Daniel Taradash (January 29, 1913 – February 22, 2003) 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 ...

. Taradash's credits include '' Golden Boy'' (1939), '' Rancho Notorious'' (1952), ''

Don't Bother to Knock ''Don't Bother to Knock'' is a 1952 American psychological thriller starring Richard Widmark and Marilyn Monroe and directed by Roy Ward Baker. The screenplay was written by Daniel Taradash, based on the 1951 novel ''Mischief'' by Charlotte ...

'' (1952), ''

From Here to Eternity ''From Here to Eternity'' is a 1953 American romantic Drama (film and television)#War drama, war drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann and written by Daniel Taradash, based on the 1951 From Here to Eternity (novel), novel of the same name by J ...

'' (1953), '' Désirée'' (1954), ''

Picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors (Al fresco dining, ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event su ...

'' (1955), '' Storm Center'' (1956), which he also directed, '' Bell, Book and Candle'' (1958), '' Morituri'' (1965), ''

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

'' (1966), '' Castle Keep'' (1969), '' Doctors' Wives'' (1971), and ''Bogie'' (1980), a film biography of

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart ( ; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American actor. His performances in classic Hollywood cinema made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Bogart ...

Early years

Daniel Taradash was born to a Jewish family in Kentucky and raised in Chicago and Miami Beach. He attended Harvard University, where he met his future producing partner Jules Blaustein. He graduated with a law degree and passed the New York State bar. But when his play ''The Mercy'' won the 1938 Bureau of New Plays contest (the two previous winners were

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...

and

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three ...

), a career in theater was launched. He moved to Hollywood, where he worked as a scripter. His first assignment was as one of four credited writers on the screen version of

Clifford Odets Clifford Odets (July 18, 1906 – August 14, 1963) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and actor. In the mid-1930s, he was widely seen as the potential successor to Nobel Prize–winning playwright Eugene O'Neill, as O'Neill began to withd ...

' '' Golden Boy'' (1939). His theater career was interrupted when, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Taradash served in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

. He eventually underwent training in the

Signal Corps A signal corps is a military branch, responsible for military communications (''signals''). Many countries maintain a signal corps, which is typically subordinate to a country's army. Military communication usually consists of radio, telephone, ...

Officer Candidate Officer candidate or officer aspirant (OA) is a rank in some militaries of the world that is an appointed position while a person is in training to become an Officer (armed forces), officer. More often than not, an officer candidate was a civilia ...

program. He was assigned to the Signal Corps Photo Center, where he worked as a writer and producer on training films.

Post World War II career

After the war, Taradash attempted to find success on Broadway with an American version of

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary criticism, literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th ...

's '' Red Gloves'', but the show folded quickly and he returned to Hollywood. He had more success as the co-writer (with John Monks Jr) of the Humphrey Bogart vehicle '' Knock on Any Door'' (1949). The

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), better known as Fritz Lang (), was an Austrian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety Obituari ...

Western '' Rancho Notorious'' and the psychodrama ''

'' (both 1952). Performers included

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however, Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

and Arthur Kennedy in the former,

Richard Widmark Richard Weedt Widmark (December 26, 1914March 24, 2008) was an American film, stage, and television actor and producer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, ''Kiss of Death (1947 film ...

and

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...

in the latter. His adaptation of James Jones' massive novel ''

'' (1953) starring

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor. Initially known for playing tough characters with tender hearts, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-year caree ...

was a big success and earned Taradash an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

. It was directed by

Fred Zinnemann Alfred Zinnemann (April 29, 1907 – March 14, 1997) was an American film director and producer. He won four Academy Awards for directing and producing films in various genres, including thriller film, thrillers, western (genre), westerns, film ...

. His subsequent film work was generally in adaptations, including '' Desiree'' (1954), about

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

and Joséphine; ''

'' (1955), from the

William Inge William Motter Inge (; May 3, 1913 – June 10, 1973) was an American playwright and novelist, whose works typically feature solitary protagonists encumbered with strained sexual relations. In the early 1950s he had a string of memorable Broad ...

play; and '' Bell, Book and Candle'' (1958), from

John Van Druten John William Van Druten (1 June 190119 December 1957) was an English playwright and theatre director. He began his career in London, and later moved to America, becoming a U.S. citizen. He was known for his plays of witty and urbane observations ...

