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 university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

and the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

. 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" (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

'' (1938) and wrote '' Love, Honor and Behave'' (1938), '' Comet Over Broadway'' (1939), ''

The Oklahoma Kid ''The Oklahoma Kid'' is a 1939 Western film starring James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart. The film was directed for Warner Bros. by Lloyd Bacon. Cagney plays an adventurous gunslinger in a broad-brimmed cowboy hat while Bogart portrays his bl ...

'' (1939), and '' You Can't Get Away with Murder'' (1939). Bucker had a big hit with ''

Dodge City Dodge City is a city in and the county seat of Ford County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 27,788. It was named after nearby Fort Dodge, which was named in honor of Grenville Dodge. The city ...

'' (1939) starring

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

, based on his original screenplay. He was credited on '' Angels Wash Their Faces'' (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'' (1940) with Flynn, and worked on the script for ''

My Love Came Back ''My Love Came Back'' is a 1940 American comedy-drama film directed by Curtis Bernhardt and starring Olivia de Havilland, Jeffrey Lynn, Eddie Albert, and Jane Wyman. Based on the 1935 Austrian film ''Episode'' written and directed by Walter R ...

'' (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, Do ...

'' (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, the ...

'' (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 througho ...

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

Yankee Doodle Dandy ''Yankee Doodle Dandy'' is a 1942 American biographical musical drama 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, Geo ...

'' (1942) a biopic of George M Cohan. 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 starring Flynn. He produced ''

Mission to Moscow Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada * Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality * Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * ...

'' (1943) a biopic of Joseph E Davies and wrote and produced '' The Desert Song'' (1943). Bucker made another movie with Flynn, '' Uncertain Glory'' (1944). He made '' God Is My Co-Pilot'' (1945), and wrote and produced '' Confidential Agent'' (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 San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

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

Brontë family The Brontës () were a 19th century literary family, born in the village of Thornton, West Yorkshire, Thornton and later associated with the village of Haworth in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. The sisters, Charlotte Brontë, Charlott ...

, '' 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. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...

'' (1947), and the prestigious stage hit '' Life with Father'' (1947). In June 1947 Buckner left Warner Bros for Universal.

Universal

Buckner's first film at Universal was '' Rogues' Regiment'' (1948), which he wrote and produced, from a story by Buckner and director

Robert Florey Robert Florey (September 14, 1900 – May 16, 1979) was a French-American director, screenwriter, film journalist and actor. Florey directed more than 50 films, the best known likely being the Marx Brothers first feature ''The Cocoanuts'' (1929 ...

. 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; December 15, 1918 – June 17, 1961) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Cochise in '' Broken Arrow'' (1950), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting ...

. He wrote and produced '' Free for All'' (1949), ''

Deported Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people by a state from its Sovereignty, sovereign territory. The actual definition changes depending on the place and context, and it also changes over time. A person who has been deported or ...

'' (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 ...

'' (1951).

Freelance writer

Buckner provided the story for '' When in Rome'' (1952) and ''

The Man Behind the Gun ''The Man Behind the Gun'' is a 1953 American Western film about the establishment of the city of Los Angeles. It was directed by Felix Feist and stars Randolph Scott.

'' (1953). He went to England to write '' To Paris with Love'' (1955), '' House of Secrets'' (1956) and two for

Warwick Films Warwick Films was a film company founded by film producers Irving Allen and Albert R. Broccoli in London in 1951. The name was taken from the Warwick New York Hotel, Warwick Hotel in New York City where Broccoli and his wife were staying at the ...

, '' A Prize of Gold'' (1956) and ''

Safari A safari (; originally ) is an overland journey to observe wildlife, wild animals, especially in East Africa. The so-called big five game, "Big Five" game animals of Africa – lion, African leopard, leopard, rhinoceros, African elephant, elep ...

'' (1956). Buckner began writing for TV, adapting '' Twentieth Century'' and '' A Bell for Adano'' for ''

Ford Star Jubilee ''Ford Star Jubilee'' is an American anthology series that originally aired monthly on Saturday nights on CBS at 9:30 P.M., E.S.T. from September 24, 1955, to November 3, 1956, (With a summer hiatus). The series was approximately 90 minutes long ...

''.

20th Century Fox

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

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

, a film best remembered as

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

'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 Western (genre), Westerns, especially starring Randolph Scott and John Wayne. He directed Gary Cooper in seven f ...

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

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

'' (1960–61) starring Rod Taylor. 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, his 1960 novel ''Starfire'' 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, an ...

'' (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 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

''. He also wrote the features '' Return of the Gunfighter'' (1967).

Later life

In his later life, Buckner lived in

San Miguel de Allende San Miguel de Allende () is the principal city in the Municipalities of Mexico, municipality of San Miguel de Allende (municipality), San Miguel de Allende, located in the far eastern part of Guanajuato, Mexico. A part of the Bajío region, the t ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

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

Works

*" The Man Who Won the War", 1936 (short story) *'' Gold Is Where You Find It'' (1938) – writer *''

Jezebel Jezebel ()"Jezebel"
(US) and

'' (1938) – uncredited writer *'' Love, Honor and Behave'' (1938) – writer *'' Comet Over Broadway'' (1938) – writer *''

'' (1939) – writer *''

'' (1939) – writer *'' The Angels Wash Their Faces'' (1939) – writer *''

'' (1939) – writer *'' You Can't Get Away with Murder'' (1939) – writer *''

'' (1940) – writer *''

'' (1940) – writer *'' Virginia City'' (1940) – writer *''

'' (1941) – writer *''

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

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

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

'' (1947) – producer *'' Life with Father'' (1947) – producer *'' Rogues' Regiment'' (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 *''

'' (1950) – writer, producer *''

'' (1951) – writer, producer *'' When in Rome'' (1952) – writer *''

The Man Behind the Gun ''The Man Behind the Gun'' is a 1953 American Western film about the establishment of the city of Los Angeles. It was directed by Felix Feist and stars Randolph Scott.

'' (1953) – writer *'' A Prize of Gold'' (1955) – writer *'' To Paris with Love'' (1955) – writer *''

'' (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 *'' Return of the Gunfighter'' (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 Film producers from Virginia 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