Gerald C. Duffy (1896 – June 25, 1928) was a

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

of the

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

era, as well as a

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

, and

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 t ...

writer and

copyeditor Copy editing (also known as copyediting and manuscript editing) is the process of revising written material ( copy) to improve readability and fitness, as well as ensuring that text is free of grammatical and factual errors. '' The Chicago Manual ...

. He is best known for his many contributions to

Redbook ''Redbook'' is an American women's magazine that is published by the Hearst Corporation. It is one of the " Seven Sisters", a group of women's service magazines. It ceased print publication as of January 2019 and now operates an article-compris ...

magazine, which he edited, as well as being nominated for an Academy Award for Best Title Writing in the

1st Academy Awards The 1st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and hosted by AMPAS president Douglas Fairbanks, honored the best films from 1 August 1927 to 31 July 1928 and took place on May ...

for the film ''

The Private Life of Helen of Troy ''The Private Life of Helen of Troy'' is a 1927 American silent film about Helen of Troy based on the 1925 novel of the same name by John Erskine, and adapted to screen by Gerald Duffy. The film was directed by Alexander Korda and starred Mar ...

''. His prolific fiction career brought him to the attention of

First National Pictures First National Pictures was an American motion picture production and distribution company. It was founded in 1917 as First National Exhibitors' Circuit, Inc., an association of independent theatre owners in the United States, and became the count ...

who hired him on as a writer. Gerald died in 1928 while dictating a script in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...

Selected filmography

*'' A Fighting Colleen'' (1919) *''

Jinx A jinx (also jynx), in popular superstition and folklore, is a curse or the attribute of attracting bad or negative luck. The word ''"jynx"'' meaning the bird wryneck and sometimes a charm or spell has been in use in English since the seventeen ...

'' (1919) * '' Dollars and Sense'' (1920) *''

The Slim Princess ''The Slim Princess'' is a 1920 American silent film, silent comedy film starring Mabel Normand, directed by Victor Schertzinger, produced by Samuel Goldwyn, and written by Gerald C. Duffy based on a musical play of the same name by Henry Blos ...

'' (1920) *''Officer 666'' (1920) *'' What Happened to Rosa'' (1920) * ''

Hold Your Horses "Hold your horses", sometimes said as "Hold the horses", is an English-language idiom meaning " wait, slow down". The phrase is historically related to horse riding or travelling by horse, or driving a horse-drawn vehicle. A number of explanatio ...

'' (1921) *''Trust Your Wife'' (1921) *'' Through the Back Door'' (1921) *''Her Social Value'' (1921) *''

Where's My Wandering Boy Tonight? ''Where's My Wandering Boy Tonight?'' is a 1922 American comedy drama silent black-and-white film directed by James P. Hogan and Millard Webb, written by Gerald C. Duffy and produced by B.F. Zeidman. Cast * Cullen Landis as Garry Beecher ...

'' (1922) *'' Head Over Heels'' (1922) *'' Mr. Barnes of New York'' (1922) *'' Sure Fire Flint'' (1922) *''

The Spider and the Rose ''The Spider and the Rose'' is a 1923 American silent historical drama film directed by John McDermott and starring Alice Lake, Richard Headrick and Gaston Glass.Munden p.755 Cast * Alice Lake as Paula * Richard Headrick as Don Marcello, as ...

'' (1923) * ''

You Are Guilty ''You Are Guilty'' is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Edgar Lewis and starring James Kirkwood, Doris Kenyon and Robert Edeson.Connelly p. 439 Synopsis Stephen Martin takes the blame over some missing funds in order to spare his ha ...

'' (1923) *''

Bright Lights of Broadway ''Bright Lights of Broadway'' is a surviving 1923 American silent drama film directed by Webster Campbell. An independent film it stars Doris Kenyon, Harrison Ford, and Lowell Sherman. A print of ''Bright Lights of Broadway'' survives with the ...

'' (1923) * ''

Three O'Clock in the Morning "Three O'Clock in the Morning" is a waltz composed by Julián Robledo that was extremely popular in the 1920s. Robledo published the music as a piano solo in 1919, and two years later Dorothy Terriss wrote the lyrics. Paul Whiteman's instrument ...

