Arnaud d'Usseau (April 18, 1916 – January 29, 1990) was a playwright and

B-movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feat ...

screenwriter who is perhaps best remembered today for his collaboration with

Dorothy Parker Dorothy Parker (née Rothschild; August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was an American poet, writer, critic, and satirist based in New York; she was known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles. From a conflicted and unhap ...

on the play '' The Ladies of the Corridor''.

Career

D'Usseau was born in

Los Angeles 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 world ...

and was the son of Leon d'Usseau, also a screenwriter and director of some repute during the

silent era A silent film is a film with no synchronized 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) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

. His mother, Ottola “Tola” Smith D’Usseau, was a character actress. He first came to notice as the co-writer (with James Gow) of '' Tomorrow, the World!'', a 1943 drama about a German boy adopted by an American couple who then have to struggle with his

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

upbringing. In 1945, another controversial play by D'Usseau and Gow followed, ''

Deep Are the Roots ''Deep Are the Roots'' is a 1945 play by Arnaud d'Usseau and James Gow about a decorated African-American soldier who has returned from World War II. Plot Brett is an African American who grew up in the home of a former senator as the child of ...

'', about a black army officer who falls in love with a former Senator's daughter. It ran for 477 performances over 14 months, directed by

Elia Kazan Elia Kazan (; born Elias Kazantzoglou ( el, Ηλίας Καζαντζόγλου); September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003) was an American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter and actor, described by ''The New York Times'' as "one o ...

and starring

Barbara Bel Geddes Barbara Bel Geddes (October 31, 1922 – August 8, 2005) was an American stage and screen actress, artist, and children's author whose career spanned almost five decades. She was best known for her starring role as Miss Ellie Ewing in the te ...

and

Gordon Heath Gordon Heath (September 20, 1918 – August 27, 1991) was an American actor and musician who narrated the animated feature film ''Animal Farm'' (1954) and appeared in the title role of ''The Emperor Jones'' (1953) and ''Othello'' (1955), both l ...

. In 2012 the play was produced at the

Metropolitan Playhouse The Metropolitan Playhouse is a resident producing theater in New York City's East Village. Founded in 1992, the theater is devoted to presenting plays that explore American culture and history, including seldom-produced, "lost" American plays an ...

. In late 1950, his name appeared on the

Hollywood blacklist The Hollywood blacklist was an entertainment industry blacklist, broader than just Hollywood, put in effect in the mid-20th century in the United States during the early years of the Cold War. The blacklist involved the practice of denying empl ...

as a Communist sympathizer. He was forced to appear before Senator

Joseph McCarthy Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican United States Senate, U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. Beginning in 1950, McCarth ...

anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when the United States and the ...

Tydings Committee The Subcommittee on the Investigation of Loyalty of State Department Employees, more commonly referred to as the Tydings Committee, was a subcommittee authorized by in February 1950 to look into charges by Joseph R. McCarthy that he had a list of ...

in 1953, but declined to answer any questions, declaring that he would be glad to discuss

Communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...

with the Senator in a forum where the cards were not stacked against him. Afterwards, he moved to Europe and continued to write screenplays under various pseudonyms. Upon returning to the United States, he taught screenwriting at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

and the

School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by ...

. He died in 1990 at his home in New York, following surgery for

stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenocarcinomas. Ly ...

.Obituary by C. Gerald Fraser, ''New York Times'', February 1, 1990.

Selected filmography

* ''

One Crowded Night ''One Crowded Night'' is a 1940 drama film directed by Irving Reis. Cast * Billie Seward as Gladys * William Haade as Joe Miller * Charles Lang as Fred Matson (Navy deserter prisoner) * Adele Pearce as Ruth Matson * J.M. Kerrigan as Brother 'Doc ...

'' (1940) dir.

Irving Reis Irving Reis (May 7, 1906 in New York City – July 3, 1953 in Woodland Hills, California) was a radio program producer and director, and a film director. Biography Irving Reis was born into a Jewish family.http://www.hillsidememorial.org/pdfs/Di ...

Billie Seward Billie Seward (born Rita Ann Seward; October 23, 1912 – March 20, 1982) was a 1930s motion picture actress from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Film actress Seward performed with Lou Holtz at The Beverly Wilshire Hotel Gold Room in Decembe ...

