James Edward Grant (July 2, 1905 – February 19, 1966) was an American

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

writer, screenwriter and film director, who contributed to more than fifty films between 1935 and 1971. He collaborated with John Wayne on twelve projects, starting with ''

Angel and the Badman ''Angel and the Badman'' is a 1947 American Western film written and directed by James Edward Grant and starring John Wayne, Gail Russell, Harry Carey and Bruce Cabot. The film is about an injured gunfighter who is nursed back to health by a ...

'' (which he also directed) in 1947 through '' Circus World'' in 1964. '' Support Your Local Gunfighter'' was released in 1971, five years after his death.

Biography

Born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Grant was originally a journalist in his home town. He wrote a short story, "The Whipsaw," for the 11 Aug 1934 issue of ''

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

'', which was turned into a

movie 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 atmosphere ...

with

Spencer Tracy Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the first actor to win two cons ...

and

Myrna Loy Myrna Loy (born Myrna Adele Williams; August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American film, television and stage actress. Trained as a dancer, Loy devoted herself fully to an acting career following a few minor roles in silent films. ...

launching his screenwriting career. Grant wrote numerous short stories that were published in '' Argosy'', ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely ...

'', '' Cosmopolitan'', and ''Liberty'', among others. He also wrote a play ''Plan M''. John Wayne called Grant "a dear friend", and said of him:

He had a great talent as a writer. Jimmy was a short story writer. Now a short story writer doesn't have all the voluminous language that dulls a scene. He had to make the dialogue give character to a person and progress the story, and that's practically what Ford as a director did all the time. Ford cut through the nuance and all that crap and got down to the basic story. He put the nuance in with the camera. Jimmy was a writer of the same type ... I knew Jimmy Grant for twenty years. It's very handy to have somebody like that. You know with writers, you don't have enough contact with them.

chain smoker Chain smoking is the practice of smoking several cigarettes in succession, sometimes using the ember of a finished cigarette to light the next. The term chain smoker often also refers to a person who smokes relatively constantly, though not nece ...

, Grant died from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...

in Burbank, California.Roberts, Randy ''John Wayne: American'' (1995) p. 515 He owned a cattle ranch in Winton in

Merced County Merced County ( ), is a county located in the northern San Joaquin Valley section of the Central Valley, in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 281,202. The county seat is Merced. The county is named after ...

from the 1940s until his death.

Awards

Grant won the

Bronze Wrangler The Bronze Wrangler is an award presented annually by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum to honor the top works in Western music, film, television and literature. The awards were first presented in 1961. The Wrangler is a bronze sc ...

, an annual award presented by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, twice, for '' The Alamo'' in 1961 and '' The Comancheros'' the following year. He and William Bowers were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for '' The Sheepman'' in 1959.

Additional filmography

* '' Big Brown Eyes'' (1936) * ''

Great Guy ''Great Guy'' is a 1936 American crime film noir directed by John G. Blystone and starring James Cagney. In the film, an honest inspector for the New York Department of Weights and Measures takes on corrupt merchants and politicians. Plot After ...

'' (1936) * '' Danger - Love at Work'' (1937) * '' We're Going to Be Rich'' (1938) * '' Josette'' (1938) * ''

Miracles for Sale ''Miracles for Sale'' is a 1939 American mystery film directed by Tod Browning, and starring Robert Young and Florence Rice. It was Browning's final film as a director. The film is based on a locked-room mystery novel by well-known mystery wr ...

'' (1939) * '' Boom Town'' (1940) * '' Music in My Heart'' (1940) * ''

Johnny Eager ''Johnny Eager'' is a 1941 film noir directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Robert Taylor, Lana Turner and Van Heflin. Heflin won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The film was one of many spoofed in ''Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid'' (19 ...

'' (1942) * '' Incendiary Blonde'' (1945) * ''

'' (wrote + Directed) (1947) * '' Sands of Iwo Jima'' (1949) * '' Johnny Allegro'' (story) (1949) * ''

California Passage ''California Passage'' is a 1950 American Western film directed by Joseph Kane starring Forrest Tucker, Adele Mara and Estelita Rodriguez.Pitts, p. 52. Plot Cast * Forrest Tucker as Mike Prescott * Adele Mara as Beth Martin * Estelita Rodri ...

'' (1950) * '' Bullfighter and the Lady'' (1951) * ''

Flying Leathernecks ''Flying Leathernecks'' is a 1951 American Technicolor action war film directed by Nicholas Ray, produced by Edmund Grainger, (who had produced ''Sands of Iwo Jima'') and starring John Wayne and Robert Ryan. The movie details the exploits an ...

'' (1951) * '' Big Jim McLain'' (1952) * '' Hondo'' (1953) * '' Trouble Along the Way'' (uncredited) (1953) * '' Ring of Fear'' (original screenplay + Director) (1954) * '' The Last Wagon'' (1956) * ''

Goodbye, My Lady ''Good-bye, My Lady'' is a novel by James H. Street about a boy and his dog. It was published by J. B. Lippincott & Co., J. B. Lippincott Company in June 1954 and reprinted in paperback by Pocket Books in February 1978. It is based on Street's s ...

'' (1956) * '' Three Violent People'' (1956) * ''

The Proud Rebel ''The Proud Rebel'' is a 1958 American Technicolor Western film directed by Michael Curtiz, with a screenplay by Joseph Petracca and Lillie Hayward that was based on a story by James Edward Grant. It is the story of a widowed Confederate vetera ...

'' (1958) * ''

The Barbarian and the Geisha ''The Barbarian and the Geisha'' (working titles ''The Townsend Harris Story'' and ''The Barbarian'') is a 1958 American adventure drama film directed by John Huston and starring John Wayne. The film was shot primarily on location in Japan. Town ...

'' (uncredited) (1958) * '' The Alamo'' (1960) * '' The Comancheros'' (1961) * '' Donovan's Reef'' (1963) * ''

McLintock! :''See also McClintock (disambiguation)'' ''McLintock!'' is a 1963 American Western comedy film, starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. The film co-stars Wayne's son Patrick Wayne, Stefanie Powers, Jack Kru ...

'' (1963) * '' Circus World'' (1964) * ''

Hondo and the Apaches Hondo may refer to: Places * Rio Hondo (disambiguation), the name of several locations, derived from the Spanish word for "deep" Canada * Hondo, Alberta, an unincorporated community United States * Hondo, New Mexico, an unincorporated com ...

'' (TV Movie) (earlier screenplay) (1967) * '' Hondo'' – 17 episodes (1967) * '' Support Your Local Gunfighter'' (original story) (1971) * ''Angel and the Badman'' (TV Movie) (story) (Based after the 1947 film) (2009)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, James Edward 1905 births 1966 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American short story writers American film directors American male screenwriters American male short story writers Deaths from lung cancer in California Screenwriters from Illinois Writers from Chicago