's stage comedy. In the mid-1950s, Taradash and Jules Blaustein formed Phoenix Corporation. He also tried his hand at directing with '' Storm Center'' (1956), starring

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympatheti ...

as a librarian fighting censorship and book banning. Taradash and Zinnemann had planned to make two films from James Michener's massive novel ''

'' but were unable to raise the financing. When

George Roy Hill George Roy Hill (December 20, 1921 – December 27, 2002) was an American actor and film director. His films include ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' (1969) and ''The Sting'' (1973), both starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford; both fil ...

did make the film in 1965, he utilized Taradash's script with emendations by

Dalton Trumbo James Dalton Trumbo (December 9, 1905 – September 10, 1976) was an American screenwriter who scripted many award-winning films, including ''Roman Holiday'' (1953), '' Exodus'', ''Spartacus'' (both 1960), and '' Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' (194 ...

. By the 1970s, Taradash's efforts produced his final two scripts for the soap operas '' Doctors' Wives'' (1971) and '' The Other Side of Midnight'' (1977). Taradash won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and the

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is the name of two American labor unions representing writers in film, television, radio, and online media: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) is headquartered in New York City and is affiliated wit ...

Award for Best Written American Drama for ''From Here to Eternity'', and he received a WGA nomination for ''Picnic''. Taradash served as president of the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...

from 1970 to 1973. He was AMPAS's 20th president. In 1972, he introduced

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

at Chaplin's appearance at the

44th Academy Awards The 44th Academy Awards were presented April 10, 1972, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by Helen Hayes, Alan King, Sammy Davis Jr., and Jack Lemmon. One of the highlights of the evening was o ...

and presented him with an honorary award. In 2003, Taradash died of pancreatic cancer in Los Angeles at age 90.

Achievements

* 1938 - Passed New York bar exam * 1938 - Won the Bureau of New Plays nationwide playwrighting contest previously won by Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams * 1939 - First feature credit as one of four credited screenwriters on the film adaptation of ''Golden Boy'' * 1941 - Served in the US Army * 1948 - Debut as a Broadway playwright, ''Red Gloves'', adapted from the work by Jean-Paul Sartre * 1949 - Breakthrough screen credit as co-writer of ''Knock on Any Door'' * 1953 - Earned Academy Award for his screenplay for ''From Here to Eternity'', adapted from the James Jones novel * 1956 - Adapted William Inge's ''Picnic'' * 1956 - Directorial debut, ''Storm Center'' (also wrote) * 1958 - Wrote the screenplay adaptation of ''Bell, Book and Candle'' * 1959 - Made one-shot return to Broadway as playwright of ''There Was a Little Girl'', starring

Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress and activist. Recognized as a film icon, Jane Fonda filmography, Fonda's work spans several genres and over six decades of film and television. She is the recipient of List of a ...

* 1966 - Received co-writer credit on ''Hawaii''; originally he and director Fred Zinnemann had hoped to make two films based on the James Michener novel but financing could not be raised * 1971 - Scripted ''Doctors Wives'' * 1977 - Final screenplay credit, ''The Other Side of Midnight''Yahoo Movies Daniel Taradash biography https://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d-hc&id-1800034078&cf-biog&intl-us * 1996 -

Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement The Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement (also known as the Screen Laurel Award) is a lifetime achievement award given by the Writers Guild of America. It is given "to that member of the Guild who, in the opinion of the current Board of Dir ...

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Taradash, Daniel 1913 births 2003 deaths 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters 21st-century American Jews American male screenwriters Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners Deaths from pancreatic cancer in California Harvard Law School alumni Jewish American military personnel Jewish American screenwriters Presidents of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Screenwriters from Kentucky Writers from Louisville, Kentucky Military personnel from Kentucky Military personnel from Louisville, Kentucky United States Army officers United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army Signal Corps personnel