Lamar Jefferson Trotti (October 18, 1900 – August 28, 1952) was an American screenwriter, producer, and motion picture executive.

Early life and education

Trotti was born in Atlanta, US. He became the first graduate of the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens, Georgia, when he received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism (ABJ) in 1921. While at UGA, he was the editor of the independent student newspaper '' The Red and Black''.

Professional career

In the silent film era, he was a reporter for the daily ''

Atlanta Georgian ''The Atlanta Georgian'' was an American daily afternoon newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. History Founded by New Jersey native Fred Loring Seely, the first issue was April 25, 1906, with editor John Temple Graves. They mainly cri ...

'', where he interviewed many show business people, such as Viola Dana. Later, Trotti became an executive at Fox Film Corporation in 1933 and after its 1935 merger with Twentieth Century Pictures to become

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 ...

, he remained with the company until his death. He wrote about fifty films for the studio, producing many of them. He only wrote one screenplay for another studio, ''

You Can't Buy Everything ''You Can't Buy Everything'' is a 1934 American pre-Code romantic drama film directed by Charles Reisner and Sandy Roth and starring May Robson, Jean Parker and Lewis Stone. It was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Working titles of the fi ...

'' (1934) for MGM. He won an Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay in 1944 for ''

Wilson Wilson may refer to: People * Wilson (name) ** List of people with given name Wilson ** List of people with surname Wilson * Wilson (footballer, 1927–1998), Brazilian manager and defender * Wilson (footballer, born 1984), full name Wilson Ro ...

'' and was nominated for '' Young Mr. Lincoln'' (1939) and '' There's No Business Like Show Business'' (1952). He received the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement, the lifetime achievement award of the WGA, in 1983.

Personal life

Trotti was in ill heath towards the end of his life and had taken six months leave from Fox when he died of a heart attack at hospital near his summer home in St Malo in Oceanside, California. He was survived by a widow, a son and a daughter. His eldest son had died in a car crash in 1950. Henry Koster later wrote that he thought Trotti died of "a broken heart" because of his son's death. He is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

Partial filmography

* '' The Man Who Dared'' (1933) – writer (with Dudley Nichols) *'' Hold That Girl'' (1934) – writer (with Dudley Nichols) *'' Wild Gold'' (1934) – writer *'' Call It Luck'' (1934) – writer (with Dudley Nichols) * '' Judge Priest'' (1934) – writer (with Dudley Nichols) – directed by John Ford, with

Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma ...

*'' Bachelor of Arts'' (1934) – writer *'' Life Begins at 40'' (1934) – writer – with Will Rogers *''

Mr. Faintheart ''Mister'', usually written in its contracted form ''Mr.'' or ''Mr'', is a commonly used English honorific for men without a higher honorific, or professional title, or any of various designations of office. The title 'Mr' derived from earlier ...

'' (1935) – writer * '' Steamboat Round the Bend'' (1935) – writer (with Dudley Nichols) – directed by John Ford, with Will Rogers *'' This Is the Life'' (1935) – writer – with Jane Withers *'' The First Baby'' (1936) – writer * '' Gentle Julia'' (1936) – writer – with Jane Withers *'' The Country Beyond'' (1936) – writer *''

Pepper Pepper or peppers may refer to: Food and spice * Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant ** Black pepper * ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae ** Bell pepper ** Chili ...

'' (1936) – writer – with Jane Withers *'' Ramona'' (1936) – writer – directed by Henry King * ''

Can This Be Dixie? ''Can This Be Dixie?'' is a 1936 American musical comedy film directed by George Marshall and featuring child star Jane Withers along with Slim Summerville and Helen Wood. In 1937 and 1938, Withers became one of the top 10 box-office stars in ...

'' (1936) – writer – with Jane Withers *'' Career Woman'' (1936) – writer *'' Time Out for Romance'' (1936) – writer *'' This Is My Affair'' (1937) – writer *'' Slave Ship'' (1937) – writer *'' Wife, Doctor and Nurse'' (1937) – writer – directed by Walter Lang *''

Second Honeymoon A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds immediately after their wedding, to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase ...

'' (1937) – writer – directed by Walter Lang * '' In Old Chicago'' (1937) – writer – directed by Henry King *'' The Baroness and the Butler'' (1938) – writer – directed by Walter Lang * '' Alexander's Ragtime Band'' (1938) – writer – directed by Henry King * '' Gateway'' (1938) – writer *'' Kentucky'' (1938) – writer *'' The Story of Alexander Graham Bell'' (1939) – writer * '' Young Mr. Lincoln'' (1939) – writer – directed by John Ford *'' Drums Along the Mohawk'' (1939) – writer – directed by John Ford *'' Brigham Young: Frontiersman'' (1940) – writer – directed by Henry Hathaway *'' Hudson's Bay'' (1941) – writer *'' Man Hunt'' (1941) – writer (with Dudley Nichols) – directed by Fritz Lang *'' Belle Starr'' (1941) – writer *'' To the Shores of Tripoli'' (1942) – writer *'' Tales of Manhattan'' (1942) – writer *'' Thunder Birds'' (1942) – writer, producer – directed by William Wellman *'' Immortal Sergeant'' (1942) – writer, producer * '' The Ox-Bow Incident'' (1943) – writer, producer – directed by William Wellman * '' Guadalcanal Diary'' (1943) – writer * ''

'' (1944) – writer – directed by Henry King *'' A Bell for Adano'' (1945) – writer, producer – directed by Henry King * ''

The Razor's Edge ''The Razor's Edge'' is a 1944 novel by W. Somerset Maugham. It tells the story of Larry Darrell, an American pilot traumatized by his experiences in World War I, who sets off in search of some transcendent meaning in his life. The story beg ...

'' (1946) – writer * '' Colonel Effingham's Raid'' (1946) – producer * '' Mother Wore Tights'' (1947) – writer, producer – directed by Walter Lang * '' Captain from Castile'' (1947) – writer, producer – directed by Henry King *'' The Walls of Jericho'' (1948) – writer, producer * '' When My Baby Smiles at Me'' (1948) – writer *'' Yellow Sky'' (1948) – writer, producer – directed by William Wellman *'' You're My Everything'' (1949) – writer, producer – directed by Walter Lang * '' Cheaper by the Dozen'' (1950) – writer, producer – directed by Walter Lang * '' My Blue Heaven'' (1950) – writer – directed by Henry Koster *'' American Guerrilla in the Philippines'' (1950) – writer, producer – directed by Fritz Lang *'' I'd Climb the Highest Mountain'' (1951) – writer, producer – directed by Walter Lang *'' As Young as You Feel'' (1951) – writer, producer * '' With a Song in My Heart'' (1952) – writer, producer – directed by Walter Lang *'' O. Henry's Full House'' (1952) – writer * '' Stars and Stripes Forever'' (1952) – writer, producer – directed by Henry Koster * '' There's No Business Like Show Business'' (1954) – writer – directed by Walter Lang

References

External links