Fred Niblo Jr. (January 23, 1903 – February 18, 1973) was a successful American screenwriter. He received an
Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay nomination for the film ''
The Criminal Code
''The Criminal Code'' is a 1931 American pre-Code romantic crime drama film directed by Howard Hawks and starring Walter Huston and Phillips Holmes. The screenplay, based on a 1929 play of the same name by Martin Flavin, was written by Fred Ni ...
'' (1931) with
Seton I. Miller. Niblo retired from films in 1950 to become a businessman.
Life and career
Fred Niblo Jr. was born in New York City on January 23, 1903. He was a son of Hollywood director
Fred Niblo and vaudeville entertainer
Josephine Cohan, who was an older sister of Broadway legend
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 ...
. He had studied at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, before going to Hollywood in 1928.
Niblo began his career in 1930 and received an
Oscar nomination for ''
The Criminal Code
''The Criminal Code'' is a 1931 American pre-Code romantic crime drama film directed by Howard Hawks and starring Walter Huston and Phillips Holmes. The screenplay, based on a 1929 play of the same name by Martin Flavin, was written by Fred Ni ...
'', one of his first screenplays, at the
4th Academy Awards
The 4th Academy Awards were held on November 10, 1931 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, awarding films released between August 1, 1930, and July 31, 1931. '' Cimarron'' was the first Western to win Best Picture, and would rema ...
in 1932.
In a career spanning 20 years, Niblo had about 57 credits, including ''
Penitentiary'' (1938), ''
No Place to Go'' (1939), ''
The Fighting 69th
''The Fighting 69th'' is a 1940 American war film starring James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, and George Brent. The plot is based upon the actual exploits of New York City's 69th Infantry Regiment during World War I. The regiment was given that nickna ...
'' (1940), ''
Strange Alibi'' (1941), ''
Four Jills in a Jeep'' (1944), and ''
Incident
Incident may refer to:
* A property of a graph in graph theory
* ''Incident'' (film), a 1948 film noir
* Incident (festival), a cultural festival of The National Institute of Technology in Surathkal, Karnataka, India
* Incident (Scientology), a ...
'' (1949). After several years on the
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
writing staff, he moved to
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...
and spent the last decade of his career at
RKO Pictures
RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orphe ...
and
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 Dis ...
.
Niblo was married to Patricia Henry (1910–1998) until his death in 1973. They had two daughters, Moira and Ann, and a son, Dennis.
Niblo died at Encino Emergency Hospital in Encino on February 18, 1973.
He was interred in the
San Fernando Mission Cemetery.
Filmography
* ''
The Criminal Code
''The Criminal Code'' is a 1931 American pre-Code romantic crime drama film directed by Howard Hawks and starring Walter Huston and Phillips Holmes. The screenplay, based on a 1929 play of the same name by Martin Flavin, was written by Fred Ni ...
'' (1930)
* ''
The Woman Racket
''The Woman Racket'' is an extant 1930 Pre-Code talking film produced and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer starring Tom Moore and Blanche Sweet. It is based on a 1928 Broadway play, ''Night Hostess'' by Philip Dunning. In January 2012 the fil ...
'' (1930)
* ''
The Virtuous Husband'' (1931)
* ''
King of the Jungle'' (1933)
* ''
Ladies Must Love'' (1933)
* ''
Flying Down to Rio'' (1933)
* ''
As Husbands Go
''As Husbands Go'' is a 1934 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Hamilton MacFadden and written by S. N. Behrman and Sonya Levien. It is based on the 1931 play ''As Husbands Go'' by Rachel Crothers. The film stars Warner Baxter, Helen Vin ...
'' (1934)
* ''
Fugitive Lady'' (1934)
* ''
Among the Missing'' (1934)
* ''
Name the Woman'' (1934)
* ''
The Hell Cat'' (1934)
* ''
Operator 13'' (1934)
* ''
Whom the Gods Destroy'' (1934)
* ''
Death Flies East'' (1935)
* ''
Unknown Woman
''The Unknown Woman'' ( it, La sconosciuta, ; also known as ''The Other Woman'') is a 2006 Italian psychological thriller mystery film, directed by Giuseppe Tornatore that depicts a woman alone in a foreign country, haunted by a horrible past.
...
'' (1935)
* ''
Escape from Devil's Island'' (1935)
* ''
You May Be Next'' (1936)
* ''
Roaming Lady
''Roaming Lady'' is a 1936 American comedy action film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Fay Wray, Ralph Bellamy and Thurston Hall.Kinnard & Crnkovich p.147
Main cast
* Fay Wray as Joyce Reid
* Ralph Bellamy as Daniel S. 'Dan' Bailey
* ...
'' (1936)
* ''
The Man Who Lived Twice
''The Man Who Lived Twice'' is a 1936 American crime film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Ralph Bellamy, Marian Marsh and Thurston Hall
Ernest Thurston Hall (May 10, 1882 – February 20, 1958) was an American film, stage and tel ...
