Robert Buckner (May 28, 1906 – August 18, 1989) was an American film screenwriter, producer and short story writer.

Biography

Buckner studied at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

and the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1 ...

. He began his professional writing career at age 20, as London correspondent for the ''New York World''. He wrote a play ''An Affair of the State''; the novels ''Sigrid and Sergeant'' (1959), ''Tiger By the Tail'' (1960) and ''Starfire'' (1960); and the short story "

The Man Who Won the War The Man Who Won the War is a 1936 alternate history short story by Robert Buckner. The story details the exploits of Roger Bradman, a Royal Navy officer who "won" World War I for the Allies. Though the story is fictional, it is presented as ...

" (1936).

Screenwriter

Bucker joined Warner Bros as a writer. His first credit was '' Gold Is Where You Find It'' (1938). He did some uncredited work on ''

Jezebel Jezebel (;"Jezebel"
(US) and ) was the daughte ...

'' (1938) and wrote ''

Love, Honor and Behave ''Love, Honor and Behave'' is a 1938 American drama film directed by Stanley Logan and starring Wayne Morris and Priscilla Lane. The supporting cast includes John Litel, Thomas Mitchell, Dick Foran and Dickie Moore. " Bei Mir Bist Du Sc ...

'' (1938), ''

Comet Over Broadway ''Comet over Broadway'' (1938) is an American film starring Kay Francis and released by Warner Brothers. John Farrow stepped in as director when Busby Berkeley became ill, but Farrow was uncredited on the film. Plot Eve Appleton (Francis), wife ...

'' (1939), '' The Oklahoma Kid'' (1939), and ''

You Can't Get Away with Murder ''You Can't Get Away with Murder'' is a 1939 crime drama directed by Lewis Seiler, starring Humphrey Bogart and Gale Page, and featuring " Dead End Kid" leader Billy Halop. The film is from Bogart's period of being cast in B pictures by Warner ...

'' (1939). Bucker had a big hit with '' Dodge City'' (1939) starring

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, freque ...

, based on his original screenplay. He was credited on ''

Angels Wash Their Faces ''The Angels Wash Their Faces'' is a 1939 Warner Bros. film directed by Ray Enright and starring Ann Sheridan, Ronald Reagan and the Dead End Kids. Plot Gabe Ryan is released from reform school and is taken to a new house by his sister Joy to s ...

'' (1939), and ''

Espionage Agent ''Espionage Agent'' is a pre– World War II spy melodrama produced by Hal B. Wallis in 1939. Directed by Lloyd Bacon, ''Espionage Agent'', like many Warner Bros. movies, clearly identifies the Germans as the enemy. This was unlike many other mov ...

'' (1939) was based on his story. Bucker wrote a follow up to ''Dodge City'', ''

Virginia City Virginia City is a census-designated place (CDP) that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada, and the largest community in the county. The city is a part of the Reno– Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. Virginia City developed as a boom ...

'' (1940) with Flynn, and worked on the script for '' My Love Came Back'' (1940). Bucker received acclaim for a biopic, ''

Knute Rockne All American ''Knute Rockne, All American'' is a 1940 American biographical film that tells the story of Knute Rockne, Notre Dame's legendary football coach. It stars Pat O'Brien as Rockne and Ronald Reagan as player George Gipp, as well as Gale Page, Donal ...

'' (1940). He did a third Western for Flynn, ''

Santa Fe Trail The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, ...

'' (1940) and was put on a war film for Flynn, ''

Dive Bomber A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact through ...

'' (1941). Bucker had a huge success with his script for ''

Yankee Doodle Dandy ''Yankee Doodle Dandy'' is a 1942 American biographical musical film about George M. Cohan, known as "The Man Who Owned Broadway". It stars James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, and Richard Whorf, and features Irene Manning, George To ...

'' (1942) a biopic of

George M Cohan George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878November 5, 1942) was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer. Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudev ...

. This resulted in Bucker being promoted to producer at Warners.

Producer

Buckner's first film as producer was '' Gentleman Jim'' (1943) a biopic of

Jim Corbett Edward James Corbett (25 July 1875 – 19 April 1955) was a British hunter, tracker, naturalist, and author who hunted a number of man-eating tigers and leopards in the Indian subcontinent. He held the rank of colonel in the British Indian ...

starring Flynn. He produced ''

Mission to Moscow ''Mission to Moscow'' is a 1943 film directed by Michael Curtiz, based on the 1941 book by the former U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union, Joseph E. Davies. The movie chronicles the experiences of the second American ambassador to the Soviet ...

'' (1943) a biopic of Joseph E Davies and wrote and produced ''

The Desert Song ''The Desert Song'' is an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel. It was inspired by the 1925 uprising of the Riffs, a group of Moroccan fighters, against French colo ...

