklisted for their refusal to testify regarding t ...

and

John Howard Lawson John Howard Lawson (September 25, 1894 – August 11, 1977) was an American playwright, screenwriter, arts critic, and cultural historian. After enjoying a relatively successful career writing plays that were staged on and off Broadway in the 192 ...

, both also later members of the Hollywood Ten, as founders of the

Screen Writers Guild The Screen Writers Guild was an organization of Hollywood screenplay authors, formed as a union in 1933. A rival organisation, Screen Playwrights, Inc., was established by the AMPP, film studios and producers, but after an appeal to the National ...

. In 1947, Ornitz was blacklisted from Hollywood and later sent to prison for refusal to testify before Congress in regard to membership in the communist party. Evidence presented in the hearing showed that Ornitz had been a member of the American Communist Party since at least 1944. Shortly after his release from prison, in 1951, Ornitz published ''Bride of the Sabbath'', a novel. The novel described the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...

's Jewish community as a place of charm and

beauty Beauty is commonly described as a feature of objects that makes them pleasure, pleasurable to perceive. Such objects include landscapes, sunsets, humans and works of art. Beauty, art and taste are the main subjects of aesthetics, one of the fie ...

, while also critiquing its insularity and

sectarianism Sectarianism is a debated concept. Some scholars and journalists define it as pre-existing fixed communal categories in society, and use it to explain political, cultural, or Religious violence, religious conflicts between groups. Others conceiv ...

. Reviewers praise his rich description of

Jewish quarter Jewish Quarter may refer to: *Jewish quarter (diaspora), areas of many cities and towns traditionally inhabited by Jews *Jewish Quarter (Jerusalem), one of the four traditional quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem *Jewish Quarter (), a popular name ...

's physical environment, and report that he "wrote about the Sabbath with the veneration of an awestruck child." The novel portrays the protagonists' journey from Jewish Orthodoxy to liberal Tolstoyan Christianity as a journey of growth. Samuel Ornitz died of cancer in 1957 in

Woodland Hills, California Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States. History The area was inhabited for around 8,000 years by Native Americans in the United States, ...

, aged 66. The Samuel Ornitz papers, 1919—57 are at the Wisconsin Center for Theatre Research, including original manuscripts of his novels.

Selected filmography

*'' Secrets of the French Police'' (1932) * '' One Exciting Adventure'' (1934)

References

External links