'' (1923) * ''

Roulette Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning ''little wheel'' which was likely developed from the Italian game Biribi''.'' In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the ...

'' (1924) *'' The Recoil'' (1924) * '' Her Own Free Will'' (1924) *''

Youth for Sale ''Youth for Sale'' is a 1924 silent American drama film directed by Christy Cabanne and starring May Allison, Sigrid Holmquist, and Richard Bennett. It was released on August 1, 1924. Cast list * May Allison as Molly Malloy * Sigrid Hol ...

'' (1924) *''

Trouping with Ellen ''Trouping with Ellen'' is a 1924 American silent comedy film starring Basil Rathbone, Gaston Glass, Helene Chadwick, and Mary Thurman. Based on a short story by Earl Derr Biggers that appeared in ''The Saturday Evening Post'', this was Rathbon ...

'' (1924) *'' Argentine Love'' (1924) *''

Too Many Kisses ''Too Many Kisses'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by Paul Sloane that is based on the John Monk Saunders story "A Maker of Gestures."

'' (1925) *''

The Sky Raider ''The Sky Raider'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by T. Hayes Hunter and starring Charles Nungesser, Jacqueline Logan and Gladys Walton. With the interest in the aviators of World War I, producer Gilbert E. Gable and Arcadia Prod ...

'' (1925) *''

Tramp, Tramp, Tramp ''Tramp, Tramp, Tramp'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film directed by Harry Edwards and starring Harry Langdon and Joan Crawford. Premise The film tells of Harry (Langdon) a ne'er-do-well who falls in love with Betty (Crawford), a girl o ...

'' (1926) *'' The College Boob'' (1926) *''

Don Juan's Three Nights ''Don Juan's Three Nights'' also known as ''Don Juan's 3 Nights'' is a 1926 American silent romantic drama film directed by John Francis Dillon and starring Lewis Stone, Shirley Mason, and Malcolm McGregor. It was produced by Henry Hobart and ...

'' (1926) *'' Kosher Kitty Kelly'' (1926) *''The Timid Terror'' (1926) *''Bred in Old Kentucky'' (1926) *'' The Masked Woman'' (1927) *''

The Notorious Lady ''The Notorious Lady'' is a surviving 1927 American silent drama film produced by Sam E. Rork and distributed by First National Pictures. It was directed by veteran director King Baggot and starred Barbara Bedford and Lewis Stone. The film was ...

'' (1927) *''

See You in Jail ''See You in Jail'' is a 1927 silent film comedy directed by Joseph Henabery and starring Jack Mulhall. The film was produced by Ray Rocket and distributed through First National Pictures. Cast *Jack Mulhall - Jerry Marsden *Alice Day - Ruth M ...

'' (1927) *''

The Patent Leather Kid ''The Patent Leather Kid'' is a 1927 American silent drama film about a self-centered boxer who performs a heroic act in World War I that severely wounds him. It was directed by Alfred Santell and stars Richard Barthelmess, Molly O'Day, La ...

'' (1927) *''The Crystal Cup'' (1927) *''

'' (1927) *''

Her Wild Oat ''Her Wild Oat'' (1927) is a silent comedy film made by First National Pictures, directed by Marshall Neilan, and starring Colleen Moore. The screenplay was written by Gerald C. Duffy, based on a story by Howard Irving Young. History This wa ...

'' (1927) *''The Heart of a Follies Girl'' (1928) *''

Wheel of Chance ''Wheel of Chance'' is a lost 1928 silent film feature directed by Alfred Santell and starring Richard Barthelmess. It was produced and distributed by First National Pictures. Cast *Richard Barthelmess as Nilolai Turkeltaub/Jacob Taline *Bodil ...

'' (1928) *''The Head Man'' (1928) *'' Out of the Ruins'' (1928)

References

External links

* American male screenwriters American short story writers American male journalists 20th-century American journalists 1896 births 1928 deaths American male short story writers 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters {{US-journalist-19thC-stub