'' (1943). Bucker made another movie with Flynn, '' Uncertain Glory'' (1944). He made '' God Is My Co-Pilot'' (1945), and wrote and produced ''

Confidential Agent ''Confidential Agent'' is a 1945 American spy film starring Charles Boyer and Lauren Bacall which was a Warner Brothers production. The movie was directed by Herman Shumlin and produced by Robert Buckner with Jack L. Warner as executive producer. ...

'' (1945) with

Charles Boyer Charles Boyer (; 28 August 1899 – 26 August 1978) was a French-American actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found his success in American fi ...

. Buckner produced a popular Western with Flynn, ''

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

'' (1945). He did a biopic of the

Brontë family The Brontës () were a nineteenth-century literary family, born in the village of Thornton and later associated with the village of Haworth in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. The sisters, Charlotte (1816–1855), Emily (1818–184 ...

, '' Devotion'' (1946), and did a crime drama, '' Nobody Lives Forever'' (1946). Buckner produced a Western, ''

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enr ...

'' (1947), and the prestigious stage hit ''

Life with Father ''Life with Father'' is a 1939 play by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, adapted from a humorous autobiographical book of stories compiled in 1935 by Clarence Day. The Broadway production ran for 3,224 performances over 401 weeks to become the ...

'' (1947). In June 1947 Buckner left Warner Bros for Universal.

Universal

Buckner's first film at Universal was ''

Rogues' Regiment ''Rogues' Regiment'' is a 1948 film noir action film directed by Robert Florey and starring Dick Powell, Märta Torén, and Vincent Price. It is the first American feature film to be set in the First Indochina War. Plot An American Intelligence ...

'' (1948), which he wrote and produced, from a story by Buckner and director

Robert Florey Robert Florey (14 September 1900 – 16 May 1979) was a French-American director, screenwriter, film journalist and actor. Born as Robert Fuchs in Paris, he became an orphan at an early age and was then raised in Switzerland. In 1920 he worked a ...

. He went on to wrote and produce '' Sword in the Desert'' (1948), based on an old story of Buckner's which he had turned into a novel called ''Night Watch''. It helped make a star of

Jeff Chandler Jeff Chandler (born Ira Grossel; yi, יראַ גראָססעל; December 15, 1918 – June 17, 1961) was an American actor, film producer, and singer, best remembered for playing Cochise in '' Broken Arrow'' (1950), for which he was no ...

. He wrote and produced '' Free for All'' (1949), '' Deported'' (1950), shot in Italy with Chandler, and ''

Bright Victory ''Bright Victory'' is a 1951 American drama romance war film directed by Mark Robson and starring Arthur Kennedy and Peggy Dow. Plot During World War II, American sergeant Larry Nevins is blinded by a German sniper while fighting in North Af ...

'' (1951).

Freelance writer

Buckner provided the story for '' When in Rome'' (1952) and '' The Man Behind the Gun'' (1953). He went to England to write ''

To Paris with Love ''To Paris with Love'' is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Robert Hamer and starring Alec Guinness, Odile Versois and Vernon Gray. Premise A father and son play matchmaker for each other during a trip to Paris. Cast *Alec Guinness as C ...

'' (1955), '' House of Secrets'' (1956) and two for Warwick Films, '' A Prize of Gold'' (1956) and ''

Safari A safari (; ) is an overland journey to observe wild animals, especially in eastern or southern Africa. The so-called "Big Five" game animals of Africa – lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo – particularly form an impor ...

'' (1956). Buckner began writing for TV, adapting ''

Twentieth Century The 20th (twentieth) century began on January 1, 1901 (1901, MCMI), and ended on December 31, 2000 (2000, MM). The 20th century was dominated by significant events that defined the modern era: Spanish flu, Spanish flu pandemic, World War I and ...

'' and '' A Bell for Adano'' for '' Ford Star Jubilee''.

20th Century Fox

Back in Hollywood Buckner wrote '' Love Me Tender'' (1956) at

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

, a film best remembered as

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

's debut movie. In 1957 he wrote ''Sigrid and the Sergeant'', his first prose in almost twenty years. The following year he wrote and produced '' From Hell to Texas'' (1958) directed by

Henry Hathaway Henry Hathaway (March 13, 1898 – February 11, 1985) was an American film director and producer. He is best known as a director of Westerns, especially starring Randolph Scott and John Wayne. He directed Gary Cooper in seven films. Backgrou ...

at Fox. Also for Fox Bucker created a TV series ''

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

'' (1960–61) starring

Rod Taylor Rodney Sturt Taylor (11 January 1930 – 7 January 2015) was an Australian actor. He appeared in more than 50 feature films, including '' The Time Machine'' (1960), '' One Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (1961), '' The Birds'' (1963), and '' ...