Gale Storm Josephine Owaissa Cottle (April 5, 1922 – June 27, 2009), known professionally as Gale Storm, was an American actress and singer. After a film career from 1940 to 1952, she starred in two popular television programs of the 1950s, '' My Litt ...

* ''

Lady Scarface ''Lady Scarface'' is a 1941 American crime drama film that was directed by Frank Woodruff and starred Dennis O'Keefe, Judith Anderson, and Frances Neal. Plot The scar-faced gangster Slade is on the loose. Lieutenant Bill Mason travels to a ho ...

'' (1941) dir. Frank Woodruff:

Dennis O'Keefe Dennis O'Keefe (born Edward Vanes Flanagan, Jr., March 29, 1908 – August 31, 1968) was an American actor and writer. Early years Born in Fort Madison, Iowa, O'Keefe was the son of Edward Flanagan and Charlotte Flanagan, Irish vaudevill ...

, Frances Neal * ''

Repent at Leisure ''Repent at Leisure'' is a 1941 American domestic comedy film directed by Frank Woodruff from a screenplay by Jerry Cady based on a story by James Gow and Arnaud D'Usseau. Produced and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, the film was released o ...

'' (1941) dir. Frank Woodruff:

Kent Taylor Kent Taylor (born Louis William Weiss; May 11, 1907 – April 11, 1987) was an American actor of film and television. Taylor appeared in more than 110 films, the bulk of them B-movies in the 1930s and 1940s, although he also had roles in more pr ...

Wendy Barrie Wendy Barrie (born Marguerite Wendy Jenkins; 18 April 1912 – 2 February 1978) was a British-American film and television actress. Early life Barrie was born in London to English parents. Her father, Francis Charles John Graigoe Jenkin KC ...

* '' The Man Who Wouldn't Die'' (1942) dir. Herbert Leeds: Lloyd Nolan,

Marjorie Weaver Marjorie Weaver (March 2, 1913 – October 1, 1994) was an American film actress of the 1930s through the early 1950s. Early life, entrance into acting Weaver was born in Crossville, Tennessee to John Thomas Weaver and his wife, Ellen (née Mar ...

* '' Who Is Hope Schuyler?'' (1942) dir. Thomas Loring: Joseph Allen, Jr., Mary Howard * ''

Just Off Broadway ''Just Off Broadway'' is a 1942 Drama directed by Herbert I. Leeds, starring Lloyd Nolan and Marjorie Weaver. This is the sixth of a series of seven that Lloyd Nolan played Michael Shayne for Twentieth Century Fox films. Hugh Beaumont portrayed ...

'' (1942) dir. Herbert Leeds: Lloyd Nolan,

* ''

Horror Express ''Horror Express'' ( Spanish: ''Pánico en el Transiberiano'', lit. "Panic on the Trans-Siberian") is a 1972 science fiction horror film directed by Eugenio Martín. It stars Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, with Alberto de Mendoza, Silvia Tor ...

'' (1972) dir. Eugenio Martin:

Peter Cushing Peter Wilton Cushing (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor. His acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in more than 100 films, as well as many television, stage, and radio roles. He achieved recognition ...

Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultim ...

Telly Savalas Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas (January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994) was an American actor and singer whose career spanned four decades. Noted for his bald head and deep, resonant voice, he is perhaps best known for portraying Lt. Theo Kojak on th ...

* '' Psychomania'' (1973) dir.

Don Sharp Donald Herman Sharp (19 April 192114 December 2011) was an Australian film director. His best known films were made for Hammer in the 1960s, and included '' The Kiss of the Vampire'' (1963) and '' Rasputin, the Mad Monk'' (1966). In 1965 he d ...

Nicky Henson Nicky Henson ( Nicholas Victor Leslie Henson; 12 May 1945 – 15 December 2019) was a British actor. Early life Nicholas Victor Leslie Henson was born in London, the son of Harriet Martha ( Collins) and comedian Leslie Henson. Adam Henson, a f ...

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Beryl Reid Beryl Elizabeth Reid, (17 June 1919 – 13 October 1996), was a British actress of stage and screen. She won the 1967 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for ''The Killing of Sister George'', the 1980 Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performan ...

References

Sources

Film Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Usseau, Arnaud d' American male screenwriters Writers from Los Angeles 1916 births 1990 deaths American people of French descent New York University faculty 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American male writers Screenwriters from New York (state) Screenwriters from California 20th-century American screenwriters