'' (1936)
* ''
Lady from Nowhere'' (1936)
* ''
Find the Witness
''Find the Witness'' is a 1937 American drama film directed by David Selman and starring Charles Quigley, Henry Mollison and Rosalind Keith.Langman & Finn p.86
Cast
* Charles Quigley as Larry McGill
* Henry Mollison as Rudolph Mordini
* Rosa ...
'' (1937)
* ''
Motor Madness
''Motor Madness'' was a motorsports based television show on The Nashville Network debuted in 1997. '' (1937)
* ''
The Game That Kills
''The Game That Kills'' is a 1937 American mystery sport film directed by D. Ross Lederman and starring Charles Quigley and Rita Hayworth.
Plot
After his brother is killed on the ice during a hockey game, Alex Ferguson, convinced it was no accid ...
'' (1937)
* ''
Counsel for Crime'' (1937)
* ''
All American Sweetheart
''All American Sweetheart'' is a 1937 American crime film directed by Lambert Hillyer and written by Grace Neville, Fred Niblo Jr. and Michael L. Simmons. The film stars Patricia Farr, Scott Kolk, Gene Morgan, James Eagles, Arthur Loft and Jo ...
'' (1937)
* ''
Little Miss Roughneck'' (1938)
* ''
Penitentiary'' (1938)
* ''
City Streets'' (1938)
* ''
No Place to Go'' (1939)
* ''
Hell's Kitchen'' (1939)
* ''
Waterfront'' (1939)
* ''
The Cowboy Quarterback'' (1939)
* ''
East of the River'' (1940)
* ''
River's End'' (1940)
* ''
A Fugitive from Justice'' (1940)
* ''
An Angel from Texas
''An Angel from Texas'' is a 1940 comedy film directed by Ray Enright and written by Fred Niblo Jr. and Bertram Millhauser. The film stars Eddie Albert, Rosemary Lane, Wayne Morris, Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman. The film was released by Warne ...
'' (1940)
* ''
The Fighting 69th
''The Fighting 69th'' is a 1940 American war film starring James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, and George Brent. The plot is based upon the actual exploits of New York City's 69th Infantry Regiment during World War I. The regiment was given that nickna ...
'' (1940)
* ''
Strange Alibi'' (1941)
* ''
Father's Son'' (1941)
* ''
The Wagons Roll at Night
''The Wagons Roll at Night'' is a 1941 circus film directed by Ray Enright and starring Humphrey Bogart as traveling carnival owner Nick Coster, Sylvia Sidney as his girlfriend, and Eddie Albert as a newcomer who falls in love with Nick's siste ...
'' (1941)
* ''
Three Sons o' Guns
''Three Sons o' Guns'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Benjamin Stoloff, written by Fred Niblo, Jr., and starring Wayne Morris, Marjorie Rambeau, Irene Rich, Tom Brown, William T. Orr, Susan Peters and Moroni Olsen. It was released b ...
'' (1941)
* ''
Nine Lives Are Not Enough
''Nine Lives Are Not Enough'' is a 1941 Comedy-drama film directed by A. Edward Sutherland and written by Fred Niblo Jr. The film stars Ronald Reagan, Joan Perry, and James Gleason, with Howard Da Silva, Faye Emerson and Edward Brophy. The film wa ...
'' (1941)
* ''
Passage from Hong Kong
''Passage from Hong Kong'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by D. Ross Lederman and written by Fred Niblo Jr. and Earl Derr Biggers. The film stars Lucile Fairbanks, Douglas Kennedy, Paul Cavanagh, Richard Ainley, Marjorie Gateson and G ...
'' (1941)
* ''
You're in the Army Now'' (1941)
* ''
You Can't Escape Forever
''You Can't Escape Forever'' is a 1942 American drama film directed by Jo Graham and written by Fred Niblo, Jr. and Hector Chevigny. The film stars George Brent, Brenda Marshall, Gene Lockhart, Roscoe Karns, Eduardo Ciannelli and Paul Harvey. Th ...
'' (1942)
* ''
The Falcon in Danger
''The Falcon in Danger'' is a 1943 American mystery film directed by William Clemens and starring Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Amelita Ward and Elaine Shepard.Jewell and Harbin 1982, p. 185. The film was the sixth of thirteen The Falcon detective f ...
'' (1943)
* ''
Four Jills in a Jeep'' (1944)
* ''
Tampico'' (1944)
* ''
Bodyguard
A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects a person or a group of people — usually witnesses, high-ranking public officials or officers, w ...
'' (1948)
* ''
In This Corner'' (1948)
* ''
Incident
Incident may refer to:
* A property of a graph in graph theory
* ''Incident'' (film), a 1948 film noir
* Incident (festival), a cultural festival of The National Institute of Technology in Surathkal, Karnataka, India
* Incident (Scientology), a ...
'' (1948)
* ''
Convicted'' (1950)
References
External links
*
1903 births
1973 deaths
American male screenwriters
Screenwriters from New York (state)
Burials at San Fernando Mission Cemetery
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American screenwriters
{{US-screen-writer-stub