Bess Taffel Boyle (December 10, 1913 – July 21, 2000) was an American screenwriter, whose career was effectively ended after she was identified as a member of the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of '' The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engel ...

during the

McCarthy period McCarthyism is the practice of making false or unfounded accusations of subversion and treason, especially when related to anarchism, communism and socialism, and especially when done in a public and attention-grabbing manner. The term orig ...

.Profile
''The New York Times''; accessed January 15, 2022. Taffel is known for writing such

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

s as ''

Elopement Elopement is a term that is used in reference to a marriage which is conducted in a sudden and secretive fashion, usually involving a hurried flight away from one's place of residence together with one's beloved with the intention of getting ma ...

''. She wrote only a few television scripts from 1969 to 1974, before she ended her career entirely. She had worked in the

Yiddish theatre Yiddish theatre consists of plays written and performed primarily by Jews in Yiddish, the language of the Central European Ashkenazi Jewish community. The range of Yiddish theatre is broad: operetta, musical comedy, and satiric or nostalgic revu ...

before becoming a writer in Hollywood.

Family

She was married to

Robert F. Boyle Robert Francis Boyle (October 10, 1909 – August 1, 2010) was an American film art director and production designer. Born in Los Angeles, Boyle trained as an architect, graduating from the University of Southern California (USC). When he lost ...

, an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning film

production designer In film and television, the production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Wo ...

and

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the vis ...

, until her death from a stroke in 2000 at age 86. They had no children. Her widower died at the age of 100 on August 1, 2010. His career was not impacted by his wife's blacklisting.

Writing work

* ''Needles and Pins'' (TV series; 1 episode, 1974) ::"With Such Enemies" * ''

Marcus Welby, M.D. Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name Places * Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44 * Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl ...

"'' (TV series) ::"Please Don't Send Flowers" (1 episode, 1972) * ''

Bracken's World ''Bracken's World'' is an American drama television series that aired on NBC from September 19, 1969, to December 25, 1970. The series was created and produced by Dorothy Kingsley. The Lettermen performed the second-season theme song "Worlds" ...

'' (TV series; 2 episodes, 1969–1970) ::"A Perfect Piece of Casting" (1 episode, 1970) ::"Closed Set" (1 episode, 1969) * ''Elopement'' (1951; writer) * ''

A Likely Story ''A Likely Story'' is a 1947 film directed by H. C. Potter. It starred real-life husband and wife Bill Williams and Barbara Hale. It is also known as ''A Fascinating Nuisance'' and ''Never Say Die''. Plot Bill Baker ( Bill Williams) has recentl ...

'' (1947; writer) * '' Badman's Territory'' (1946; writer)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Taffel, Bess 1913 births 2000 deaths American communists Jewish American screenwriters Screenwriters from New York (state) American television writers Hollywood blacklist Writers from New York City Yiddish theatre performers 20th-century American screenwriters