Talbot Lanham Jennings (August 25, 1894 – May 30, 1985) was an American playwright and screenwriter. He received two

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nominations for co-writing the screenplays for ''

Mutiny on the Bounty The mutiny on the ''Bounty'' occurred in the South Pacific Ocean on 28 April 1789. Disaffected crewmen, led by acting-Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, seized control of the ship, , from their captain, Lieutenant (navy), Lieutenant William Bli ...

'' (1935) and '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1946).

Biography

He was born in 1894 in

Shoshone, Idaho Shoshone ( ) is the county seat and largest city of Lincoln County, Idaho, United States. The population was 1,653 at the 2020 census. In contrast to the Shoshone Native American tribe for which it is named, the city's name is correctly pron ...

, his father was an Episcopal archdeacon for Idaho and Wyoming. He attended Nampa High School before

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in which he saw active service as an

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

man 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 ...

, where he fought in five major battles.TALBOT JENNINGS, 1894-1985
University of Idaho Library. Retrieved November 13, 2023. After to war he went to

University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho, United States. Established in 1889 and opened three years later, it was the state's sole university for 71 years, until 1963. The un ...

and graduated

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

in 1924. He was president of the Associated Students and wrote ''Light on the Mountains'', a state history set to music. He also edited the yearbook, ''Gem of the Mountains'', and the ''Blue Bucket'', the English Department literary publication. Jennings did a master's degree at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, then attended

Yale Drama School The David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University is a graduate professional school of Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1924 as the Department of Drama in the School of Fine Arts, the school provides training in ...

. Talbot wrote and co-wrote 17 screenplays including ''Mutiny on the Bounty'', ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'', '' Anna and the King of Siam'', ''

Knights of the Round Table The Knights of the Round Table (, , ) are the legendary knights of the fellowship of King Arthur that first appeared in the Matter of Britain literature in the mid-12th century. The Knights are a chivalric order dedicated to ensuring the peace ...

'', ''

The Good Earth ''The Good Earth'' is a historical fiction novel by Pearl S. Buck published in 1931 that dramatizes family life in an early 20th-century Chinese village in Anhwei. It is the first book in her ''House of Earth'' trilogy, continued in '' Sons'' ...

'' and ''

Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea lane between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, near the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Arctic Archipelago of Canada. The eastern route along the Arctic ...

''. He wrote many screenplays for television also. A story he wrote became ''

The Sons of Katie Elder ''The Sons of Katie Elder'' is a 1965 American Western film in Panavision, directed by Henry Hathaway and starring John Wayne and Dean Martin. It was filmed principally in Mexico. Plot The four adult sons of Katie Elder – John, who is a fam ...

'' (1965), and was his last film. In the 1940 B-movie The Devil's Pipeline,

Richard Arlen Richard Arlen (born Sylvanus Richard Mattimore, September 1, 1899 – March 28, 1976) was an American actor of film and television. Early days Arlen served in Canada as a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I. He later taught as ...

and

Andy Devine Andrew Vabre Devine (October 7, 1905 – February 18, 1977) was an American character actor known for his distinctive raspy, crackly voice and roles in American frontier, Western films, including his role as Cookie, the sidekick of Roy Rogers ...

play characters named Talbot and Jennings, apparently an inside joke by one of its writers. He died at East Glacier Park, Montana.

Plays

*''No More Frontier'' (1931) *''This Side of Idolatry'' (1933)

Films

*'' We Live Again'' (1934) (uncredited) *''

'' (1935) *''

'' (1936) *''

Conquest Conquest involves the annexation or control of another entity's territory through war or Coercion (international relations), coercion. Historically, conquests occurred frequently in the international system, and there were limited normative or ...

'' (1937) *''

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last List of French royal consorts, queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the ...

'' (1938) – uncredited *''

Spawn of the North ''Spawn of the North'' is a 1938 American adventure film directed by Henry Hathaway about rival fishermen in Alaska starring George Raft, Henry Fonda and Dorothy Lamour and featuring Akim Tamiroff and John Barrymore. ''Spawn of the North'' is b ...

'' (1938) – uncredited *''

Rulers of the Sea ''Rulers of the Sea'' is a 1939 American historical drama film directed by Frank Lloyd and starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Margaret Lockwood and Will Fyffe. The film's story is based on the voyage of the , the first steamship to cross the North A ...

'' (1939) *''

'' (1940) *''

Edison, the Man ''Edison, the Man'' is a 1940 biographical film depicting the life of inventor Thomas Edison, who was portrayed by Spencer Tracy. Hugo Butler and Dore Schary were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Story, Academy Award for Best Writing, Ori ...

'' (1940) *'' So Ends Our Night'' (1941) *''

Ten Gentlemen from West Point ''Ten Gentlemen from West Point'' is a 1942 American Western film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring George Montgomery, Maureen O'Hara and John Sutton. Its cinematography was nominated for an Academy Award in 1943. George Montgomery replac ...

'' (1942) – uncredited *'' Frenchman's Creek'' (1944) *'' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1946) *''

Landfall Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...

'' (1949) *''

The Black Rose ''The Black Rose'' is a 1950 British adventure historical film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Tyrone Power and Orson Welles. Talbot Jennings' screenplay was loosely based on a 1945 novel of the same name by Canadian author Thomas B ...

'' (1950) *'' Across the Wide Missouri'' (1951) *''

Scaramouche Scaramouche () or Scaramouch (; Italian: Scaramuccia ; ) is a stock clown character of the 16th-century commedia dell'arte (comic theatrical arts of Italian literature). The role combined characteristics of the Zanni (servant) and il Capitan ...

'' (1952) *''

'' (1953) *'' Untamed'' (1955) *'' Escape to Burma'' (1955) *'' Pearl of the South Pacific'' (1955) *''

Gunsight Ridge ''Gunsight Ridge'' is a 1957 American Western film directed by Francis D. Lyon and written by Talbot Jennings and Elisabeth Jennings. The film stars Joel McCrea, Mark Stevens, Joan Weldon, Addison Richards, Darlene Fields and Carolyn Craig ...

'' (1957) *'' The Naked Maja'' (1958) *''

77 Sunset Strip ''77 Sunset Strip'' is an American private detective crime drama television series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith, Richard Long (from 1960 to 1961) and Edd Byrnes (billed as Edward Byrnes). Each epis ...

'' (1959) – "Abra-Cadaver" *''

The Alaskans ''The Alaskans'' is a 1959–1960 ABC/Warner Bros. Western television series set during the late 1890s in the port of Skagway, Alaska. The show features Roger Moore as "Silky Harris" and Jeff York as "Reno McKee", a pair of adventurers i ...

'' (1959) – "Starvation Stampede", "Winter Song" *''

Adventures in Paradise Adventures in Paradise may refer to: * ''Adventures in Paradise'' (TV series) * "Adventures in Paradise", aka "Theme from Adventures in Paradise", composed by Lionel Newman, recorded by many inc. Arthur Lyman, Santo & Johnny, Rob E. G., and (word ...

'' (1960) – "The Siege of Troy" *'' The Roaring '20s'' (1960) – "Among the Missing" *''

'' (1965) (written in 1965)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jennings, Talbot 1894 births 1985 deaths 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters American male dramatists and playwrights American male screenwriters American military personnel of World War I David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University alumni Harvard University alumni Military personnel from Idaho People from Shoshone, Idaho Screenwriters from Idaho United States Army personnel of World War I University of Idaho alumni Yale University alumni