. It only lasted a season, Bucker produced the pilot for a follow up, ''Dateline: San Francisco'' but it did not result in a regular series. At Disney he provided the story for ''

Moon Pilot ''Moon Pilot'' is a 1962 American Technicolor science fiction comedy film from Walt Disney Productions, released through Buena Vista Distribution, directed by James Neilson, and starring Tom Tryon, Brian Keith, Edmond O'Brien, Dany Saval, and ...

'' (1962). Buckner went on to write episodes of '' The Rogues'', '' Burke's Law'', '' The Wackiest Ship in the Army'', '' The Name of the Game'' and ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on ...

''. He also wrote the features ''

Return of the Gunfighter ''Return of the Gunfighter'' is a 1967 American Western television film directed by James Neilson and starring Robert Taylor, Chad Everett and Ana Martín. Though intended for theatrical release, it was instead shown on television. Old Tucson ...

'' (1967).

Later life

In his later life, Buckner lived in

San Miguel de Allende San Miguel de Allende () is the principal city in the municipality of San Miguel de Allende, located in the far eastern part of Guanajuato, Mexico. A part of the Bajío region, the city lies from Mexico City, 86 km (53 mi) from Queré ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

. He was a fine artist and recognized leader in the art community there. He died and was buried in San Miguel in 1989.

Works

", 1936 (short story) *'' Gold Is Where You Find It'' (1938) – writer *''

Jezebel Jezebel (;"Jezebel"
(US) and ) was the daughte ...

'' (1938) – uncredited writer *''

'' (1938) – writer *''

'' (1938) – writer *'' The Oklahoma Kid'' (1939) – writer *''

'' (1939) – writer *''

The Angels Wash Their Faces ''The Angels Wash Their Faces'' is a 1939 Warner Bros. film directed by Ray Enright and starring Ann Sheridan, Ronald Reagan and the Dead End Kids. Plot Gabe Ryan is released from reform school and is taken to a new house by his sister Joy to s ...

'' (1939) – writer *'' Dodge City'' (1939) – writer *''

'' (1939) – writer *''

'' (1940) – writer *''

'' (1940) – writer *'' My Love Came Back'' (1940) – writer *''

'' (1940) – writer *''

'' (1941) – writer *''

'' (1942) – writer *'' Gentleman Jim'' (1942) – producer *''

'' (1943) – producer *''

'' (1943) – writer, producer *'' Roaring Guns'' (1944) (short) – writer *'' Uncertain Glory'' (1944) – producer *'' God is My Co-Pilot'' (1945) – producer *''

'' (1945) – producer *''

'' (1945) – writer, producer *'' Devotion'' (1946) – producer *'' Nobody Lives Forever'' (1946) – producer *''Night Watch'' (1947) (novel) – writer – became '' Sword in the Desert'' *''

'' (1947) – producer *''

'' (1948) – writer, producer, co-story *''Portrait of a Lady'' (1949) (play) – writer *'' Sword in the Desert'' (1949) – writer, producer *'' Free for All'' (1949) – writer, producer *'' Deported'' (1950) – writer, producer *''

'' (1951) – writer, producer *'' When in Rome'' (1952) – writer *'' The Man Behind the Gun'' (1953) – writer *'' A Prize of Gold'' (1955) – writer *''

'' (1955) – writer *'' Ford Star Jubilee'' (1956) – various episodes – writer *''

'' (1956) – writer *'' Love Me Tender'' (1956) – writer *'' Triple Deception'' (1956) – writer *''Sigrid and the Sergeant'' (1957) (novel) – writer *'' From Hell to Texas'' (1958) – writer, producer *''

'' (1960–61) – creator, writer, producer *'' Dateline San Francisco'' (1962) (TV pilot) – writer *''

'' (1962) – writer, based on his 1960 novel ''Starfire'' *'' The Rogues'' (1965) – various episodes – writer *'' Burke's Law'' (1965) (TV series) – various episodes – writer *'' The Wackiest Ship in the Army'' (1966) – episode "The Lamb Who Hunted Wolves" – writer *''

'' (1967) – writer *'' The Name of the Game'' (1969) – episode "The Suntan Mob" – writer *''

'' (1970) – episode "The Gold Mine" - writer

References

External links

*
Robert Buckner
at BFI {{DEFAULTSORT:Buckner, Robert 1906 births 1989 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh University of Virginia alumni People from Crewe, Virginia American male screenwriters New York World American male short story writers American film producers American emigrants to Mexico 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers Screenwriters from Virginia Robert Meltzer Award winners 20th-century American screenwriters